Page 24 of The Catch

Ames' back is to me. Music plays on the speakers, something I don't recognize. If my ears have it right, she's mumbling the lyrics to herself. She's washing a few mixing bowls and pots, while the dishwasher runs nearby. Both oven timers are on. I take a whiff of the air, and the smell of a full hearty meal makes my mouth water.

"What did you make?" I ask.

"Ah!" Ames jumps. The clank of metal fills the space. She dropped one of the bowls.

"Oops." I round the kitchen island until I'm standing next to her. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

Her hands press against her chest. "I didn't hear you come in."

A soft blush darkens her light brown skin. It's a beautiful mixture of melanin and dark pink, that I wouldn't get to see if I weren't so close. Without thinking, I lift a hand and trace a reddened cheek with a thumb.

"Cute," I say.

So adorable, I forgot myself for a second, and touched her.

I pull my hand away. Ames' family is from Uruguay, and sometimes we say hello with a kiss on the cheek like they do over there. Rarely, we hug. Otherwise, touching is not a language we speak.

She blinks a couple of times, but gives me no other response.

"Sorry." I take a step back and busy myself by shutting down the faucet. Water had been running the whole time, and neither of us had done anything about it.

"No, I'm sorry," she says, "but my heart is still trying to recover."

"Why are you apologizing? I came in with no warning."

"It's your home. I'm pretty sure you can do whatever you want. I'm the intruder."

I shake my head. "It was nice coming in and having you here."

"You're being way too sweet."

"I'm sweet." I grin, letting my dimples do my work for me.

"Sweeter than I knew. I have not earned this generosity."

"You don't have to earn anything. Don't tell me that's why you cooked? What did you cook, by the way?"

A small smile appears at the corner of her lips. "Who says it's for you?"

Not that I'm staring too closely.

"You're not going to share?" I ask. "Wow. If I were the kind to keep a score, you would have lost several points at once."

"Oh yeah? How many points?"

"Ten."

She grins. "How many points can I lose before I get the Bake and Bye treatment?"

"You can't get the Bake and Bye treatment. First, we would have to fu—"

Her eyes open wide.

"Date," I correct at the very last second.

Damn. That isn't much better, because that's not something I can ask of her.

I can't ever just fuck her. It's not in the cards. Not when she is a serial monogamist and I'm the serial dater. Not when being with her could open doors I closed a long time ago. I would start thinking about a future, anus. But I'm just a good-times player. Failing at love means I hurt people, and I can't do that to Ames. Ruining my relationship with her would be the biggest mistake of my life. I would lose her and her brother, too, most likely. So I can't date her, either.