Page 48 of The Score

Chapter 16

Pen

Present Time

Time is flying by. It's only ten days until Leon and I get married, and we keep busy preparing for the ceremony and the party afterwards. Myfiancéis currently taking on a large portion of that work, as I'm also dealing with transitioning off work. I told my friends and coworkers about my reasons for leaving and getting engaged, but they think the latter is real, and their shocked faces still make me laugh when I think about it. Bear is also puppeteering something to do with my bucket list and our honeymoon trip, but he's keeping that part close to his chest.

Tonight the vibe is different. I'm curling my hair for once, and wearing a new dress I got especially for this occasion— a joint stag party. Our friends insisted and we gave in, as we kept the plan simple. The usual suspects at our usual club, all together like any other night.

Sigh. My dress is pretty. It's a gorgeous emerald green, with opaque fabric at the top that glitters the lower you go. It's an A-line cut, but the large rhinestones at the bottom give it weight and a fun swirl when I move.

I know I'm supposed to wear white, but I'm not the kind to sacrifice my personal taste for the sake of social customs. I may not have dated in a long time, but virginity isn't a thing I'm interested in portraying even by tradition.

The smoky gold eyeshadow highlights the point, in my opinion. It makes me feel sexy. Powerful, in a way.

I smile. Where I'm pretending this is just another get together with our friends, I think Bear is trying a bit harder than that. He asked for a few hints about my dress, so he could try to match me. It's the kind of thing I've learned to expect from him, and I'm curious about what he's going to wear.

I won't have to wait long. Three days ago I moved in with him. The process was utterly uneventful. We have lived together before, after all. Not to say anything about trips, sleepovers, and all of that. All we really did was set up my room at the other end of the hall from where his bedroom is.

All my excitement came from getting to check out what my room would look like. Just as promised, it's painted a bluish gray, except for the wall behind my bed. A gorgeous, multicolored wallpaper decorates that side, exactly like the picture I sent Leon. It's big enough to look like a small studio apartment, sans kitchen. It has enough room for a small bathroom and the vanity I sit on, finishing up my hair.

The only times I won't get to have my own space is when either set of parents visit. When that happens, I'll share Bear's bedroom suite. It's fine. After sleeping together for more than a week at my parents', we're experts at ignoring the fact we woke up all over each other every morning.

All right. The truth is it was me who crossed the line between us every night. But that was my unconscious body seeking his warmth. I had never been as cozy as those mornings waking up next to Leon. Nothing more natural than my brain forgetting Bear is my best friend for the sake of comfort.

I'm done with my hair, and I spray it lightly so the curls last longer.

As for those mornings waking up with him, not much else should be said. If I noticed any… hardenings… of his anatomy each morning, that was his unconscious falling victim to biology. Don't most penis-owning people get that when they wake up? Just like any reactions my body might have had at the sight— the faster heartbeat, the curiosity, the lip-licking— it's all nature doing its thing.

I repeat the words in my head like a prayer. My body has always responded to him in the most inescrutable, subtle ways. Except they're rational. Hormones and neurotransmitters evolved to make people want to bond and have sex. We have never let those get in the way of the relationship we have.

I put my earrings on. Two knocks on the door take me out of my reverie.

"Come in," I call.

Bear appears. I zero in on his suit— a delightful dark green, matte fabric, with a more saturated green color on the tie, on top of a simple white shirt. He looks great, with a freshly edged and shaped beard, and his dark hair styled in that casual up style of his.

I bet he smells amazing, too.

"Hey," he says. "Almost ready?"

His eyes track me, checking out my outfit. Deciding if he did a good job with his suit, I bet. The only reason his eyes follow the line of my back, around my ass, and all the way to my thighs, is because they happen to be visible, nothing else.

"Do you like?" I ask.

Don't ask me why it comes out that way.

I lick my lips and turn on the small vanity bench, giving my back to the wall, and casually pulling the skirt of my dress down.

"This dress, I mean," I correct.

He blinks at me. A couple of thoughts seem to clash in his mind. I automatically reach for one of the curls around my face and run my finger through it. Round and round, a couple of times.

Bear clears his throat. "You look very pretty."

"Thank you. You look handsome."

He dips his chin. "It's the stag and stagette party, but it could also be the engagement party we didn't get, right? I wanted to put in some extra effort, and now I'm glad I did."