I took Max to get coffee that weekend. Obviously now that she lived with me, we spent a lot more time together. We walked into the shop and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bert and Quinn sitting at a table. I immediately turned around and dragged Max with me out of the shop.
"What's your damage?" Max asked, confused.
"Bert's in there!" I say, wringing my hands nervously.
"And? Aren't you guys going out now?" she asked, still confused.
"Well...yeah, but..."
"Stop being weird, Ashford." She says, using my entire name.
"I'm not being weird, I just...don't know how to act around him." I say. I really haven't been in a relationship since high school.
"Act...romantic? Hell I don't know. He's your boyfriend. Act like it." The fact that we weren't already sleeping together made the concept harder for me to grasp.
"Well...okay I guess." I say, furrowing my eyebrows.
"Now let's go, because I get bitchy without my caffeine." We went in and Max ordered. Quinn saw us first and waved us over. She sat down by Quinn, and though hesitant for about a millisecond, I sat next to Bert.
"Where's Jeph?" Max asked immediately.
"Most likely sleeping. He's not a morning person." Quinn says. Bert nodded and wrapped an arm around me.
I thought I was about to explode from even the least bit of physical contact. It's pretty ridiculous that I don't know the difference between sex every second of the day and not touching each other at all.
"Are you okay?" Bert asks.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" He was doing that thing again. The thing where he would stare at me intently and make me unbelievably nervous.
"You seem tense, that's all." He says.
"Do I?" As I said that, my voice cracked, making me really convincing. Note sarcasm.
"Guys, do you mind if leave? We're gonna take a walk." He tells them. Quinn shrugs and Max just drinks her coffee. Bert motions for me to get up. I do, and he takes my hand, leading me outside.
"So what's wrong?" he asks, still holding my hand as we walked down the sidewalk.
"It really was nothing." I say, shrugging slightly.
"I don't believe you. Which is why I asked again," he says.
"Nothing...it's just I don't really know what I'm doing." I expected another question, but he nodded and understood what I meant.
"I don't want to bear any resemblance to the guys you knew back in L.A." he says.
"I know. I just kinda forgot on how to handle an actual...you know..."
"I mean, we don't have to take it that slow. I just also have a history of fucking on the first date, so I figured we should both hold off from that."
"I get it. But I mean...I'd still feel the same. This isn't L.A. I know you won't be gone in the morning." I say stopping. He stops walking also and wraps his arms around my waist.
"My place?" he asks.
I woke up hours later and scanned the bedroom that did not belong to me. I felt like I swallowed and entire apple when I didn't see him next to me.
Then I heard a toilet flush.
I sighed with relief when he came out of the bathroom attached to his room, clad in different boxers than before.
"Why hello there." He says with a cheesy grin, before jumping onto the bed and sitting next to me with his legs crossed.
I laugh and wave.
"So I think we did a pretty good job with taking it slow, yes?" I laughed again.
"Yeah, a whole two days." I say.
"And I'm still here. Amazing." He says. I grin and shake my head.
"Well...not that this wasn't fun..." I say, yawning and getting up, putting on everything I came in.
His mouth dropped slightly. And he stood up. My eyes widened and I ran out the door. He chased after me and tackled me before I reached the front door. Then he straddled me.
"You are not going anywhere, do you understand?" My eyes were still wide. And I nodded.
"Good. Now make me dinner." I raised my eyebrow and rolled me eyes. "Yeah, that's likely." He shrugged.
"It was worth a try." I look up at him.
"Do you wanna get off of me and put on some clothes?" He feigned thinking.
"I think no." he says.
"Fine with me."
She stays alone, never sheds a single tear...
It just get's worse,
And the worst just
Gets the best of us.
