of
a lovesick puppy and confirmed Emma’s suspicion, Seth was falling in love and officially
off the market.
He turned and smiled at her before
pushing up from the couch. “Have you eaten?” he asked, throwing the question
over his shoulder as he walked into the kitchen.
“Yeah,” she called after him. She leaned
her head against the soft tan couch cushion, closed her eyes, and listened.
Seth opened and closed the freezer door, tore into a box and punched the
buttons on the microwave. Emma opened her eyes when Seth returned, carrying a
fork in one hand and a plastic tray of food on a plate in the other.
“How can you eat that?” Emma asked,
turning her nose up to the smell of the re-heated, mass-produced Salisbury
steak and potatoes he was about to eat.
“It’s not that bad, if you don’t really
think about what you’re eating. Besides, I’m hungry and take-out would take too
long. Wanna watch something?” he asked and tossed the remote to her.
Emma flipped the TV on, even though she
was content to sit and watch Seth. She settled on a movie, No Strings
Attached. It started ten minutes ago, but they’d both seen it.
“Oooh Ashton,” Seth said in a husky
falsetto. “He’s so dreamy.” He grinned at her before shoveling another bite of
his dinner into his mouth.
When the movie was over Emma could
hardly keep her eyes open. She yawned and said, “I’m going to bed. Do you mind
if I borrow a pillow and blanket for the couch?”
“No,” he replied with his gorgeous smile.
“But you probably will. This couch is too small and hard to sleep on. Go ahead
and crash in my bed. I’m going to be up a little while longer and then I’ll be
in.”
Emma stared at him. Was he suggesting
the two of them share his bed? She was about to insist on taking the couch
again when Seth laughed.
“Sorry Vanilla,” he said using the
nickname, he and Stacy had given her in college. “I forgot what a good girl you
are. Don’t worry I won’t try anything funny with you. Scouts honor.” He smiled
and held up two fingers, giving his pledge.
It’s not you I’m worried about ,
Emma thought in her next breath, but she was too tired to argue and trudged
down the hall. Sleep came to her almost immediately after her head hit the
pillow and she never felt Seth climb into the bed next to her or slide out the
next morning.
The smell of coffee and the sound of
movement from across the hall awakened her. The front door creaked open and then
closed. She dropped her feet to the floor, shuffled out of the room, and ran
her fingers through her tangled hair.
The room across the hall, her room, was
almost empty. It looked much bigger than she imagined. She could see the full
length of the built in armoire and drawers. Seth’s room had a full walk-in
closet where he hung all of his suits, jackets, and shirts, grouped by color.
She wished she had a closet like his too, but these built-ins would suffice. The
cabinetry was painted white. She pulled on the handles and cracked the armoire door.
The faint smell of cedar greeted her.
The cool morning breeze blew gently
through the open window and softly touched her cheek. She crossed her arms over
her chest in a hug when she heard Seth come back into the apartment. He walked
through the door carrying a broom and dustpan.
“Hey sleepy head,” he said. He wore the
same shorts and t-shirt from the night before.
Emma couldn’t help but smile as he
dropped the dustpan and began to sweep the dust bunnies out of the corners.
“You should have woken me up,” she told
him as she watched his hips rock back and forth from behind.
“Nah,” he replied, continuing with his
task. “You were pretty out of it. This is all my junk anyway you shouldn’t have
to move it.”
“But, it’s because of me that you are
moving it,” she reminded him.
“You got that right.” He turned and
flashed a smile. “I’ve got to get you into your own room, so I don’t have to
listen to you snore all