I kissed the top of his head and reached for the remote on the bedside table. “Of course. Which one first? I think you might like Pretty in Pink because of the clothes in it.” I handed him the remote and then reached out for Socrates, who’d hopped up now that the vigorous bed activity was over. He sniffed hesitantly at my shoulder before stepping across my chest and curling up above Teo’s head on my pillow.
Waffles was on the floor messing with stuff. I could hear her batting something around and letting out a periodic mrrt when her play didn’t go according to plan. The sounds of the city provided dim background noise to the opening credits of the movie. I glanced around Teo’s tiny studio apartment and thought about how comfortable and relaxed I felt there. I’d noticed the feeling before, but it came back in a rush. The personalized photos, the unique colorful touches of items he’d deliberately chosen or was given to make his little apartment his nest, and all the various special mementos of his life.
In addition to his things, he’d also strung twinkle lights over the triple window and had hung some shelving here and there to hold healthy green plants. Some of them hung down from their shelves with draping leafy stems and some spiked up in fat, colorful pots. I remembered him telling me how much he liked to garden. I wondered if he realized this was a prime example of the fact he’d always at least partly followed his own path. This apartment was nothing like the Chris Banks I’d met, but it was everything like Teo Parisi. He had his own unique style and the ability to make it into a cozy home I didn’t really want to leave.
“Can I stay the night?” I asked in a voice that already sounded half-asleep.
“Duh.” He reached for a sip of his ice water. I’d fetched our glasses when I’d gotten up to go to the bathroom. If I knew Teo, there would inevitably be snacks at some point. But for now, I was content to doze against him while he enjoyed watching Andie and Duckie banter back and forth.
At some point I woke up to Teo’s soft sniffles. The credits were rolling on the movie which was fine since I’d seen it a million times. “Why are you crying?”
“She should have picked Duckie.”
I wondered if he was caught up in the emotions since he, too, had been in love with his best friend. “But she and Duckie didn’t have the spark.”
“Yes they did. Don’t be ridiculous.” He stood up and made his way to the bathroom across from the bed. My eyes went straight to his adorable pale butt, and I kept my eyes riveted on the bathroom door like a perv waiting for the front view.
Within moments, I got what I was waiting for. His soft dick hung down from a dark nest of curls. His slender thigh muscles moved under his skin as he walked back toward the bed, and his stomach was flatter then I remembered.
I glanced up at his face and caught him smirking at me. He winked. “Want me to twirl so you can get the whole view?”
“Have you been eating enough?” I asked. His face fell. “I don’t mean it like that. You’re hot as shit, Tee. I just mean you look thinner. I wanted to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”
He made a big point of opening a kitchen cabinet and pulling out a jar of peanuts. “I’ve been eating nuts every chance I get,” he said with a return of the smirk. He wiggled his sexy hips on his way back to the bed.
I was glad to see he’d gotten over his Molly Ringwald angst, at least temporarily. I didn’t like to think of him still being torn up over whether or not he should be with Chris.
“You know…” he began, looking up at me shyly after he’d gotten back in bed. “I helped build my neighbor a chicken coop once. I’m not the handiest man you’ll ever meet, but if you and your dad want help at Millie’s house…”
I pictured him shirtless and sweaty with a worn leather tool belt hanging off his hips. “Yes, please.”
He laughed and set the peanuts on the table before snuggling back against me. “What’s next?”
What 1980s teen film didn’t have a love triangle in it? “Gleaming the Cube,” I said, reaching for the remote. “Christian Slater on a skateboard, mm-hm.”
Both of us fell asleep during that one and woke up to real life. I had an annual physical scheduled for work, and Teo had a shift at Wilton starting fairly early as well. We shared a quick shower and a rushed goodbye kiss before I was out the door.
It only took twelve hours for my chest to feel strangely tight with longing and my fingers itching to text him. He’d made it clear we were friends with benefits, but I had the emotions of a clingy stalker right now. I forced myself to turn my phone off long enough to go to the gym and pick up some sushi. When I returned to my quiet apartment, I shoved the phone in the kitchen drawer for another solid hour.
But then my brain played tricks on me. What if Millie had trouble with her pregnancy? What if one of my parents slipped and fell while watering the lawn? What if…?
I turned the phone back on to a barrage of texts. Most of them were from the automatic scheduling system at work, but one was from Tee.
Teo: I meant what I said about the DIY stuff at your sister’s. I’d love to help.
My heart kicked up a beat.
Jack: I’m heading there for the weekend. Think you can leave the boys that long?
Teo: My neighbor can watch them. You sure you don’t mind the company?
Jack: You owe me a fake boyfriend visit to my fam, remember?
Teo: I’m in. I get off work at 3pm Friday. That okay?
Jack: I land around noon from a quick trip to Nashville. Pick you up at 4pm? It’s a little over an hour drive.
One of my coworkers had helped me find a good deal on a used SUV that was low mileage but beat up enough to haul lumber in without worrying too much about it. It cost me an arm and a leg to park it at a nearby garage, but it was worth it for the ability to drive out to La Porte whenever I wanted.
When Friday finally arrived, I was both excited and nervous to pick Teo up. Obviously I was excited to spend an entire weekend with him, but I was also nervous about introducing him to my family. I didn’t want to lie to them, but not only had I already implied several weeks before that we were dating, my sister knew I had real feelings for him. It wasn’t like I could introduce him as only a friend and still expect to be able to share a bedroom and touch him all weekend. But if I introduced him as my boyfriend, my family would get excited for something that was more of a pipe dream than a reality.
The difference now was… there might be a possibility of something in the future. If he truly was getting over Chris, and I was finally ready to consider a serious relationship again, didn’t that mean we could potentially end up together down the road?
I groaned. Stop fantasizing. He probably imagined a big “Banks” life with penthouses, private jets, and box seats to Cubs games. All I had to offer was the same kind of middle-class lifestyle he had on his own as a nurse. I’d taken a big pay cut to go private. I could always go back to the large airline, but I was actually enjoying flying corporate jets. It was more personable, more flexible, and less of a hassle than I’d had to deal with at the airline.
Teo doesn’t care about wealth and status.