Time Will Tell (Maybe #3)(13)

What the hell am I doing here? She knows I left with that chick last night. What must she think of me?

I want her to see who I really am.

Why?

I have no idea.





Chapter Six


Trillian


He’s standing in my kitchen.

When it hit seven p.m. with no contact from Zach or Xander, I thought for sure they had changed their plans, yet here he is. He looks good wearing dark jeans and a black t-shirt that fits him just right. I stare at his tattoos for a second, mesmerised by the intricate art.

“Do you have any tattoos?” he asks suddenly, having caught me staring.

I look down at my French manicured nails and shake my head. “No, no tattoos.”

I do have a belly ring, though, that I got on my eighteenth birthday, which I think is quite pretty. The timer on the oven goes off, so I turn the oven off and pull out the cupcakes.

“Do you need any help?” he asks, walking over to me. “Or will I ruin the masterpieces if I try?”

My lip curls up at that. “They are easy enough. I’m just going to put some icing and sprinkles on these ones as soon as they’ve cooled down a little.”

We wait and I get him a drink.

“Nice place you have here,” he says before he takes a sip of his soda.

I look around. “Thanks. I don’t like clutter, which is why it’s kind of bare.”

And white. Everything was white. My dad liked it that way, and so did I.

“I like it,” he murmurs and then takes another sip. I watch his throat work as he swallows. “You have good taste.”

“Thank you,” I reply, smiling shyly.

When ten minutes passes, he washes his hands in the sink then comes to stand next to me, our shoulders almost touching. Xander is tall, so I have to lift my head up to look at his face. I’m about five-six, so he must be well over six foot. I pass him the icing tube and watch as he carefully swirls icing onto one of the cupcakes, his forehead scrunching in concentration. When he’s done, I hand him the sprinkles and let him finish off the cupcake. Then we both work together, decorating all twelve of them as we see fit.

“I don’t think this was how you expected your evening to go,” I say, my eyes on the cupcake he is icing. He is never going to come to my house again, that’s for damn sure.

But he just smiles. “I like watching you do this. I can tell you love it. You seem to be in your element.”

“I do love it,” I admit, glancing up at him. “Plus, it keeps me busy.”

“I’m sorry about your dad,” he suddenly says, lifting his hand up and brushing his fingers across my cheek.

“Zach told you about that, huh?” I say, repeating his words from last night. I shiver from his simple touch, from his close proximity. He smells so good, like leather mixed with soap.

“He mentioned it,” he replies vaguely. “I may have been asking a few questions about you.”

I swallow hard. “And why would you be doing that?”

He licks his bottom lip, and my gaze follows the motion. “Curiosity, I guess.”

Right. He’s curious.

I picture him exiting the taxi this morning, his hair dishevelled, and the mood is broken. I break eye contact and focus on the cupcakes. “They’re all done. Give me a minute to clean up and then we can go to dinner.”

He nods, a little stiffly. “Take your time.”

I show him where the lounge room is so he can watch TV while he waits, then escape to my bedroom. I change into a black maxi dress and sandals and let my hair down. I washed it after work so it’s back to being defiant and curly, but it’s going to have to do. I put a little powder on my face and grab my handbag, taking a deep breath before I re-enter the lounge room.

“I’m ready when you are,” I say.

He turns the TV off and stands up, taking me in from head to toe. “You look beautiful.”

My eyes widen. “Oh... umm... thank you.”

His hazel eyes smile back at me. “You’re welcome. What do you feel like eating?”

“Anything is fine with me,” I say. “I’m easy.”

I walk in front of him, wincing.

I’m easy?

Did I have to say that?

Although going by his actions last night, he likes easy.

Pushing away that unpleasant thought, we exit through the front door and I lock it behind me. When I see his bike parked in my driveway, I stop in my tracks, smiling widely in excitement.

“Yes!”

He laughs, head turned in my direction. “I thought you’d like another ride.”

“You thought right. You rode here from next door? Lazy much?” I tease.

He chuckles. “It was more for you than me.”

“You didn’t think I’d want to walk like, what, ten steps to Zach’s front door?” I ask as my mouth twitches.

Xander crosses his arms over his chest and winks. “I try to be chivalrous and this is what I get, huh?”

I laugh at that, and then rub my hands together. “Let’s get on this bad boy.”

His entire body shakes with laughter. “Fuck, you’re cute.”

He helps me onto the bike and I wrap my arms around him.

I think that’s my favourite part.