Dylan
We ordered pizza from a nearby Italian restaurant that boasted quick delivery. They kept their word, bringing us the food in fifteen minutes. In the meantime, the pup fell asleep.
"We could have just gone out," I said as we sat on the floor. She’d ordered a pizza with vegetables. Mine was with pepperoni and cheese.
I'd put the pizza on plates, but somehow we ended up sitting on the floor again, in front of the couch. Mel was leaning with her back against the sofa right next to the pup.
"No, I think he probably fell asleep because he hears us talking. He feels safe. I bet if we went out now, he’d wake up right away and start causing trouble."
“Good to know." I couldn't take my eyes off her. I wanted nothing else but to touch her lips, everywhere I could.
"Hey, don't look at me like that," she said playfully.
I held up a hand in defense.
"Sorry. I can't always behave, even though I try.”
She cocked a brow as if she wasn’t buying it before glancing at the pup again.
“How is your dad taking care of a dog?” I asked. “Isn’t it difficult?”
“Not really. He ties the leash to the wheelchair when they go for a walk, and in the house, he has his routine. He works as a transcriptionist, so his hours are flexible. After he got sick, I seriously couldn’t believe how determined he was to keep going, you know? And after he adopted Buddy, he became his best friend.”
Her eyes were slightly glassy. She shook her head as if trying to shake away the sadness.
I wanted to contribute. I wanted to take it all away.
"Hey, you're giving me with that intense look again."
I set down my slice of pizza, clearing my throat. “What was it you asked me at the gym? To stop being so hot, right? Well, I can try to do that, but that’s about it.”
"Yeah, but you haven't tried very hard. I mean, look at you in that polo shirt. You could have put on something loose." She tilted her head as if considering her next words. "Maybe a paper bag over your head. Yeah, that would do it."
I winked. "I'll keep that in mind for our next encounter. But I can't promise I won’t give you any intense looks."
"The problem with intense is that it’s bordering on hot."
I winked at her again.
She sighed. "You're making it hard for me to keep my resolutions."
I frowned. "Your New Year’s resolutions?"
She looked up from her slice of pizza. "No, I had an accident recently. I thought Isabelle might have mentioned it to you."
"No, she didn't."
"I was in a car crash three weeks ago. Nothing bad happened to me, but the poor driver got the brunt of it. A car smashed into us sideways after running a red light. It was a scare. It made me rethink a few things. Now I’m more determined to enjoy my life and every good thing I have in it."
"That's a great resolution. What are the others?" I asked.
She took a bite of her pizza as if she needed even more time to gather her thoughts.
"Mel?" I pressed.
"I don't want to date guys who aren’t on the same page as me," she said finally. "I learned the hard way that if you don’t want the same thing from the beginning, it makes it difficult."
That emotional look in her eyes slayed me. I wasn't the only one with scars here.
"Even if you think you’re on the same page with someone from the beginning, things can always change later," I said. "I was together with my ex for seven years. When I proposed, she suddenly didn't know if I was the one. If she wanted to spend her life with me.”
Melanie winced. "I'm sorry. That's terrible. Seven years. That's a long time. When did you break up?”
“A little over two years ago.”
“I've never been in a relationship that long. My longest one was three years."
“Was he the douchebag who was annoyed you were taking care of your dad?”
“Yes. My head is still spinning when I think about it.”
Straightening up, she put her plate on the floor. She hadn’t eaten the crust at all. She’d also picked off the onions and artichokes.
I pointed to the plate. "Aren't you going to eat the crust?"
"No, too many carbs for me."
"You're joking, right? You look fantastic."
She actually blushed. She must get that compliment a thousand times a day, but hearing it from me made her blush. I liked where this was going.
"Thank you, but I'm a fitness trainer, and the studio very often asks me to share pictures on social media. I do have to look my very best. That's kind of a job hazard, but I don't mind. I don’t like the crust. I mostly like the pizza for the cheese, which, yes, I know, is also a calorie bomb. Don't remind me."
"I wasn't going to. I was just going to ask if I can have your crust."
She pushed her plate to me, and I brushed her fingers with my hand when I took it. She licked her lower lip, looking right at my mouth, and I instantly knew she wasn’t going to leave my apartment tonight before I claimed at least another kiss. We both wanted it too much.
"You eat carbs, and you look this amazing. I didn't think it was possible to have a six-pack unless we gave carbs up completely."
I cocked a brow, "How do you know I have a six-pack?" I'd never taken off my shirt in front of her.
She blushed again. "It was an educated guess."
I threw my head back, laughing. "You gave this a lot of thought, didn't you?"
"More than I should, yes," she admitted.
"Then it's not my fault if you break your resolutions."
She pointed at me. "Yes it is. You're not supposed to encourage me."
"I want you to break them, so why shouldn't I?"
“Oh, Dylan, what am I going to do with you?"
"The question is what am I going to do with you?" I kept my gaze on her until she turned to the pup, stroking his head. Even in his sleep, he seemed to like it.
"How come you moved to New York?" she asked all of a sudden, clearly trying to change the subject. "That only happened last year, right?"
I nodded. "Yes, Ian and I were in Washington before with our software company. We then started working with companies based in New York too and decided to expand our reach. Right now, we’re programming software that will change how people working in weather-dependent jobs can get insurance. We’re going to submit it to the Innovator of the Year competition. If we win, it’s going to be rolled out to the whole country very fast. It’s not for catastrophic events like hurricanes or floods. Those are covered by existing programs.”
"That sounds like an interesting project. That means farmers who have crops will be better off if one year there's not enough rain?”
"Yes. That’s the example that came first in most people's minds, though farmers are already better than others in their insurance deals. There are also other industries where this is necessary. For example, my parents operated the ski lift back in Montana, and it usually snows. In the few years when it didn't, that was a tough time for us. We barely made ends meet. We had some neighbors who pitched in to help us, but we wouldn't have made it without that help. I don't want anyone to have to go through that trouble. It was a hard time."