Chapter 3

ARIANA

CHAPTER THREE

Last night, I lay in bed a long time, staring at the ceiling. Brock was not a good lover. Or maybe it was that I was never attracted to him the way I am to Tyler. I was more turned on by the dance and the kiss with Tyler than I ever was even during intercourse with Brock. Strange.

I'm staring at my coffee and mindlessly stroking Digit's fur. I open my phone and type in Tyler's number.

Me:

This is Ariana. Now you have my number.

I hit send before I can either chicken out or overthink what to write. Now that I see my words, I realize it was a benign thing to say.

Within three seconds, the phone beeps.

Tyler:

I'm glad to have it. Thank you for a wonderful evening.

Me:

You're just saying that to be nice. I'm not good at dating.

Tyler:

You are perfect.

Me:

Now I know you're lying.

The three dots blink for a long time.

Tyler:

If I wasn't already halfway to Long Island, I'd come over there and convince you with kisses that you're perfect.

My body hums with the idea of his kisses and where he might place them.

Me:

Just kisses?

Tyler:

Ariana, I'll give you anything you need the moment you ask for it.

I think that's possibly the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, even if it's not true.

Me:

Are we flirting?

Tyler:

;) Is this a first for you?

Me:

Yes. No one flirts with me once they know me and I never flirt back.

Tyler:

Because you think flirting is dishonest?

How could he know that?

Me:

Isn't it?

Those three dots again. My chest feels tight. Have I said something to turn him off? I should say less and see what happens.

Tyler:

For some people, it's a way of seeing if a person who looks good to them is interested in getting to know them. If the person doesn't flirt back, they know to move on. For other people, it's a battlefield. They're the aggressor and believe they can win some prize by throwing their best flirtation remarks at the other person. In this case, nothing we've said is untrue. I hope not. I would give you anything you asked for, or at least, I'd want to.

Me:

So how do we categorize our kind of flirting?

Tyler:

More like the first example. You were testing the waters, and I let you know it's safe.

I like that. I like it a lot. I can't decide if Tyler is a lineman or a poet. Maybe he's both.

A car door slams outside.

The cats run to the door.

Me:

My sister is here. I have to go. Thanks for making it safe.

Tyler:

I'll call you when I'm back in town, if that's okay.

Me:

I'd like that.

Without knocking, Meghan comes through the door and immediately sits on the floor to pet Digit and Cipher. "Good morning. How was your date?"

"Strange. I thought I'd messed it all up, but I guess not." I have no secrets from my sister, so I hand her my unlocked phone.

She reads the thread with wide eyes.

Cipher lies in her lap and Digit rubs against her as he circles.

Looking at me, she opens her mouth and closes it. "You know how to flirt?"

I never did before. "I guess so."

"Did you kiss him last night?" She stares at my phone and scrolls.

"Yes. It was not like any of Brock's kisses. It was… It was something else." Even the memory of Tyler's lips on mine makes my stomach flutter.

To the cats' dismay, Meghan rises and pours herself a cup of coffee. She sits across from me. "You like him."

It's not a question, so I don't respond.

She stares into her coffee. "He sounds nice in his texts. He seems to get you, which is kind of amazing."

"Brock understood me." I sip my now tepid coffee. Brock knew about my need for numbers, even if he didn't embrace all the same theories as me.

Meghan lets out a long sigh. "Brock was even more…different than you, sweetie. He didn't really get you and couldn't reconcile with the things that make you happy."

"I think happiness is an illusion." It's something I've said to my sister many times, even though I know she disagrees.

Her eyebrows lift, and she sips her coffee, covering a smug grin. "Really? When Tyler kissed you, did it make you happy?"

"It made me horny."

She spits coffee and it comes out her nose, sending her into a coughing fit.

I hand her a napkin. "I suppose beyond my physical response, there was a lifting of my spirit. I'll reexamine my ideas about happiness."

She cleans herself and the table, then clears her throat. "This man has you rethinking long-held notions in one day. I can't wait for what happens after a second date." She stops. "Is there a second date?"

"We're going to the beach next Saturday. He had to go to Long Island to see his family today." There's a tightness in my stomach that's similar to the feeling I always get when starting a new course or unfamiliar project. "I'm nervous." I press my hands to my abdomen.

Smiling, Meghan nods. "That's normal when going into the unknown, Ari. You should feel a little nervous when starting a new relationship. When can I meet him?"

"He's picking me up here at nine next Saturday. Come for coffee and you'll meet him." I finish my cup and get up to put it in the sink.

Grinning as if it were her starting a new path, Meghan says, "If things go well, I may have to start knocking before I come in here."

Why on earth would she knock if the door is unlocked? I wash my cup and consider the reasons. It hits me that she's speculating about finding Tyler and me having sexual intercourse. That idea makes me feel good in a lot of ways. I definitely need to take another look at happiness as a reality. "Maybe you should."

Meghan bursts out laughing.

On Tuesday I finish work at six and send my findings to my employer. I've had several email notifications come through, but rarely check such things as it breaks my concentration when I'm working on a project.

One from two hours ago is from my former employer. There's another from Brock twenty minutes later. An hour ago, two more came from the Space Agency.

My phone rings and I answer it without looking. "Hello."

"Hi. Am I getting you at a bad time?" Tyler's strong masculine voice comes through.

Those jitters in my stomach return. "No. Why did you ask?"

"You sounded distracted."

I was distracted, but now he has my full attention. "I was looking at email, but I'm not now."

There's a pause and I wonder what he's thinking. Most of the time when people pause, I run through some numbers in my head until they decide to speak again.

He takes a breath and it's clear through the phone. "How are you?"

"I'm well. I went to the lake with my sister on Saturday afternoon. A lot of my family was there. My sister wants to meet you." I probably said all of that too fast. Must slow down.

"I'd be happy to meet her and I'm happy you told your sister about me."

"Why?" I tell my sister everything.

"Usually when people speak about someone new in their lives, it means they're thinking about them even when the other person is not around. I like the idea of you thinking about me when I'm not with you."

Of course, he's right. I was thinking about him. He's been on my mind quite often. Since I'm only investigating and not solving larger problems, I have room to think about other things and people. "Do you have siblings?"

A soft masculine chuckle warms me from the inside. "I have a sister, Kathy. That's why I had to be in the city this weekend. She's getting married in a couple of weeks, and I needed to get fitted for the tuxedo. I spent time with my parents, Kathy, and her fiancé, Lance."

I want to ask if he told them about me, but I don't know if I want the answer. "Have they known each other for a long time, your sister and Lance?"

"Three years. They live together on the Upper West Side." He pauses, and I don't know what to say. "They all want to meet you too."

I hadn't realized I was holding my breath, but I let it out. "I would like that." The pause is so long that I think he might have hung up. "Are you still there?"

"Yes." He hesitates. "If those emails aren't too important, would you take a walk with me? I don't want to wait until Saturday to see you again."

My skin tingles and my heart pounds. I try to stop smiling so I can answer, but I can't. Meghan may be right about happiness. On the other hand, I could be right and all of this is an illusion. Though, it feels real. "I can go for a walk. Where should I meet you?"

"Open your front door."

I leave my office and find Digit and Cipher staring at the door. I nudge them back and open the door.

On the other side of the screen door, in cargo shorts and a T-shirt, he looks tan and utterly delicious. I force my mouth closed. "How long have you been standing here?"

"Just for a few seconds. I was walking over while we were talking."

The cats rush to sniff at him.

"They look friendly." He puts his hand against the screen and lets them get his scent.

Digit backs off leaning against my leg, but Cipher cries and stays at the screen.

"Digit and Cipher. You can come in if you want." For some reason my voice is shaky.

He opens the screen door and carefully makes sure Cipher stays inside. Leaning toward me, he kisses my cheek. He's warm and the slight beard rubs against my skin.

There's something about him that makes me want him sexually. Most people are not comfortable with me bluntly asking for what I want from them, so I keep it to myself.

Crouching, he pets Cipher and after a moment, Digit gains confidence and lets Tyler pet him too. "Digit and Cipher." He smiles. "Perfect names for your cats."

"I'm going to change." I shouldn't have let him in since I'm wearing pajama pants and one of my coffee shirts.

His eyes shine and his pupils dilate. "No rush."

Inside my bedroom, I press my back to the door and close my eyes as waves of desire roll over me. Get yourself together, Ariana.

I change into jeans shorts and a green shirt with flouncy little sleeves. It's one of six new tops Meghan made me buy. In my bathroom, I brush my teeth and use a splash of water to press down the hair sticking up on the top of my head. I'd like to look sexy and sultry, but I look more like Tinker Bell than a seductress. With a shrug, I pull on my sneakers and step back into the living room.

He's looking around. "You're very neat."

"I like things to have their place, but I'm not obsessed with it." I don't know why I feel the need to defend myself against the complexes I don't have.

If I could bottle his smile, I would do it. What a totally irrational thought.

Suddenly, he's in front of me and his fingers graze my cheek. "Have I lost you, Ariana?"

Snapping back to him, I brush aside the strange sensation of thinking something so out of character. "No. I'm here."

"Where did you go?" He runs his thumb over my bottom lip.

I let the tip of my tongue slip through and taste his digit. Clean with a hint of salt and rough from hard work. A soft moan escapes as my body responds to the taste of him. "Can I decline to tell you for now?"

Taking his thumb from my lips, he sucks it into his own mouth and grumbles erotically. "You can do anything if you touch me with that tongue."

"That's just it, I want to touch you. I don't know how to ask for what I want without you thinking badly about me."