Taste (Sense Series Book 2) (4 page)

I thought back to the time when Michael and Adam collided with one another. Adam was so nervous, and he wanted to get away from us as fast as he could. Michael didn’t make it any easier on him either. Sensing Adam’s discomfort makes Michael even more of a douchebag, like a shark that smells blood in the water.

“You’re right about that,” I laughed.

“Adam let me know about the both of you. I just wanted to make sure that I let you know that I’m not here to cause any trouble. I respect what the two of you have, and I appreciate him allowing me to stay here. I hope that maybe you and I can even become friends.”

“That’s a possibility,” I said, “It was nice meeting you. I’m going to unwind, it’s been such a long day.”

“Oh yeah, it’s been nice meeting you too. Maybe you can come over this evening. I’m going to cook Adam dinner as a thank you for letting me stay with him.  He’s doing me such a big favor, and he didn’t have to.”

“Yeah, maybe I’ll stop by. I’ll see you later.”

We said our last goodbyes and I retreated into the sanctuary of my apartment. I wondered if it was wrong that I hated the idea of her cooking him dinner. In my head she was half dressed in an apron while making a crème brulee. I cringed at the thought of her feeding him. She didn’t have to cook him dinner to say thank you, she could have just said thank you. Also, where did she get off inviting me over to his apartment? I was welcomed there any time that I wanted. Maybe I just being overly dramatic but Melanie had rubbed me the wrong way even if that wasn’t her intention.

I got out of my clothes and put on something more comfortable. I walked straight to my liquor cabinet and grabbed the vodka. I needed a caramel apple martini fast, and I needed it to be strong. I mixed my drink and took a long slow sip and almost drained my entire glass. I began mixing my next one before I finished the first. I drained my glass and poured my next victim. I hated feeling anxious, and I welcomed the calm that settled over my body.

I sat on my couch and watched television for a few hours. I had two more drinks, and I played around with the idea of going to see Adam and Melanie. However, I didn’t think that it was best for me to go over there in my inebriated state. I lay down and took a nap. I awoke to a loud knock on my door, I groggily walked to the door, and it was Adam.

“Hey,” I said, “What time is it?”

“It’s 9 o’clock. I’ve been calling you for a couple of hours. I heard that you met Melanie,” he said.

“Yeah I met her,” I responded as I rested my body on the door.

“She said that she invited you over for dinner. Why didn’t you come?”

“I had 3 drinks too many and I fell asleep,” I admitted.

“It’s not like you to drink so much in the middle of the week. Are you okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m just fine,” I said with an attitude. Apparently too much liquor made me grumpy.

“All right, I guess I’ll go back to my apartment. I’m going to get some rest soon, unless you want me to spend the night with you.”

“Oh you mean you aren’t going to be snuggling up with Melanie tonight after she cooked you a delicious meal?”

He looked as if I slapped him with my words, “Kerry, I’ve already told you that there is nothing going on between the both of us. I wish that you trusted me enough to believe me.”

“I’m just not in the mood for this,” I said, “I’m tired and I just want to go to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow; have a good time with your 
friend
.”

Without waiting for a response from him I closed the door in his face. I stumbled to my bed and went into a dreamless sleep.

The following morning I woke up, and I felt well rested. It felt odd waking up alone, and I didn’t like it. I was used to cuddling with Adam for at least ten minutes before I got out of the bed and got dressed for work. Some mornings we would get in a quickie. I tried to figure out why I was waking up alone but then I remembered my night. I felt like crap over what I did the night before.

I crawled out of the bed and pulled on my sleep shorts. I walked down the hallway shoeless and knocked on his door. Melanie opened the door.

“Good morning Kerry!” She said in a voice that was too chipper for the morning, “You’re just in time, I’ve made breakfast.”

I was taken aback by seeing her. She was wearing pajama pants and a tank that showed off her midriff. I was annoyed by the vision even though she wasn’t half naked.

“Good morning, I can’t stay long because I have to get ready for work. I just came to see Adam before I start my day.”

“Oh okay,” she pouted, “he’s in his room. I’m sorry that you weren’t able to make it over last night. Maybe you’ll be up to it on another evening?”

“Yeah, I hope so. My bottle of vodka and I got a little too acquainted, and I was sleep before I know it,” I laughed.

“It happens to the best of us, I’m that way with tequila. I’ll get one shot too many, and the night becomes a complete blur.”

“Maybe one night we’ll be in a complete blur together.”

“Now that sounds like loads of fun, it’s a date!”

I walked to Adam’s bedroom and gave a timid knock on the door before I opened it. He was putting on his shoes; he was fully dressed for the day.

“Good Morning,” I said.

“Hey, how are you feeling? No hangover?” He asked.

“Fortunately I was drinking top shelf alcohol. I’m so sorry about last night. That was the liquor talking, and you didn’t deserve to be treated that way. If I had an issue with you, I should have said something when I was sober.”

“Thank for that apology, but it’s okay because I already know how you really felt. I just didn’t know that your anger reached to that degree.”

“Me either,” I admitted, “It was like I was another person. I was saying these things, and I couldn’t believe that it was coming out of my mouth. I pushed you away, and that wasn’t what I wanted at all. Waking up without you last night completely sucked. I didn’t like it at all and hopefully we won’t have many nights like that.”

“I agree. I hated going to bed without you by my side. I was tempted to come back over after I left, but I figured that you were in a drunken slumber and wouldn’t hear the door anyway. I knew that you were speaking from frustration, and I shouldn’t have left. I should have decided to stay instead of letting you close the door in my face,” he said.

“No, I think you did the right thing. I don’t think that I would have been able to listen to reason. I was acting out of sorts, and so everything happened the way that it should have,” I sighed.

“So what now?” he asked.

“Now you get up and kiss me. Melanie made breakfast for you; maybe I’ll stick around and eat?”

He rose to his feet and embraced me. I moaned at the warmth of his body, my soft flesh was pliant against his hard body.

“I told Melanie that I wouldn’t be able to stick around for breakfast because I have to get to the dojo early this morning. I’m going to be working with some newcomers.”

“Oh okay.”

“I was hoping that you would be able to have a quick breakfast with her. She seemed really disappointed that you weren’t able to make it last night.”

I was going to try to come up with an excuse as to why I wouldn’t be able to have breakfast with her, but then I gave it a second thought. I had to at least make an effort to get to know her. So far I hadn’t done a good job of that. She’d just moved in the day before and the sooner I let myself get over it the better.

“Okay, I’ll eat pancakes for the greater good,” I said before giving him a quick peck on the lips.

He gave me a bright smile, “Thank you, I know that this isn’t easy for you. So I really appreciate the fact that you’re trying. She’s really sweet when you get to know her.”

“If she’s so sweet, then why aren’t the two of you together anymore?”

“We just weren’t right for one anymore. It was best that we were friends and not in a relationship,” he said.

I was experiencing de ja vu, he sounded exactly like I did when I told my parents about Michael. So I knew that he wasn’t being completely honest with me. I decided to push the issue a little more because my curiosity was getting the best of me.

“Please tell me what happened and don’t give me that generic answer again. What happened? I need to know,” I said.

He drew in a deep breath, “She cheated on me, and she cheated on me a lot.”

“Why are you friends with her?” I asked.

“See this is why I didn’t want to tell you. I didn’t want to have to defend my decisions to you.”

“I’m sorry but I have to know, do you still have feelings for her?”

He hesitated before he opened his mouth to answer, “I did, but then I got to know you. I’m happy with you, and you are who I want to be with.”

My heart dropped when I heard his words because I wasn’t sure if I could believe him. Was I really supposed to believe that his emotions for here were completely gone? She’s living in the same apartment with him and feelings were likely to flare up. I closed my eyes and shook my head in an attempt to rid myself of the visions. Damn my over active imagination.

“Okay,” I said, “I’m going to go out and have breakfast with Melanie and you’re going to get out of here. We both have jobs to do.”

He gave a timid smile, “Are you sure that you’re okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Honestly I’m ready to just get to know the damned girl so that I can formulate my opinions based off of facts instead of my fears. All of this is getting ridiculous,” I said honestly.

“That’s the woman that I love,” he said as he tilted my chin to kiss me deeply, “You don’t have anything to be worried about. I’m about to get out of here.”

We both walked out into the house, and I walked to the kitchen as he grabbed his jacket and headed out of the door.

“He left?” Melanie asked.

“Yes, he had to get to the Dojo this morning to train some newbies,” I smiled.

“Oh,” she said, with a look of disappointment.

“It’s okay because you still have me for about 20 more minutes,” I said looking up at the wall clock.

“Sounds good, I have about a half hour before I have to get dressed as well,” she said.

She grabbed two plates from the counter putt pancakes, eggs, and turkey bacon on the both of our plates and then poured us both a glass of orange juice. I took a seat and looked at my plate, and my stomach grumbled. The food looked really good, and I was starving.

I cut up my pancakes and poured some light syrup on them. I took a bite and gave a slight moan as the texture melted in my mouth.

“Good right?” She said as she stared at me intently.

“Yes they’re delicious,” I confirmed.

“Glad you like them. I’m a little sad that Adam couldn’t stay because he loves my cooking. He’s always said that he would do anything for it,” she laughed.

“So what do you do for a living,” I asked, ignoring her comment.

“I’m a chef,” she said, “I’m a sous chef for now at Lawry’s Steak house but I’m working my way up the ladder. I work during the day on most days and I should be moving to nights soon. I love the hustle and bustle of the kitchen and things are a little too slow for me during the day.”

“That would explain why you’re food is so damned good, “ I laughed.

“Yeah, it’s actually how Adam I met. I was a sous chef at a little restaurant, and  he was the bartender.”

“He never told me that he used to bartend, but that explains a lot. He makes the most amazing drinks, and he takes it all so seriously.”

“Yeah everyone came for drinks once he got hired. They tolerated the food and stayed for alcohol. He was friendly, and his drinks were amazing, he has a gift.”

“I guess you could say that’s how we ended up together. I came over for a party, and I hoped there was food, but him and I connected over alcohol. Now that I know his history, I’m surprised that he let me bartend,” I said as I bit into a strip of turkey bacon.

“He let you behind his bar? That’s saying something; he never let me make drinks. He was always so possessive over his ‘tools’” she said making finger quotations in the air.

“I haven’t seen that side of him yet,” I laughed.

“Well, you haven’t known him long enough to see much of anything.”

Was she purposely trying to get under my skin or was I just overreacting?

“I know all of the important stuff,” I stuffed my mouth with more pancakes.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Here we go, the drama was about to commence. I could just feel it.

“Sure,” I said.

“Why are you stringing my friend along? He seems to really like you for some reason unbeknownst to me, and you treat him like crap.”

“I really don’t think that’s any of your business, especially since you both have a romantic history,” I said.

She gave a slight grin, “How much of this history do you know? Did you know that just 6 months ago he was begging for me to come back to him, and I turned him down?”

“Seeing as though we just started dated 3 months ago, that’s not of any concern to me. What I do know is that in the last 3 months, you haven’t heard a peep from him, and yet you came crawling to his door with your raggedy duffle bag.”