You Before Me (17 page)

I shake my head and get dressed in a
black and white striped cami with matching shorts. I pick our wet
clothes up off the floor.

“Gabe?” I call out. “Does this door by
the other bedroom lead to the washer and dryer? I'm going to toss
our clothes in there.”

“Yeah, but just put them in the
hamper. I've got to wash clothes and I'll throw those in there
too.” He pauses, and as I open the door to do as he said, I hear,
“By the time you get in here, I'll be halfway done.”

“Shut up,” I laugh. Once I toss the
clothes into the hamper, I go into the kitchen. The rain has calmed
down outside, but it's still coming down. Streaks of lightning can
be seen from his kitchen window. Gabe is standing in front of his
fridge with the door open. “What are we having anyway?”

“Well, let's see. You can get a salad
going, and I'll start the pork chops.” Gabe starts pulling things
out of the fridge, and I take them from him, setting them on the
counter.

“Sounds good. What else are we having
with the pork chops?”

“How about...” He closes the fridge
and walks over to his pantry, opening it up. “Mashed potatoes?”
Gabe glances at me, and I nod.

We get things underway, him at the
stove and me close to the sink, putting a salad together. I cut my
eyes over at him, feeling a little odd to be in his kitchen,
helping with supper. It's such a relaxed, couple type thing to
do.

Tentatively, I ask, “Gabe?”

“Yeah?” He answers without looking at
me.

I don't know why I'm thinking this,
but I am. It's something I want to know, and I don't want a repeat.
Of course, my big mouth is going to ask him anyway. “You do realize
what just happened, right? You're not going to freak and kick me
out halfway through our meal?”

He spins to face me. “What? Ryan, no.
I-”

“You don't have to say anything, Gabe.
I don't want to see that look again, and I don't want you to regret
it, that's all.”

Gabe walks over, placing his hands on
my hips to make me turn my body towards him. “I didn't regret it
the first time. I was disappointed in myself and-”

“We don't need to go over it again.” I
give him a quick kiss before changing the topic. “If you burn the
food, I'll never forgive you.”

He chuckles and turns back to the
stove. As I cut up a cucumber, I think about what a crazy day it's
been. I've always felt comfortable physically around Gabe, but now
I'm not even worried about speaking my mind and asking him things I
wouldn't normally ask. Just as I'm about to ask him about his
father, there's a knock on the door. Our heads automatically turn
towards the noise. My eyes widen when I recognize his mother,
thanks to the pictures on his mantel. I'm not even wearing a bra!
Gabe brushes his hand on my lower back as he passes me to open the
door. If that's supposed to be a reassurance, it isn't.

Once again, I'm reminded of the
differences in our families. These people love each other a lot.
Enough that they share important things about their lives with one
another and hold their opinions with a high regard. When I was
looking at the photos earlier, I could see their happiness, their
closeness, and the pride they had in each other. That's how a
family should be. Not like the group of people I call my family.
Even now, Gabe is a bit anxious over what his mother is thinking. I
can hear it in his tone as he tries too hard to relax.

“Mom, hey. What are you doing here?”
Gabe questions as she steps inside, little wet circles on her light
blue shirt from the rain.

How does this look to her? Me in my
skimpy pjs with no bra and Gabe shirtless in pajama pants at seven
in the evening. My hair is still half wet and probably all messy
from the rain and sex. Her lips are pursed as she gives me a once
over. I focus on the cucumbers, so I don't have to look at her and
see her immediate disdain for me. Maybe if I pretend she isn't
here, then she'll magically disappear.

“I texted you to let you know I was
coming, Gabriel. I thought it was odd that you didn't reply, but
now I can see you were busy. Your father told me about today,” she
says as if that explains it all. Her Southern hospitality kicks in,
and I hear her footsteps coming closer to me. Oh, God. “Hello.” I
turn to see her stick her hand out to me. “I'm Gabriel's mother,
Camilla. You must be Ryan.”

I set the knife down and reluctantly
shake her hand. “Nice to meet you.” Gabe looks as worried as I
feel. “Gabe, I'm going to, uh, throw those clothes in the washing
machine.” Abandoning my task, I hurry out of the room, desperate to
get away from her.

Faintly, I can hear their conversation
because like the girl I am, I left the door opened a crack so I
could listen.

“I'm sorry I didn't get your message,
Mom,” Gabe says. “What did Dad say?”

She doesn't answer right away. I toss
some clothes into the washing machine. “Gabriel,” she chides.
“She's so young.” Oh, fuck. Not that again. “When your father told
me that, I wanted to come speak with you and see what's going on.
You didn't bring her to the house today. By the cooking you're
doing right now, y'all haven't even eaten yet.” I hear Gabe
shuffling around, probably keeping an eye on the food. I try to be
as quiet as possible so I can hear everything. “I don't want you to
make the same mistakes again. And she has tattoos,
Gabriel.”

Crap. She probably saw my tats when I
walked away. See, this, us, we aren't a good thing.

“Mom, I love you, but stop, please.
You know I never bring a girl to meet you until I'm sure. I haven't
been seeing Ryan that long.”

“And she's already spending the night?
Already so comfortable in your house that she's doing a load of
laundry?” She interrupts.

“This is her first time here. Just
listen to me for a second. Yeah, Ryan's a little young and has
tattoos, but she's a good girl, Mom. I'm certain of that.” Good?
What the hell is he talking about? “I like her a lot. Once I finish
getting to know her like I want, we'll all get together for
dinner.” Thanks for asking me about this, Gabe!

“Okay. I just don't want you to get
hurt again, Gabriel. You're too good for your own benefit sometimes
and miss some of the key indicators.”

“I know, but don't judge her based on
tonight or her age or whatever else. That's not right,” he says
gently. “When I'm ready and when Ryan is ready, you can officially
meet her, learn about her, get to know her, and then you'll see
that she's different. Until then, don't judge.”

If I wasn't in here hiding and if his
mother wasn't out there, I would run and hug him.

“All right then. I won't. Are you
coming over tomorrow?”

The cabinet over the washing machine
creaks as I open it to get the detergent. I cringe before I
remember that's why I'm in here, so it doesn't matter if they hear
me.

“No. I have to go in late
afternoon.”

“Maybe next week then. I best get
going.”

“Bye, Mom.”

“Bye, Gabriel.”

I hear fading footsteps, a door
opening and closing, and then more footsteps coming closer. I press
the buttons to start the cycle. The door opens, and Gabe stands on
the other side. His lips part to speak, but I practically tackle
hug him. His arms automatically go around me, even though he's
confused.

“Sorry, I was eavesdropping, but thank
you for what you said,” I whisper into his neck.

He chuckles at my reaction, finally
returning my hug like he means it. “You're welcome.” When I pull
away, he adds, “C'mon. You need to finish your job because the food
is about done.”

As we're walking back into the
kitchen, I ask him, “Did you become a cop so you could order people
around?”

Gabe laughs. “No. That's just a perk.”
After we're back in our places, he says, “I don't like ordering
people around. Not how you're thinking anyway.”

I roll my eyes, ignoring him. Ten
minutes later, we're sitting down at his table to eat.
Absentmindedly, I run my foot up and down his leg, sometimes
slipping underneath his pants to touch his skin directly. I realize
that this will make my second Sunday spent with Gabe. Just as I'm
about to mention that he must be lucky, his eyes snap from his fork
to me.

“Ryan, you've got to stop
that.”

“What?” I ask, confused.

“Your foot. Stop.”

My foot freezes, and I realize I was
starting to go up his thigh. I bring my foot back to me. “Sorry, I
wasn't really paying attention to that.”

He laughs. “You barely knew what you
were doing, and it was all I could think about.” He shakes his
head, taking another bite of food.

I can't resist smiling. After a
moment, I compliment him on dinner and then finally bring up what I
was going to say. “You're a lucky guy, you know.”

“Oh yeah? Why's that?”

“We're spending a Sunday together
again. You're turning my Me Day into an Us Day.”

Gabe smiles. “I am pretty lucky
then.”

We eat the rest of our meal in
relative silence. I help Gabe put things away and help him wash
dishes. With a glance at the clock, I realize I might need to get
up with Viv. It's been so hectic today that I forgot she's
expecting me to go with her to a party tonight.

“Be right back,” I tell Gabe. I grab
his keys which are by the door and unlock his car. My purse is
still in there because I was too busy getting wet to remember to
grab it. The rain has momentarily stopped, so I run out to get my
purse, wiping my feet on the mat when I come back. I lock his doors
and shut the house door. “I forgot to text Viv,” I explain when I
see Gabe looking at me curiously.

“I'm going to check on the clothes,”
he says over his shoulder, already walking away.

I decide to call her quickly instead
of texting. Sometimes, I just don't feel like bothering with a
text. And with all the questions Viv might fire at me, verbally
telling her is a lot quicker.

“Where are you? I was just at your
place. Your car is here, but you aren't. Are you still with
Gabe?”

“Yeah, sorry, I didn't call you
sooner.” I glance down the hallway, seeing that the door is still
open a bit. “Things haven't exactly gone as planned
today.”

“What do you mean? Is everything
okay?”

“Yes, everything is fine. I'll explain
later, but I'm not going to the party tonight.”

Viv sighs. “Ryan, it's a huge party!
You know it always is when the frat boys throw one. I can't believe
you aren't going.”

“Why are you so upset over this one
party?” I ask suspiciously.

Viv is quiet for a moment. “I needed
you as backup because I was going to hang with this guy. You're my
backup plan, you know that! Who am I going to make my excuse if
things go South?”

“You really want to hang with this
guy?” I question, looking at the door hiding Gabe and feeling
guilty that I bailed.

“Yes, but don't leave for me,
Ryan.”

“No, it's fine. I did say that I would
go with you.” I regret every word that comes out of my mouth as
Gabe exits the laundry room and starts walking over to me with
purpose. “I'll get Gabe to take me home, and I'll get ready for the
party.” Gabe frowns slightly, but doesn't say anything as he grabs
my hips, tugging me against him. God, he's hard again.

“No, Ryan, don't do that. How about
this? You be on standby and if I need you, I'll text you. Then the
officer can race you over here to save me.”

“Who is this guy anyway?” I ask,
wondering why she's extra worried. She names the leader of the frat
boys. Someone I've slept with before, but she doesn't know that. If
everyone I've slept with was off limits to her, she would have to
resort to the freshmen mostly. “You don't need to worry about him,
Viv, but my phone will be on the highest volume, okay?” Gabe starts
kissing my neck. What's got him so horny all of a
sudden?

“All right. Have fun,” she
sings.

“Mhm. Bye.”

His voice grumbles against my neck.
“Do I need to take you home?”

“No,” I breathe as his hands glide up
my body, causing my shirt to rise as well.

“Good.” His lips trail over my
shoulder.

“What are we going to do for the rest
of the night?” I ask as the rain starts to pour again.

Gabe lifts his head to look at me, a
grin upon his lips. “What do you want to do, Ryan?”

I think about it for a moment before
the light bulb goes off over my head. It's a bit of a gamble and
I've never done anything truly like it before, but it's worth a
shot. “I think we should be in the kitchen for a bit, then the
living room, and then move to the spare bedroom.” I let my fingers
walk up his chest. “And maybe the laundry room? What about against
that wall in the hallway too?”

Gabe tilts his head. “In every room of
my house?”

Leaning in close to whisper in his
ear, I say, “Yes, I want you to fuck me in every room of your
house.”