They now sat on her porch. There’d been a break in the weather and the sun had actually made an appearance so they’d gone out to enjoy the beauty of the sun rays that sliced through the clouds. Though there was a chill in the air, the champagne helped warm Veronica.
She sat on the swinging bench while Noah sat on the porch stairs leaning back, his elbows supporting him on either side as he stared up at the clouds. “This break ain’t gonna last. Those are some mean looking clouds.”
“That’s okay.” Veronica stared up at the bright sunrays that seemed to fight the weather. “As pretty as this is, I like the rain.”
“You do?”
She continued to admire the sunlight but nodded. “Something about it. It’s cozy, moody—romantic.”
“Romantic, uh?”
She finally pulled her eyes away from the sunlight and smiled. “Yeah, don’t you think?”
Noah straightened out then moved up to the top stair, leaning up against the porch railing so he faced her now. “I guess it can be romantic.” His smile was teasing. “The cold weather is always a good excuse to snuggle.”
Veronica laughed, feeling a bit nervous about where this was going but then decided they were friends. If she did in fact want to keep him as a good friend and see him like she decided earlier—a younger brother. They should be able to talk about anything without it getting awkward. “I doubt you’ve ever needed an excuse to get cozy with anyone. You probably have them lining up.”
A stupid nervous laugh escaped her again when those damn suckable lips of his curved into one of the sexiest smiles she’d ever seen.
Not awkward. Not awkward.
“I wouldn’t say lining up but I’m flattered that you’d think so.”
This time her laugh was more sarcastic than nervous. “Oh please. With a body like yours and you’re a boxer to boot. I wouldn’t doubt that you have a fan club already.”
He frowned at that. “Groupies don’t count. They’re only attracted to three things: fame, status, and money. On occasion maybe they’re just looking for a good time they can brag about later. Hot maybe. But romantic? Hell no. That’s not what I’m into.”
Veronica was just taking in how familiar he seemed to be with what inspired groupies and most notably that though the thought of groupies didn’t seem to excite him, he did consider them hot. She was certain now he’d had his share. Then he brought the subject back to her. “So how come you’re not married?”
She didn’t even realize her smile had vanished until he spoke again lifting his beer bottle. “I’d blame the beer but I’ve only had a couple. I’m sorry if I’m getting too personal.”
Friends, she reminded herself. She could do this—she should—so she cleared her voice and sat up again a little straighter. “No that’s okay. I’ve nothing to hide. I just haven’t met the one yet. Well…” She paused wondering if she should even mention it. He seemed to be hanging on her every word. “I was in one pretty serious relationship for a while there. We were even talking about moving in together. But then my mom got sick and…”
She glanced away unbelievable feeling her throat constrict.
“And what?”
When she glanced back at him, his playful demeanor was now replaced with a look of concern or…disgust.
She cleared her throat again taking a sip of her champagne to swallow back the emotion. “I uh… got real busy with my mom and it was just a really hard time for me so… Derek said maybe we should take a break.”
She’d only seen the expression he now wore on him a few times at the gym and even then she never knew exactly what to make of it. Out of nowhere, she’d glance up at him sometimes and he seemed distracted but the expression was the same as he wore now, hard and almost menacing. “So he walked away when the going got tough—when you needed him most? What an asshole. How long were you with Derek?”
She’d never heard Derek’s name, or anyone’s for that matter, sound so foul. With the lump gone now, she almost giggled. Instead, she lifted and dropped her shoulder. “I really don’t blame him. I was absolutely no fun—”
“Roni, you were going through some heavy shit. Did he expect you to drop everything to entertain him? What he should’ve done is help you through it —help make your life easier. It’s what I would’ve done.”
Veronica smiled, feeling a newfound tenderness for Noah. On this Thanksgiving day she was absolutely grateful for her new friend. And though their circumstances were a bit unconventional she really hoped now that their friendship would be a lasting one. One that would continue even long after he moved out. The very thought killed her suddenly warm and fuzzy moment. It had taken a few weeks but she was used to this arrangement now. She liked having him around. Just last night she’d thought of the day ahead of her with a bit more dread than she’d admit to herself—a day he’d be gone all day. How was she going to feel when he left for good?
She glanced at him and even though he still wore that fierce look of disgust, she smiled. “I don’t wanna talk about Derek, anymore.” She stood and held her champagne glass up. “I need a refill.”
Like magic, his fierce expression morphed into an incredible smile and he stood up. “Yep, I’m ready for another one, too.”
He was so much taller than her and his masculinity was so potent that if she didn’t know what a sweetheart he could be she might be intimidated. “Besides,” she said as they walked through the front door. “With everything that’s happened in the last year and me trying to get back to a normal life, the last thing I need in my life right now is the distraction of a relationship. I need to work on me first, you know? Baby steps.”
She glanced at him and saw he studied her. “So what’s the next step?”
“Going back to work,” she said surprising herself at how definite her words came out. She’d put some thought into it and vamped up her resume but she really hadn’t been completely sure until now. “I’m hoping to go back, in the beginning of the new year.” She added with a smile.
“Well good for you,” he said his own smile as big as hers felt. They walked in the kitchen together. “Ooh!” Noah said as if he’d just remembered. “I could go for some pie, too.”
Veronica had to laugh. “Really? Beer and pie?”
“Yeah,” Noah smiled, pulling a beer out of the fridge, tucking the whip cream can under his arm and then grabbed the bottle of champagne out with his free hand. “It’s the best. Actually pumpkin pie is one of those universal deserts that go with almost anything. I’ve never tried it but it probably goes great with champagne too.”
He was right. Turns out the pie was great with champagne. They sat at the table eating their pie. Veronica watched, her eyes widening as he sprayed a very heavy dose of whip cream on his second slice of pie.
“That much, uh?”
“Oh yeah,” he said putting the can down and digging his fork into the pie. “Everything tastes better covered in whip cream.”
There was something so sinfully wicked about his smile, just before he stuck the forkful in his mouth. It made her squirm in her chair and she had to turn away. Then she heard him chuckle, adding annoyance to the list of emotions she gone through just today. He was enjoying this but if this is who he was then she’d have to get used to it so she decided two could play this game. Friends could be playful right?
She sipped her champagne, glancing up at him. He was still smirking even a he chewed. “Oh yeah,” she said lowering her voice a little. “I know everything tastes better with whip cream.”
His eyes widened and he stopped chewing but the smirk was still there. “Is that right?”
“Sure does?” What was she doing? This wasn’t playful this was flirting, something she’d always done so naturally. She needed to stop.
“Even the salty stuff?”
“Especially the salty stuff.” Too much! Too much!
That wiped the smirk right off his face and his dark eyes stared at her now. So she switched gears as fast as she could, stan
ding up and heading toward the living room. “Aren’t there a lot of good movies on tonight? We should watch one.”
Oh, right. Snuggle up on the sofa together just after she mentioned liking her whip cream on the salty stuff. She set the champagne glass on the counter just before walking out of the kitchen. She’d had enough. It was bringing out the idiot in her.
Grabbing the remote from the coffee table, she clicked the television on and made sure to take a seat on the recliner that sat one. She didn’t want him thinking she was suggesting anything. She could kick herself now for flirting with him. Like Nellie had mentioned that first day at the gym, the old Veronica was a flirt. The champagne seemed to have allowed it to resurface. She made a mental note to keep the alcohol intake to a minimum while around Noah, especially alone. It was hard enough not to notice how incredibly sexy he could be even when she was completely sober. Adding alcohol into the mix was just stupid. She should’ve seen that coming.
Noah waltzed into the living room, looking a little too smug. Veronica gave him a quick glance then averted her eyes to the television. “Polar Express! My favorite. And it just started.” She jumped out of her recliner. “I’ll go make popcorn.”
Halfway into kitchen she heard Noah call out. “You gonna put whip cream on that?”
Then she heard the laugh. She bit her tongue holding back what she really wanted to say. That’s not the kind of salty stuff I was talking about. Instead she said, “Ha ha. No. That would be way too messy.”
“Isn’t the mess part of the fun?”
She spun around her face going hot not just from his words but at the sound of his voice so close behind her. He stood a couple of feet away from her now, a tinge of humor in his smoldering eyes. Clearing her throat, she turned back to the pantry and grabbed a bag of naturally flavored lightly salted popcorn. The best thing to do was ignore his question and change the subject. “Do you know that not only did I use to buy the buttered popcorn but for a while there I actually added more butter?”
As embarrassing as her fat ass confession was, it beat anymore talk of whip cream. Thankfully she turned away from his penetrating and playful eyes as she took the few steps to the microwave.
“Depression will do that to you. Food is comforting. Lots of people turn to over indulging on it just like others turn to alcohol or drugs to help them cope. You had every right to be down, Roni.”
Their eyes met and his usually intense eyes now teamed with compassion for her. Something she only ever got from Nellie.
There were two powerful forces fighting against each other now. While his smoldering eyes earlier had begun to wear her down, making her consider that maybe allowing herself to give in to something exciting and so against her better judgment for once in her life wasn’t such a bad thing, then he said things like this. The genuine kindness in his voice was undeniable and it reminded her how stupid she would be to ruin a friendship with such a great guy.
The microwave beeped just in time for her to catch her breath and turn away again. “Well,” she said as she took the popcorn bag out and grabbed a bowl to spill its contents in. “The over indulging came with its consequences.” She turned back to him and smiled. “You were witness to that first hand. No more extra butter for me.”
That smile again, so tender but unlike when Nellie smiled at her like this it touched her in a way she couldn’t understand. “I’m proud of you. You fought your way out of that dark stage of your life and look at you now.” For a moment, the tenderness in his eyes disappeared as he took her in from top to bottom, making her breath catch then it was back and he smiled again. “Not an easy thing to do you know. You did good, Roni. You should be proud.”
She took in a slow breath hoping he wouldn’t notice how a few words and his beckoning gaze affected her. “I am proud.” Picking up the bowl of popcorn, she started to the living room feeling his presence right behind her. She now regretted not grabbing another bowl because sitting by herself on the recliner would be rude since they were going to share the popcorn.
Sitting down on the sofa, Veronica decided she would stop worrying about her relationship with Noah and just enjoy the rest of her Thanksgiving evening. She didn’t even flinch when he sat a bit closer than she had expected and after several times of their fingers accidentally touching as they both reached for popcorn at the same time, her heart stopped reacting so erratically. For God’s sake, they were two grown adults not middle school kids.
By the time the evening was over they made it through without any more uncomfortable moments or inappropriate flirting and Veronica concluded this was the beginning of what she hoped would be a wonderful long term friendship.
~*~
Visions of Roni and some of the wicked things Noah imagined her doing to him with a can of whip cream, made for an extra long shower the following morning. It was becoming increasingly harder for him to be around her and not let on what he was feeling. Though he wondered if he should even try. If she wasn’t so damn hard to read maybe he’d know whether or not to hide it. She sent out more mixed signals than a baseball coach. One minute flirting outrageously and staring blatantly at his lips, then in the same breath, backing down and making an exit out of the room just as fast.
But it was just as well. Even though it’d be more than fun to have Roni underneath him and admittedly in the beginning it’s all he thought about. The more he spent time with her and got to know her, he was now afraid that wouldn’t be enough. If he ever did get that far with her he’d want more and she made it clear she wasn’t ready for anything like that. Losing the only family she’d ever known had to be hard. No telling how long it would take her to be ready. He had to shove the thought out of his mind and be thankful for what he did have—her friendship. For now, it’d have to do.
Roni had dropped him off at the gym that morning. With the rain letting up even if it was predicted to be only for a day, he’d finally be back on his bike.
Noah was spending a few hours at Gio’s today. He hated to admit it but if he hadn’t already spoken to Gio that morning and agreed to come over he would’ve gladly accompanied Roni to the park instead. She told him after he’d gotten off the phone with Gio that she was going to be there for a few hours taking pictures—said it was something she used to do a lot until her mom got sick and only recently started doing it again. She even gave him a quick tour of her small darkroom. He got to see some of the photographs she’d take over the years.
To his surprise she had a lot more talent than she’d let on. But even more surprising was how he’d felt seeing the pictures she still kept of her and Derek’s names carved into a tree with a heart around it that appeared to have taken a lot of work. He wasn’t going to ask at first but after seeing a couple more the words had just flown out and the contempt in his words had hardly been masked. Why do you still have these?
Her answer was unsatisfactory to say the least. She shrugged saying she almost never threw out any picture she took but these pictures were displayed most prominently and it literally turned his stomach. He’d been that close to asking her if she still had feelings for the dick. But he realized that was getting a little too personal. Most importantly alarms had gone off when he glanced at the picture again and was inundated with a rage he’d never felt before. Certain that any more questioning would come out more like unjustifiable demands than a simple question, he’d excused himself and walked out of the dark room confused as hell at his reaction.
Even now as he rode his bike, which usually calmed him, thinking about the damn pictures and wondering if she did still feel something for the douche had him involuntarily gripping the handlebars harder than he would normally.
He drove his bike all the way into the back of Gio’s driveway. As expected Gio, Abel, Hector and a few of Gio’s sisters were all out back as Gio worked on his bike. What he hadn’t expected was for Rita to still be there. Her eyes gleamed as he took his helmet off.
“You were missed last night.” She smiled teasingly. “Wh
at kept you? Or should I say who kept you?”
Abel smirked but otherwise didn’t seem to know anything. Hector wasn’t even paying attention. He was too busy talking to Gio’s sisters. Noah glanced at Gio, whose expression gave nothing away but Noah knew there was no way Gio would tell anyone his business. “I just had other plans this year, but I’m here now to make up for it.”
“Ooh sounds promising,” she said, walking up to his bike. “I got a car this year—the Honda out front. Did you see it?”
Noah hadn’t noticed anything as he drove in. His mind had been so muddled the whole way there, all he could think of was Roni and Derek. “No, I didn’t see it.” He stepped off his bike hanging his helmet on the bike’s handlebars.
Rita’s hand was immediately in his. She’d never made a secret of her attraction to him and she had no qualms about everyone knowing about their understanding. “C’mon I’ll show it to you. It’s why I’m still here. I’m leaving later today but maybe we can go for a drive first.”
She smiled and the continued gleam in her eyes was very telling about what she had in mind. Something that Noah would normally jump at the chance for and could actually use the way he’d been feeling lately. Somehow, that morning’s exchange took the excitement out of even this for him. He couldn’t believe how worked up he still felt. Turning back to the guys, he saw Abel smirking and he rolled his eyes. “I’ll be right back.”
Rita turned back to them as well, lifting an eyebrow. “Maybe not right back.”
“Two minutes?” Abel asked laughing.
Noah didn’t bother responding but a chuckle escaped him. For once since seeing the pictures in Roni’s dark room, he felt his tension dissipate ever so slightly.
Rita clicked the keychain she held and the chirp of her car went off as they walked out to the front of Gio’s house. It was an older model Honda Accord but still in very good shape. “I love the color,” she said as they approached the silver sedan.