Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75626 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75626 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“That’s a relief,” I say with a smile. The temptation to kiss her again is there, but I hold back. Hopping into bed with her seems like both the dumbest and smartest idea, and that confuses me. I don’t want to rush anything, but damn it if I don’t want to bury myself inside of her too. I’m on a teeter totter and I can’t figure out if I want to be suspended up high or sitting on the ground. Something tells me being middle of the ground isn’t going to suffice when it comes to Kelsey.
“Come on, I’ll show you around.”
Kelsey leads me down the hall. The first stop is the bathroom. It’s small and decorated in navy blue, with a tub/shower combo, and I find the space oddly intimate. She shows me her living room again. The couch looks inviting and between it, the books, and her TV, I can see myself sitting there with her in my arms. Easily how I imagined us earlier.
Next is her galley kitchen. It’s perfect for her, crowded for the two of us. She has a small balcony, enough to stand and enjoy a cup of coffee or look out, and a table for two in her dining area.
“This is where I do most of my work when I’m home,” she says. She’s certainly not the only one to eat dinner in front of the TV. “It’s either here or on the couch, although sometimes I get lost in a good story if I’m sitting there and forget to edit.”
“Understandable.”
“Well, that’s it,” she says with a shrug and puts her hands in her pockets.
“Do you sleep on the couch?”
She shakes her head slowly and lets out a long, “No.”
“Then show me your room.”
Kelsey glances at the closed door behind me and then steps by me, but not before I can take her hand in mine. She glances down at our intertwined fingers and then continues. I get it, it’s her bedroom and I just showed her what she does to me. Doesn’t mean we have to do anything in there because the couch would suffice as well.
She opens the door to a bright and airy room. Everything is white, from her comforter to the curtains, to her metal bed frame. The pop of colors come from those decorative pillows people like to add in the morning, take off at night, and then add in the morning again, to the throw blanket folded at the end of her bed, and the three pieces of vibrant art on her wall.
“Who’s the artist?”
“My grandmother,” she says. “She painted these when I was a little girl and I told her I wanted them for when I had my own place. They were a housewarming gift when I moved into my first apartment.”
“I’m not a big art follower so please don’t take offense, but what are they?”
Kelsey laughs. “No offense taken. They’re abstract,” she tells me. “A bit of nothing and yet everything.”
I stand there, staring at them and can completely understand what she means. The artist left the meaning of the paintings up to whoever looked at them. I turn around and walk toward her, she backs up until she’s on her bed. I put my hands on either side of her and lean down to look into her eyes.
“Thank you for showing me around your apartment.”
“It’s small,” she says quietly.
“But it’s perfect. How about tomorrow, I will take you to my place?”
“I’d like that.”
We head back into the living room, and I go to the bookcases. “Have you read all of these?”
Her eyes widen. “No, not even close. I keep a list on my phone. For every book I’ve read, I end up buying or getting ten. The cycle is endless.”
“It’s kind of like that for us players too,” I tell her. “If they have a new product and they want your endorsement, they’ll send you a sample. If you sign a deal with them, they send you products. Sometimes, they go overboard, but I get it. They want you to always carry their stuff around with you because they’re paying you.”
“Is that why you’re always dressed in Nike?”
I nod. “I have an endorsement deal with them, plus they’re local. The next time I head out to the compound, I’ll take you with me. We can go shopping.”
“Oh, new yoga pants. I like this idea a lot.”
Kelsey and I laugh. “You’re cute, you know that.”
She blushes, the pink in her cheeks turns a lovely shade of red. “I don’t know the last time someone called me cute was.”
“I can use the other words if it helps. Beautiful, gorgeous, stunning.”
“Stunning?” She looks at her clothes. “I’ve never been called stunning before.”
“You are to me.” I go to her and pull her into my arms. “And lovely, sweet, kind. You knock me off my feet.”