OH. MY. GOD...
My mouth is hanging open. I’m not sure if he really just did that or not.
“I did,” he says as if he can read my mind. Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a crumpled sheet of paper. “My New Year’s Resolutions...Number five: Have hot and passionate sex with someone who isn’t Adrian...”
I can feel all the color leaving my face, feel my heart pounding louder and louder. “Where did you get that?”
“It fell out of your jacket this morning when I took you to the airport. I was actually about to toss it away and drive off, but once I opened it and read it, I decided that wasn’t the best idea...”
“So what?” I shrug and regain my composure. “That doesn’t mean that I wanted to have hot and passionate sex with you. I didn’t even know you when I wrote that list.”
“Number eight.” He looks at the paper again. “Have hot and passionate sex...With an ORGASM...”
“Once again, there’s no mention of you, so—”
“Right underneath that, in a different color pen, you added ‘someone like Blake, maybe?’ in very small print. Would you like to see that part for yourself?”
I gasp and snatch the paper away.
“I’m more than happy to help you check off both of those numbers.” He leans forward and whispers, “All you have to do is tell me you want me...”
Mortified, I suck in a breath and jump up. “I’m done playing this game.”
“I’d feel the same way if I was losing.” He smiles. “Are you going to congratulate me on my win or are you going to be a sore loser and leave me all alone?”
“Fuck you, Blake.”
“I’d love for you to.”
I roll my eyes and head down the hallway to “my” room. I double lock the doors again and again, and as soon as I’m sure that they’re secure, I fall backwards onto the bed.
I can’t believe he found my list, that he knew that I wanted to sleep with him all day and kept any mention of it inside.
I hold the paper up to my face and notice that he’s written notes next to a few of my resolutions:
3. Start getting massages at least twice a year... If it’s under fifty dollars...
(I’d be more than happy to give you as many of these as you like...)
4. Do something spontaneous and crazy. Just for the hell of it, something that would scare and excite me at the same time...
(We should discuss this... )
5. Have passionate, hot sex with someone who isn’t Adrian. (Okay, me and Adrian never had hot, passionate sex—Why was I with him again? Why was I—STOP IT...Must finish this list...)
(I’m not sure why you were with him either, but I would love to help you satisfy this resolution...)
6. Meet someone who wants to treat me all the time and not vice versa...
(Let me take you on a date after the storm is over...)
7. Write everyday...I’m supposed to be an aspiring journalist, but this list is the first thing I’ve written in months. MONTHS
(I have a private library you can use.)
8. Have passionate, hot sex...with someone who can give me an ORGASM...
(Multiple.)
Chapter 7
There’s a heavy snow falling outside my window. It’s blanketing everything within sight, and under the night’s full moon, the scene looks surreal.
I want to step outside on the balcony and toss my phone into the snowflakes, but I can’t seem to stop listening to Adrian’s latest speech.
“Please stop calling me, Adrian.” I sigh. “I took a flight to get away from you for a reason.”
“Tell me where you are so I can drive to you...It doesn’t matter how far.” He actually sounds sincere. “Please.”
“No, thank you.”
“Paris, I’m sorry. I really want us to work this out.”
“What’s the point, Adrian? Do you even love me anymore? Did you ever?”
“What type of question is that? Of course I loved you. I still do.”
“That’s why you want to marry me?” Tears have been falling down my face ever since I stupidly picked up the phone.
“Yes, Paris. That’s exactly why. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“So if I say no, if I say that I think we should wait a few years...What would you say to that?”
He hesitates. “Why would you say no?”
“Answer the question.”
“Babe...Seriously, where are you? We need to discuss this in person. ”
“We can discuss it right now.” I wipe my face on my sleeve. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
“If you said no...” There’s a bit of anger in his voice. “I guess I would just let you say no...But I would also say that it would probably be easier for us if we got married.”
“Easier?”
“Financially easier. I’ll make partner a lot sooner if we’re married, and I’ll be able to send you to whatever writing school you want. Well, after I go back to get my PhD, but that’s only a few more years.”
“Goodbye, Adrian.” I end the call and turn off my phone.
More tears stream down my face and I check the time: Three o’ clock in the morning. I know that I shouldn’t have picked up, but a small, ignorant part of me honestly thought that he would beg to have me back, that he would finally act like the man that I wanted him to be.