Friends with Benefits(38)

"Thanks, Melissa."


"You know," she said. "Mom thought you and Steven would end up together.  She told me she figured one day the two of you would get married."


"Married?" I gaped. "I don't know about that. You and I both know that  Steven is afraid of commitment. Besides, if I'm with him, I don't need  anything to prove our love to other people. I'll take whatever he's  willing to give me."


"Uh, huh," Melissa said with a smirk. "So if he ever did ask, you'd tell him you didn't need the ring or the wedding?"


"Well, of course not."


Melissa and I both burst out laughing. She shook her head at me.  "Seriously Allie, everyone has been itching to see the two of you get  together. All our friends talk about it. I can't believe you and Steven  never noticed."


"No way," I said, shocked. "People have been thinking he and I would be a thing all this time?"


"Yeah, for ages," Melissa shrugged.


Suddenly, a shadow was cast over our table. Melissa and I both looked  out the window and started laughing when we saw Chance and Steven  pressed up against the glass making faces at us. We waved for them to  come sit with us.


Seconds later, Steven was squishing in behind me and sitting in the  chair beside me. He draped one arm across the back of my chair and  leaned back. I could feel him looking at me. "What were you ladies  talking about?" he asked with playful curiosity.


"You," Melissa and I both said in unison. We started giggling once more.


Steven raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? About this morning?"


My cheeks burned fiercely. I shot him a horrified look, and he threw his  head back and laughed. As Melissa and Chance started chuckling, I  covered my face with my hands and shook my head. "You're the worst," I  groaned.


Steven rubbed my back and continued laughing. "Ah, you know what you signed up for."         

     



 


"Yeah," Chance said, "and it's about bloody time, too. I've been waiting for years. Everyone has."


"Apparently," I muttered.


Steven and Chance ordered their meals, and the kitchen timed everything  well so we could all eat together. We laughed and chatted about  unimportant things. It felt so good to be sitting with the people I  loved; it felt better to be sitting with them as Steven's girlfriend. It  was a feeling I never thought I would have.


When we were done eating, Steven dropped enough cash on the table to  cover everyone's bills. When we all insisted we would pay for our own,  he told us to stuff it. Then he looked at me and put his hand on my  knee.


"Want to come to my place tonight? I want to cook you dinner. Come straight after work, if you want."


"Of course, I want to come over," I said, smiling as he leaned in and kissed me.


"Alright, you two," Chance teased. "Even though you're together now  doesn't mean we want to see it in action. Keep that shit in the bedroom,  will you?"


Steven held my face in both his hands and kissed me harder. I giggled  and tried to pull away, but he held on fiercely, intentionally proving  to everyone in there that he didn't give a damn whether or not they  wanted to see us kissing.


When he pulled away, he smirked proudly at Chance, who rolled his eyes  at the ceiling. I was blushing again, and I could feel the heat on the  back of my neck. It had never felt so good to be embarrassed.


Melissa was watching me with happy eyes. She didn't seem to mind the  impromptu display of public affection. If anything, she seemed pleased  to have seen it.


"You two are meant for each other," Melissa said as she got up and put  her jacket on. "I have to get back to work. I'll catch you guys around.  And Steven," she added, "you're a lucky guy. There aren't many people  good enough for my baby sister. But you get the stamp of approval."


"I am lucky," he agreed, pulling me against him and kissing the top of my head.


Melissa left smiling. The three of us sat for a little while longer  chatting. Chance left after fifteen minutes, and Steven and I stayed  huddled up beside each other people watching through the window.


"I should probably go back to work," I said, wanting nothing more than to stay with him.


"Probably," Steven admitted, sounding as put off by the notion of  separating as I was. "But you'll be at my place before we know it. The  wait will be worth it. Maybe I'll make something new."


"Whatever you make, I'm sure it will be delicious," I said as we stood up and put our coats on.


"You have so much faith in me."


"Your cooking has never disappointed me before," I said truthfully. "Besides, I'm really only in it for the good company."


Steven smiled at me and kissed my forehead. "Me too."


He walked me back to the office. We held hands the whole way. It was  weird at first, but once we were a couple blocks down the street, it  started to feel right. He stopped in front of shop windows and pointed  at things he thought I should buy. His eye was drawn to clothes I was  too nervous to wear out in public. I didn't like being the center of  attention. Steven thrived off of it.


He pointed at a red dress in one window. "You would look so good in  that," he said, pulling me back to him by the hand when I made to keep  walking.


"It looks expensive," I said, my eyes scanning over the sweetheart  neckline and cap sleeves. "I wouldn't have anywhere to wear something  like that. It looks like a Christmas dress."


"Maybe I need to take you somewhere worthy of wearing it," Steven said, and we left the shop window behind.


He brought me back to my office, and we said a long goodbye in the  parking lot. We couldn't keep our hands off each other. He showered me  with kisses and kept pulling me back to him every time I tried to leave.  Laughter bubbled up out of me as I put up a weak fight of trying to get  away. Neither of us wanted to part.


I was so in love with him.


"Steven," I pleaded, "I have to get back in there. I'll see you tonight. I'll come right after work."


"Okay, okay," he submitted, letting my hand fall from his. "I'll see you soon. Every minute is going to feel like torture."


"Stop being such a romantic," I laughed, walking away but looking back  at him over my shoulder. He stood staring after me with his hands in his  pockets. He was smiling.


I still couldn't wrap my head around how I had gotten so lucky. My heart  was light in my chest as I went inside and took the elevator up. Even  if James Lipton had been at work, he wouldn't have been capable of  ruining my mood. I hadn't felt so genuinely happy in a long time. I was  fairly certain that Steven felt the same way.         

     



 


When I sat back down at my desk, I pressed a finger to my lips. I could  still feel the softest tingle there; the remnants of Steven's kiss. I  sighed and turned on my computer monitor. I was useless for the rest of  the day and didn't care. I watched the clock, desperate to get out of  the office and be back in Steven's arms.





Chapter 33

Steven





I shook the lighter, irritated that now was the time it would run out of  fluid. I tried lighting the candles on the dining room table once more,  but when the lighter clicked, no flame sprang from the end.


"Are you fucking serious?" I muttered to myself, shaking the lighter  more vigorously. I tried for a third time. Finally, it lit, but it was  only a tiny blue flame. I managed to light one of the candles before it  snuffed out. Then I used the lit candle to light the other two on the  table.


I stood back to admire my work.


I wasn't much for decorating, but I was proud of how everything had come  together. I had set the table with three candles of different heights  in the middle. My plates matched the napkins, and I had even gone  through the trouble of setting out the salt and pepper. A bowl of salad  rested beside the candles, and on the opposite side was a basket of  baked bread. I hoped Allie would be impressed.


I had been slaving-well, sort of slaving-over a new spaghetti recipe. I  knew how much Allie loved pasta. It was her go-to on any food menu. I  was hoping to blow her away through her taste buds.


There was a knock on my front door. I caught myself literally jogging  down the hall to go let her in. Jesus, man, I thought, get a hold of  yourself. You're acting like a sixteen-year-old boy on a first date.


The thought made me smile. I hadn't felt this excited to see a girl in my life.


When I opened the door, Allie stood smiling up at me. She was holding a  bottle of red wine in one hand and a box wrapped in pink ribbon in the  other. She held them both out to me. "I brought wine and treats for  later," she said as she stepped in, and I took everything from her  hands.


"I was wondering what was taking you so long," I said.


"So long?" She laughed. "I'm only fifteen minutes later than I would have been if I came straight from work."