He handed the assistant his card, which she used to finish paying for his gifts.
As he took Lana out of the shop he spotted the woman packaging the necklace for him. Once they finished all of their shopping, they made their way towards his car. They were laden with shopping bags. He filled the boot of his car before climbing behind the wheel. The winter chill was upon them. He rubbed his hands together before starting the car. The heater blasted ice cold air. Lana shivered.
“Give it a few minutes to warm up,” he said.
“It’s so cold.”
Her teeth started chattering, which for some reason he found to be the cutest thing. Kent turned the engine over and waited for the car to heat up before turning the heating on. She rubbed her hands together over the heater.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “I timed the heating to come on in my apartment. We’ll be okay if you want to start driving.”
Putting the car into gear, he headed in the direction of her apartment. She’d promised to cook for them. Even though it was pitch black outside the clock said it was only after six.
They’d been shopping for a good eight hours. It was the longest time he’d been with a woman shopping and enjoyed it.
She didn’t ask for a single thing.
Lana asked for his advice on purchases for his parents but nothing else. She never expected for him to get his cash or his card out of his pocket. When they went for lunch she paid for her own meal as he paid for his.
She was the first woman to not expect him to foot her bill. The knowledge was refreshing for him. He parked the car in the parking lot, and together they made their way toward the front of her apartment building. Their arms were laden with packages. A couple were exiting the building, and they helped them through the doors.
By the time Kent and Lana made it to her apartment, they were overcome with laughter. He couldn’t stop as he listened to her laughing. They fell together in a heap amongst the packages.
“I have no idea what I find so funny,” Lana said.
“Me neither.” Their laughter died off. “I think we need to get up off this cold floor.”
“I agree.”
Kent got to his feet first and held his hand out for Lana to take. He helped her up, and together they placed the bags onto the spare sofa.
“Shit, I forgot wrapping paper,” he said.
“No worries, I’ve got some.”
She disappeared into her bedroom and came out several minutes later with the stuff they needed to wrap the presents. He watched her remove her coat before going into the kitchen. Her body called to him. The glorious curves tempted him, and it was getting harder to resist her.
“I’ll get started on dinner. You can take your coat off, use the bathroom, and make yourself at home,” she said, smiling.
He liked how fun and easy his life was with her. She never expected him to talk about work or for him to give away some important point about a business deal. There were no strings attached with her friendship.
They had a great time together, and he loved it.
Disappearing into her bedroom, Kent forced himself to ignore her bed and go straight to the bathroom. He quickly did his business and was wiping his hands on a towel when the colour red caught his attention.
Her laundry basket was full. He knew she’d be going to the laundrette tomorrow to do her washing. Lying on the top for him to see was a lacy bra and panties set. Kent checked the size and quickly typed the size into his phone. Touching the fabric, he felt like a creep and quickly placed them back inside the basket. Her body had been rubbing all over the underwear.
Licking his lips, he took several deep breaths before returning to the living room. She was making some meat sauce with pasta. The garlic and onion scents filled the air. His mouth watered, and his stomach grumbled. Grabbing the remote he turned the news on and then wandered into the kitchen.
Lana was stood at the counter, stirring the sauce.
He gazed at the curve of her back and the full roundness of her ass.
“I bought you some beers,” she said.
“Thanks.”
Kent grabbed the bottle from the fridge. He moved beside her and popped the top off on the counter.
She whacked his shoulder. “You break or damage my work counter in any way and you’ll be paying for it, buddy. There’s a bottle opener in the far drawer. Use it next time.”
He watched her work about the kitchen. All the time he was imagining her in the red underwear he’d discovered in the laundry basket.
After they ate dinner, Lana did the dishes as he started wrapping their gifts. They fought over the tape, and Kent knew in that moment there was no other place he’d rather be than in Lana’s apartment, wrapping gifts. He was in love with her. His feelings for her were no longer in question. Their friendship meant everything to him, and his love would remain hidden.