Lunch
1167 Words
She sits next to me and looks over the food in front of us. “Is all this for us?”
“Yes, I took a guess and wanted to have enough variety for us both.” She nods and grabs a plate, filling it up with a little bit of everything. The first thing she takes a bite of is smoked salmon on a rice cracker. Her eyes close, and a moan slips out of her mouth. I feel my pants get tighter. I remember this was one of her favorite things to eat, and we had a bit of fun with it here and there. “OMG! This is so good. I don't think I've eaten anything like this before.” As sucked up into her enjoyment as I am, her words make me pause.
“You, uh, you've never had smoked salmon before?”
“Is that what this is?” She stops and thinks about it. “No, I can't recall ever eating this. My, uh, nevermind.” I want to press her and hear more, but the look on her face causes me to stop.
She doesn't remember one of her favorite foods.
I know, Eros. Can you sense Aphrodite?
No. She's very much human right now. How the hell is that possible? How is it that she doesn't remember a meal that she loved to eat so much? What the hell happened to her while she was gone?
I grab another cracker, placing more salmon on top. I lift it to her lips, teasing her a bit. Her eyes are locked on mine, and she slowly parts her lips. Her tongue darts out as she licks the salmon hanging off the edge of the cracker. I gulp, hoping that I don't c**m in my pants from just this little show. She opens her mouth and uses her tongue to pull the cracker into her mouth. f***k! Maybe lunch with her was a horrible idea.
I clear my throat and sit back, watching her as she chews. I'm able to grab a pillow off the couch and place it on my lap. I don't want her to see how turned on I am. “Please, eat more. There's a lot of salmon.” She opens her eyes and looks at the spread.
“What about you? I don't want to eat it all.”
“Don't worry about me. I like it, but it has never been my favorite. Please eat as much as you like. I'm glad that I found something that you enjoy.” And I'm enjoying you enjoy it. I grab a small sandwich and munch on it, struggling to keep my eyes off her as she enjoys her food. I take a sip of water and sit back on the couch. My erec.tion hasn't gone anywhere, so the pillow stays. “So, where are you from?” Her entire body pauses at my question, which brings up other questions in my mind.
“Uh, I'm not from around here.”
“That's pretty… vague.” Cherish gives me a nervous smile and continues her meal. I lean forward a bit, resting my elbow on my leg.
“Am I reading you right when I say that there are things you don't want to discuss?” Cherish puts her plate on her lap and leans back with a sigh.
~Cherise~
I knew that people would ask me questions, it's inevitable. When you meet someone, you're naturally curious and want to know different things about them. When it comes to me, I don't know much about myself, and I don't want Alexi to find me.
“My life is… complicated. I mean, it was complicated. I don't even know if complicated is the right word for it.” I sigh and close my eyes.
“You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to.” The crazy thing is that I want to. I feel really comfortable with this man, which makes no sense. I literally just met him, yet I feel so at ease with him.
“I escaped. I left my husband.” His sharp intake of breath actually causes an ache in my chest. I risk taking a peek at his face, and I immediately regret doing that. He looks heartbroken, but I don't understand why he would look like that. He doesn't know me any more than I know him, so why does he look so broken? The urge to explain is overwhelming.
I place my plate on the table in front of me, and I stand to my feet. I maneuver around the table and start to pace. I feel so nervous and anxious. I don't understand what's going on with me. “So I was in an accident 10 years ago. I don't really know what happened, but it resulted in me being in a coma for 5 years. When I came to, I was in a strange place with a man claiming to be my husband. He had a marriage license and wedding pictures, but I had no memory of him or it. If I'm being honest, I don't remember anything past my supposed accident. I feel so lost.” My voice cracks at the end, and I feel my emotions rising. I don't know this man, and I definitely don't want to break down in front of him. “If I'm honest, I never took to my husband. It always felt… wrong. I hated his touch, hated his voice. I just wanted to be rid of him. I finally got the opportunity to run, and I did. I ended up here.”
“How? How did you end up here?” I let out a dry chuckle.
“Would you believe that I followed my gut and ended up here?”
“I would.” I turn and look at this gorgeous man, my boss. The butterflies immediately overtake my stomach.
“I'm so sorry. I have no idea why I'm telling you my whole life story. I don't know you and you're my boss.” His laugh washes over me, his rich voice doing things to my body that I don't want to admit to.
“I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to confide in me. We will be working closely together, and I want you to feel comfortable.” I nod and sit back in my spot. “So, what's your husband's name? Just so we can keep an eye out.” Something in me tells me that we should not discuss this right now. I don't know why; the feeling is overwhelming.
“I think I’ll hold on to that information if that's okay. I just want to start a new life.” He looks at me for a while before nodding.
“I'll let it go. For now.” He picks up his plate and goes back to eating, prompting me to do the same.
- Writer
