*on hold* Until Callan moved in next door, Presley was one hundred percent, completely fine with how her life was turning out.
She never regretted dropping out of college or wasting her days working in a diner for minimum wage. Boredom never plagued...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
To say I misread the moment was a vast understatement. Two days later, I was still completely dumbfounded by Presley's reaction. Having been so positive we had a vibe, that she'd be into the kiss... only to be met with a turned cheek, a forced yawn, and the words 'I'm sooo tired' - well, it was really fucking confusing. As I lay in bed, avoiding the mountain of work to be done in the house, I battled between two trains of thought, two competing explanations.
Number one: I was out of practice. Natalie and I grew comfortable in the later years of our relationship. If I wanted a kiss, I took it, and vice versa. But with someone new, it wasn't that easy, and apparently, I forgot how to read the signs. Was my idea of the perfect moment for our third first kiss way off base?
Number two: I wasn't an idiot. No matter how long it'd been since I'd put the moves on a woman, I knew how to tell if the moment was right. And it was! At least I thought so. We'd been laughing, getting closer, even flirting a bit. Not only that, but we'd shared intimate, personal stories with each other. In my past experience, if flirting follows that... you're in the clear.
I went back and forth between these two ideas, driving myself crazy. And to make matters worse, Presley acted as if nothing happened. As if I hadn't tried to kiss her as she laid next to me looking so fucking beautiful that waiting any longer hurt more than my broken hand.
She'd be here any minute to help me since I was now pretty much useless. It was her day off from the diner, and she informed me she would be here as long as it took to make progress. The cabinets were getting installed tomorrow and we still had some prepping to do... plumbing to cut off, drywall to patch, and more.
Awkwardly, I threw a shirt over my head before trudging up the stairs. With impeccable timing, I heard three knocks on the door. I walked over to turn the deadbolt and let Presley inside.
"Good morning, gimpy." Presley handed me a warm to touch reusable coffee mug before charging past me into the kitchen. "I cannot wait to see the cabinets installed. They are going to look amazing! Eeek!"
I highly doubt they would be as amazing as her ass in those leggings. Fuck. I am officially a creep. If she didn't want to kiss me, she probably wouldn't want me ogling her, either. I tore my eyes away and raised the cup in my hand.
"Thanks for the coffee."
"No worries." She turned and flashed me a smile before getting down to business. "The plumber will be here in about an hour. I'm going to start the drywall repair. The electrician comes this afternoon."
"All right." I wanted to shove my hands in my pockets, but I couldn't because I was useless. Yup. Utterly useless. What the hell could I do to help? I'd already completed a one handed sweep of the entire house in anticipation for the new flooring. I guessed I could try using the saw to cut down the new baseboards and trim to fit around the windows and doors, but that didn't seem like the brightest idea.
