Temporary Nanny

Chapter 12

"Where are you going so dressed up?" I tease the freshly showered, well dressed, cologned man in front of me. "Oh, uh, I sort of, have a date...thing," Michael answers hesitantly.

"Oh? New girl or one your mom set up?" I try to sound genuine and I think I manage.

This is good. Right. Date. This means no more weird lingering of whatever was lingering and definitely a step away from what happened weeks ago.

"No, new girl. She's a friend of Luke and his wife I guess? I don't really know too much about her. Guess that's what dates are for." He chuckles awkwardly. "You nervous?" I muse at his stiffness.

"I haven't been on a date since I was in my teens." He shifts on his feet. "Well don't worry about it, she's going to love you." I reassure, walking out of Stella's nursery from where she's just woken up from her noon nap. "Really? Do you think? What if she doesn't? I'm not really that interesting," he trails behind.

"Calm down." I chuckle. "Just ask lots of questions about her and her interests and for the love of god get that terrified look off your face."

"I'm sorry, I'm nervous!" He whines. "This is the first girl I'm going to see after Stel's mum and it's kind of scary." I ignore the uneasy intrusive thought that I wanted to be that girl.

I wanted to be the person he saw after Stel's mom. The last girl. But I quickly push that away. We talked about this. It was a mistake. A stupid intoxicated mistake.

"I know you're nervous. I'm just saying, try to relax. She's just a girl. It's not like you have to marry her or anything." I'm not really sure which one of us I'm trying to comfort at this pont. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right." He lets out a breath and nods.

The door bell rings and I look over at him curiously. "I know you're dating skills are a little rusty but that's not her coming to pick you up is it?" "No." He gives an unamused look before walking away to answer the door.

I follow close behind with Stella in my arms, still a little sleepy from her nap.

It's Karen. She falls easily into the routine Michael and I have been setting up for Stella. One of making small talk with whoever is over to show Stella that they aren't someone to be scared of but in fact friends of Michael and I.

She asks Michael about why he's so dressed up and smells so nice and he tells her about his date. She seems a little shocked and put-off by it but I'm not sure why since she was the one who kickstarted this whole dating thing.

After a few minutes of talking and Stella seeming disinterested I try something new. It isn't something we've tried before but Stella's given in to Karen's request to hold her so I want to take it another step.

With her cartoons on, me and Michael quietly leave the apartment.

"How long do you think till she realizes?" I whisper though I'm not really sure why. Michael doesn't answer. He looks distant and nervous and unsure of himself. "Hey." I get his attention softly.

"You're in your head too much. You're a catch Clifford, okay? Anyone can see that and any girl would be lucky to have you." His more-on-the-green-today eyes focus in on me, the distant look now gone as his eyes flicker down to my lips.

I'm not sure whether he's going to say something or act on something but the air feels heavy and laced with something I can't quite put my finger on. I can't stop my own eyes from wandering down to his pink lips and it's like I'm transported back to that day in my apartment.

That almost whatever.

I feel the excitement pulse through me because I already know. I know what it feels like to cross that line. I know what it feels like to have those insanely pink lips on my own. I know how absolutely heavenly it all was.