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CHAPTER TWENTY TWO: SALSA
"IS HE HOT?" Alix asked, her voice loud over the phone. Valerie was in the kitchen, cooking herself some chicken tacos for dinner while on FaceTime with Lila and Alix, who were still in Miami. It had been a couple days since she had met Dean, and they had been talking nonstop since.
He was funny, smart, charming, and not to mention, attractive, which was a plus, but there was also something else about him that she liked. She couldn't pinpoint it, but it was there. They went out for coffee a couple times and he asked her out to dinner. They were going tomorrow and she was nervous. It had been so long since someone had asked her out to dinner and she had no idea what she was supposed to wear or do, but luckily she had Lila and Alix.
"Very," she answered, flipping the chicken. "He's so fucking hot, and tall, and he has these blue eyes and like, the most perfect fucking teeth."
"And you guys are getting dinner tomorrow?" Lila asked, and Val could see her applying mascara.
"Yeah, he's taking me to this place in Chelsea," she told them, her tone excited.
"Sounds nice," Alix commented, adjusting her phone. "Are you excited?"
"I think so." She flipped the chicken one more time and then turned off the stove. "I'm kinda nervous."
"Babe, we have wine for that," Alix assured, holding up her glass.
Val smiled and shook her head. "I think I'm just gonna make myself some tea, but thanks."
"You're no fun."
They continued talking about the date and Alix's boyfriend before Val heard the door unlocking. She said a quick goodbye and then ended the call, placing her phone on the counter. She heard the door open and then close, and then Anthony was walking into the kitchen.
"Hi," she greeted, opening the fridge.
"Hey." He walked over to the cupboard and grabbed a glass. He filled it with water and leaned against the counter, facing her. He just got back from a short road trip earlier that day before playing a game against the Tigers. "Who were you talking to?"
"Lee and Alix," she answered, assembling her tacos.
He nodded and drank some of his water, his eyes following her as she pushed herself up onto the counter, her legs swinging back and forth. She bit into a taco and a small moan escaped her mouth.
"Oh my god, so good," she muttered, closing her eyes.
Anthony's face turned pink and he quickly looked away. He'd been jealous since the whole grocery store thing, and had been acting differently towards her. He'd been trying to avoid her as much as possible, but it was hard and the moaning while sitting on the counter with her legs spread, was not helping.
"What were you guys talking about?" he asked, his tone flat.
"The date," she answered, biting into another taco.
"What date?"
"My date," she explained, chewing. "With Dean."
"Dean?"
"The guy I met at the grocery store, remember?"
"Oh, yeah, the one that swept you off your feet." He sounded annoyed, and Val's brows furrowed.
"Are you ok?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Huh? Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know, you're just being...weird."
"I'm not being weird," he snapped, setting his cup down a little too hard.
She just raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Okay, you're not."
They were both quiet for a minute, and Val just kept eating her tacos, swinging her legs back and forth. Anthony kept his eyes on his water, not trusting himself to look at her. He could feel the jealousy building in his chest, and his hands were itching to grab her and pull her against him. He wanted to kiss her until her lips were swollen and then fuck her right there on the counter, but he knew he couldn't.
"Can you pass the salsa?" she asked after a few moments, pointing at the container a couple inches from his hand.
"Why don't you get it?" he asked, not moving.
"Cause I'm already sitting here," she answered, giving him a 'are you stupid?' look. "And it's literally right next to you."
"Get it yourself, Valerie."
Her brows knitted together and she stared at him. "Fine," she huffed, sliding off the counter. She grabbed the salsa and then walked past him, muttering under her breath.
"Where are you going?" he called, watching her.
"To my room," she snapped, not turning around. "If you're gonna act like an ass, I'd rather be by myself."
He didn't stop her, and instead, he just stood there. The jealousy and anger was still boiling inside him, and the feeling only got worse when he heard her door slam shut. He was being irrational, he knew that, but he couldn't help it. He was mad, and he wanted her to be mad, and he wanted her to want him, and he just wanted her. It was stupid, he knew that, but that didn't change the fact that he wanted her to come running back and jump into his arms.
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ೃ⁀➷ ANTHONY VOLPE
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He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "She's going out with some guy tonight." He tried to hide the jealousy in his voice, but failed. "But, whatever, it's fine. If she wants to go out with a random fucking guy, that's her decision."
He was quiet for a moment, his jaw tightening. "I want her to be happy," he continued, his voice low. "Just not with him."
