I Kissed You Back

Chapter Six

        Work was enjoyable the next day. I noticed that Maddox stopped bringing around his flavors of the week. He was a great guy. Honest, caring, kind...rich. He was hotter than the sun by far and had a nice sense of humor. At that point I didn't really think I wanted any sort of marriage or permanent ties to him. I was more of a 'wait until they get boring' type of girl. Sure, he was great, but marriage was the equivalent of being tied down to a rock when you really thought about it. 

         I couldn't understand why he would always insist on driving me home, telling Nagi to close up the gym. Speaking of Nagi, she was in deep with the italian dude from the club. She seemed happy...and he seemed like a...cool guy. Probably a player, but hey, we all learn from our mistakes. 

        Maddox was becoming sweeter and sweeter every day. Yes, we still had our playful banters, but he was becoming so cuddly I was...disturbed. I decided to ask him about it.

        "Maddox, you're so...nice," I held up my hand when he started to speak, "It's great and all, but...it's just a wee bit...weird. No one is this nice without some ulterior motive...oh wait. You want sex, don't you?"

        "What? No. I mean yes, but...kind of. But not like that..." he took a deep breath, "I'm not acting nice because I want to have sex with you...I just like making you feel happy. I want you to feel...cherished. Yes, I want to...you know, but that's not everything. Ari, you make the world a better place. You make me a better person."

        "How?" I asked, but then I realized what he had said and pinched his cheeks with a big grin, "Aw, thanks. You make me feel happy. I'm glad I'm good for you. You know what I like doing?"

         "What?"

        "This."

        And I planted a soft kiss on his yummy lips, reveling in the sense of peace I gathered from being around the wonderful man. My wonderful man.

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Brin's baby bump was evident. It gave her a nice, motherly, charm. I was sure that soon some stud would come sweep her off her feet. I hoped she would find her happily ever after. I knew the next one wouldn't be as crappy as the last guy she had chosen.

         I slowly felt myself become more and more attached to Maddox. I even let his first name slips here and there. I saw a glint of satisfaction every time I happened to call him Remington. He was steadily becoming my favorite person to be around.

        I realized that...

        I loved him.

        And of course, when I realized that I did, I was intent of cutting myself off from the guy. Becoming too into a guy was like slitting your own throat. I gave short, one worded answers. I tried to avoid him as much as possible.

        "Ari? Ari, stop running!" he begged, "I don't know what I did! Let me fix this..."

        I felt tears pool in the corner of my eyes. I desperately wanted to jump back into his arms...but no, I couldn't be weak. Sure, it hurt at the moment, but it would hurt even more later on if I let him in any further.

        My heart kept shattering, never getting better as he continued to plead with me. He kept telling me to come back, to give him another chance. But...he hadn't done anything wrong. I wished I could tell him.

        One day...

        "Ari," he said softly, as if trying not to startle an anxious animal. He entered my office slowly. I was trapped. I would finally have to face him, "Talk to me."