Tattooed

Yellow

XXIX

He gazed longingly at her as she cleaned the kitchen counter twice over. Something about the way she was cleaning made him want to get up and stop her, hold her, touch her. Lords above, it was so ravenously tiring to be in love. Did it always feel this... going-the-distance-and-jumping-through-hoops good? It was like he was on a constant high, always, thinking about her, wanting to be with her, undressing her in his head and then dressing her back just to do it again. It was like he was someplace else, not on Earth, not with the others doing menial things.

No, Zach Carter was far too busy loving Meenakshi Rao.

She was now loading up the dish washer. The clatter of dishes and things was annoying, but he barely registered the outside world and what it brought along with it. The head of auburn hair locked away in a bun and a particularly enticing set of spaghetti strapped shoulders was all he saw. Before he knew it, he was up and ready to touch her.

Right behind her, mere inches from her, he wavered. He needed to be more patient, a little less pushy. Alluring as she was, she was still inexperienced, a matter he was in no rush to push. No matter how good her fingers felt on his scalp as they kissed and nipped and suckled, they still had boundaries; clear, distinct and very important boundaries.

A gasp, and then a shove back to the counter brought Zach out of his stupor. How long had been staring?

"Sorry," he mumbled before looking away at the clock on the wall. Bear had to be locked away while she cleaned. Apparently the dog was in her way.

"Its fine," Meenakshi told him. "Honestly, there's no reason to sneak up on me."

Zach nodded as Meenakshi turned to wipe the stove, and then cleaned out the oven.

"You love to clean.” He noticed. How long had that little fact gone by without notice? It was the sexy teacher allure that kept it from him, it and other things she was busy hiding in that boring skirt and those too high off the ground shoes.

"I don't love to clean. I like things clean."

"You also love to organize," Zach looked at the bookshelf on the far wall. It had all the books categorized alphabetically according to genre. Of course, there was the shelf with the children's assignments, book reviews, test papers, quiz ideas and what not. Then there was her closet, the first colour coded and organized closet space he had ever laid eyes on.

He found himself sighing.

His girlfriend was a freak.

"Not as much as your sister," she turned to face him now. "No one organizes like Susan Carter."

"No, but you, you’re running for second place, love." He told her as he stepped forward and smiled, their faces close, their bodies closer. "Kiss me."

"Why?"

"Because... I missed you this week." He told her as he twirled one strand of hair around his finger.

"I missed you more," she brought her lips close to his for a kiss before he pulled away. His mind screamed in agony as the slight distance between them brought him pain he couldn’t describe. It was electric, and somehow felt better than kissing or even touching. Slowly, the bun came lose as he removed the clip that restrained her hair. It fell clumsily over her shoulders as he lightly touched the nape of her neck, enjoying the way her eyes closed as they came together. A small feel of desperation clawed at him, wanting to move things along. She was here, she was willing and she was his. What more did they need?

"Kiss me." This time, it was she who said that, and he smiled ever so teasingly. His tongue traced the plump of her lips as they each felt warm skin beneath the layers of clothes.