ONNAXOFF

Chapter 28

Jessie

A few seconds after I knock on his door, Abel opens it, holding a black coffee mug in one hand and a pen in the other. His phone is tucked between his ear and shoulder.
"Uh huh, day after tomorrow. Sounds great... No, I just got back from the airport actually." He smiles warmly and waves me in while he finishes his phone call.
Thankful for the warmth of his apartment, I happily leave my heavy red winter coat and black boots in the hallway and follow him into the kitchen.

The only light in the room comes from the tiny spotlights casting a cosy warm glow on the kitchen counters.

“Want some?” He nods towards the coffee machine. 
“No, thanks. I’ve already had 3 cups today. I’m getting shaky.” I hold up my hand to demonstrate. “Then again, that could be from the unreasonably cold weather.”

“It feels even colder when you’ve just come from the sunshine.” He nods. Though, casually leaning on the counter in his black t-shirt and sweatpants, he doesn’t seem very cold to me.

"Well I wouldn’t know. I'm not the one who decided to take an impromptu trip to LA." I remind him. 
"Aww, don’t be jealous. I had to take care of some stuff.” He says vaguely. “Next time I fly to Cali, you're coming with me." 
"Hmmm. I don't know. I'll have to check my busy busy schedule." I joke, looking across to the huge window. Even though it’s almost 1am, the city buildings are ablaze with lights.
"Alright, just make sure you keep Grammy week free." My attention snaps back to him.
"You're going to the Grammys?"  
"Yeah. Nominees usually do." He tries to shrug nonchalantly but can't keep the excited smile off his face. 
"You were nominated for a Grammy?!” I gasp. I may not know much about music, but I know that’s a big deal. “Oh my gosh, congratulations! That’s fucking awesome." I step forward and envelope my arms around him in a tight hug. 
After inhaling enough of his familiar scent to remind me what I’ve been missing, I give him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

Still holding the mug in one hand, he pulls away and smiles before he leans in and kisses me properly.

All the pent up frustration from not seeing him for a while suddenly flows out of me and my hands take on a life of their own, exploring his body of their accord. He shivers slightly as I put my cold hand on the back of his neck and nibble hungrily on his bottom lip. When I reach down to his crotch, he stops me.
"Damn girl, at least let me finish my coffee." He laughs. 
I step away from him shakily and catch my breath. What the fuck was that?
"Looks like someone missed me." He winks at me over his steaming mug.
"It's cute that you think that." I reply automatically, rolling my eyes as he takes a swig. Obviously I did. I mean, I wouldn’t have come here this late if I didn’t. But I don’t need to tell him that. Despite my sarcastic words, he knows.

"So what have you been up to since I've been gone?" He asks.
"Oh you know. The usual." I nonchalantly hop up on the kitchen island opposite him and cross my legs. "Actually, yesterday was Daniel's birthday. We went go-karting."
His eyes widen slightly. “Your brother, Daniel? How was it?” 
"Yes, that Daniel.” I nod. “Good. Really fun. I've been out with him a few times actually..."

Earlier in the week, we shared a lunch where we laughed and reminisced about our old cranky neighbour who used to keep our basketballs whenever they accidentally bounced over the fence. Daniel playfully reminded me that I was actually throwing the balls over on purpose, because being the wild thing I was, I wanted to have a reason to climb the fence on a ‘rescue mission’.

I have to admit, he seems a lot like his old self, but I'm reluctant to believe that my brother is better now. I’ve fallen for this act before. 

"I think it's nice that you're in touch again.” Abel says earnestly. “You should bring him over to chill sometime. I'd love to meet him. Properly." He adds.
"I'm not sure that's a great idea... The XO crew plus a drug addict, even a recovering one, seems like a bad combination. I don't want to tempt fate." I say tentatively.
"Okay, then we’ll have no drugs." He suggests. 
"I don't know... Maybe." I answer uneasily. 
"No pressure. It's totally up to you." He lifts the mug to his lips. "Would you look at that?" He looks up deliberately. "I finished my coffee."