JEALOUSY IN DEATH

24.

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24. Desiree

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Desiree was in the kitchen making a large bowl of Kimchi. She used her gloved hands to mix the cabbage and spices then paused to add a little water. Lucas and Bobo came in from the hair saloon and she smiled as she noticed Bobo's new hairstyle.

"You look handsome," she said to him and Bobo got on the stool beside her.

"What's this Dee?"

"Kimchi. It's a Korean food."

"Oooh."

"Yea."

"Can I help?"

"Thanks, but I have everything under control."

Desiree continued mixing and saw Lucas signal that he was going upstairs, she smiled and nodded.

"Why are you smiling?"

"I wish I could tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"Nothing. Can you help me with a glass of water?"

"Sure thing."

Desiree took the glass Bobo handed her and placed it on the counter. She covered the bowl and took it to the refrigerator. Bobo followed her and watched as she removed the gloves.

"What do you want for dinner?"

"I ate egg roll already."

"Where's mine?"

"I don't know. Ask dad."

"I sure will. Let's go to your room, you have to go to bed now so you can wake up early tomorrow."

"Early to bed, early to rise. Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."

"Exactly, you're too brilliant."

"Race you to my room."

Bobo took off before she could warn him not to run on the stairs. She went after him and saw him removing his clothes. Desiree shooed him to the bathroom and set his pajamas out. He wore his night clothes and got under his blanket. Desiree found a book about an elephant and read it to him. Bobo asked her to read one more chapter when she stopped and she obliged. She touched his forehead as his eyes closed and she made sure to kiss his stuffed animals even as he was sleeping, she just couldn't break the tradition.

She went to Lucas' room and knocked on the door, he opened the door and came out.

"Is he sleeping?"

"Yep."

"Thank you."

Desiree walked with him to the living room. Lucas faced her instead of turning on the TV and her breathing changed as her eyes met his. It felt like he was staring straight into her soul.

"You know what I used to call you?" she suddenly asked.

"No, what?"

"Mr. Grumpy."

Lucas laughed. "Take that back."

"But you truly are or used to be. You never smiled, your face was always so severe and sometimes I got worried that you'd burst a vein."

"You actually think you did something with that, yea?"

Lucas' hands went around her waist and he lifted her unto his laps. His lips came down on hers and as she deepened the kiss, she felt him tickle her. Desiree jumped from his grip but Lucas held her steadily and she landed on the sofa as she tried to wiggle from his hold. She laughed uncontrollably as Lucas tickled her.

"Take it back."

"No. Lucas, please." He kept on tickling her and tears fell down her face as she kept laughing. "I'm going to pee, Lucas. I'm serious."

Lucas looked at her with disbelief in his eyes and when she saw he wasn't going to stop, she said what he wanted to hear and he stopped. "Good girl."

Desiree punched him on his scarred arm. "You think I'm Bobo."

"You're might not be him but you're a kid."

"You wish. How old are you anyway?"

"Thirty."

"Ancient of days."

"You really do have a smart mouth."

"Can't help it."

"I want to kiss you," Lucas whispered and Desiree nodded.

She laid on the sofa and took Lucas with her as her hand grabbed his shirt. He unbuttoned her large shirt as he kissed her as she helped him with her bra.

"How come you have the cutest underwear?"

Desiree heard the silent words that followed. She knew he was wondering why her underwear were cute and her clothes were ugly. She should have bought ugly underwear to go with the baggy clothes, but she didn't know her boss was going to be kissing her and playing with her breasts. Her hands went to his pant to distract him but Lucas stopped them.

"What's the matter?"

"I don't like being touched."

"Lucas, I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know but can I just focus on you for now?" Desiree buttoned her shirt and sat upright. "Dee?"

"Wouldn't it be selfish of me to agree to it?"

"No, since I offered."

"I need to go to bed."

Lucas nodded like he understood. He didn't bother convincing or compromising and when she stood from the sofa, she stopped him from following her to the guesthouse when he offered. It was just odd that he didn't like being touched. He said that without a detailed explanation and somehow expected her not to care and just agree. She wasn't going to play whatever game he was playing. All of her past relationships were well defined. She knew what she was getting into and embraced it. There was no way she was going to be involved with someone that didn't want her touching him.

Desiree stayed in the living room and turned on the TV. She sat through an episode of 'Everybody hates Chris'. She desperately needed the laugh what with Lucas and his weird talk. She'd seen almost all the episodes but she didn't mind watching them again. She left the living room when the clock struck eleven p.m. and went into the bedroom. Desiree tried not to think about Lucas as she came out of the bathroom and climbed into bed. She liked him but she needed to get him out of her mind, he was a complicated soul and she didn't do that. In fact, it was a turn off. She sighed and closed her eyes.

Desiree woke up in the morning and rushed through getting Bobo ready for school. Bobo wasn't taking time as he usually did and she told him how much she appreciated his alertness. He also ate the pancakes she gave him without complaining. He was in the car before his dad came downstairs and when he came to say goodbye, they high-fived before she started the car.

When Desiree got to Bobo's school, she went inside with him. Mariah waved at her from her seat and she watched as Bobo took the seat beside her. She hugged him and it was obvious that they'd repaired their friendship with the hug. It was at that moment she remembered Bobo wasn't wearing his glasses. All the fuss and he never actually wore them to school. He wouldn't be needing them after the hug she'd witnessed and it made her excited.

She drove home and saw Lucas dressed for work eating bananas near the refrigerator. He looked up from the bunch he was holding when she went to the sink.

"You guys woke up late today?"

"I'm sorry."

"Dee, you don't have to apologize."

"I don't want you saying I'm slacking because of a kiss."

"You never slack."

"Thanks, but that wasn't what you said the other time."

"Can we forget about that and everything that happened after that day?"

He was talking about forgetting the kiss, the orgasms and everything else. She shrugged and got the dirty plates and forks.

"Have a nice day."

"You too."

Desiree stopped cleaning as she heard Lucas drive out. She was going to try her best to forget all that happened as he'd asked. It was a good thing she got over things quickly, although not easily. She decided to go to the local farm she bought vegetables from. The house was always boring and now that she wasn't allowed to think about Lucas, it was worse. She trekked to the farm and got there sweating and tired.

One of the farmers took her round the farm and she asked interesting questions based on what she saw. Desiree got strawberries as she saw so many harvested already then she added corns to her basket and followed the farmer to the vegetable section. She got lettuce while thinking of making the pasta she cooked on her first day at work. The farmer took her basket from her when it got heavy, and she read his name from the tag on his chest.

"Thanks, Julius."

He smiled. "Just Juls."

Desiree smiled back. "Do you have red cabbage?"

"Sure."

Juls filled her basket with cabbage as they walked and Desiree kept smiling at his cute face. He looked no less than twenty-five and he was so calm. Juls slipped her his business card as he took her basket to the payment stand. Desiree smiled on her way home. She could really use a friend in the area and it seemed she just found one.