Arlo

3.

You know the drill; leave me some feedback, words of encouragement. Or don't; do whatever pleases you.

"Does he know that you rejected Adonis?" Amy asks me as she raids my cupboard for snacks. "No, I just told him that we're friends." "When do you plan to tell him the truth?" she queries. "Maybe when we're playing our game, again." I shrug my shoulders. "So, you're just going to let him think that you are trying to move on?" she raises an eyebrow. "I told him how I felt, and I don't think I could be any more obvious that I want him at this point." I sigh, raising my glass to my lips. "Neighbor? You in the kitchen?!" Arlo calls as he opens the door. "Yeah, we're back here, lovey!" I call out. He stops by the counter, looking between Amy and myself. "I didn't know that you had company. Hi, I'm Arlo." He introduces himself. Amy's eyes take him in and her teeth seek refuge in her bottom lip. "Amy." "I can come back later, neighbor, if you—" "No! You can stay! Just wait for me in the living room, lovey." I tell him, taking his hand out of Amy's grasp. He presses a kiss to my temple before doing as I suggested. "Don't look at him that way." I scold Amy with narrowed eyes as I push her towards the door. "Maybe I should stay, you know, as an outside observer." She suggests, looking back towards where Arlo is. "No, thanks." I reply. "I think you should tell him." Amy rushes out of her plump lips before I say goodbye. Upon walking into my living room, all oxygen leaves my body; he's doing what he always does, resting against the couch with his arms outstretched behind him and his knees spread, but it still makes the muscles in my lower abdomen clench. "I wasn't intruding, was I, darling?" he ponders, moving over to make space for me to sit beside him. "Not at all, lovey." I reply, taking a chance and resting my arm behind his head to play with the curls that sit at the base of his neck. "Well, wanna play?" he propounds, leaning forward and pulling a bottle of wine out of the bag at his feet. I grin as I tug, lightly, on his hair, relishing in the way his eyes flutter closed and he hisses through his teeth. "Okay, go change into your pajamas and I'll go first when you get back." He orders, standing to get the glasses. I press a kiss to his cheek before running back to my room. I change into an old Queen t shirt that he gave me in high school and a pair of shorts before collapsing onto his lap on the couch. He chuckles, handing me my glass when I sit up. The game goes as it normally does, laughing so hard that we can't breathe, before we get to what I was hoping he wouldn't ask. "Tell me a secret, something that you've kept from me." He dares with a brow raised in challenge. I feel my heart drop and the wine threatens to make a reappearance. "Um, why would I tell you if it's a secret?" I retort. "Okay, share one that you're ready to tell, then." He changes. "I already did that." I whisper, looking into my glass. "Come on, baby, humor me." He sighs. I groan, keeping my gaze on my wine. "Fine, I rejected Adonis." I confess. He sets his wine down before turning his entire body to face me. "What?" "Adonis tried to kiss me one time and I pushed him away." "Why?" "Oh, god. This counts for two." I tell him. He nods his head, urging me to continue. "Because I'm not ready to move on." I confess. "When?" "Fucking hell, the day you got back." I confess, refusing to meet his gaze. "Why didn't you tell me?" he queries. "I didn't want you to think that I was fucking lonely, especially since you're not." I admit, taking appreciative gulp after appreciative gulp. He takes the glass out of my hands to place it next to his before he wraps his arms around me. "Do you need me to fight him for you?" he asks, his lips pressed to my shoulder. "No, it's not a big deal. I mean, we're still talking, just not dating." I admit. I peel out of his embrace before shaking it off. "Alright, your turn. Um, same question. A secret that you're ready to share." I propose, taking a sip of my wine. "Uh, before I lost my virginity, I always thought that we would lose it to each other." He divulges with a shrug of the shoulder. "Why didn't you wait for me, then?" I ponder, looking into my wine once again. "It was the heat of the moment, I guess." He reveals. "I thought that, too." I admit, finally, meeting his eyes. I take a deep breath, shaking my head to clear it before letting out a breathless chuckle. "Alright, let's get out of the deep bullshit." I joke, shaking out my body. He chuckles, taking a sip of his wine. By the end of the night, I end up with my shirt off. "There." I told him, turning to show him the small tattoo that I've kept hidden under my shirt. "Why the 'A'?" he ponders as I'm pulling my shirt back over my head. I blush deeper before answering with, "My best friend's name starts with an 'A'." To which he responds with crashing his lips to mine. I am frozen for a moment before I respond by tangling my fingers into his so very soft curls and pulling him closer to me. "Alita." He gasps into my mouth when I wrap my legs around his waist. I see stars when his body moves against mine. "No, this isn't right." He gasps, pulling away from me, sitting on the entire opposite end of the couch. I wrap my arms around myself, refusing to meet his gaze, yet again. "Yeah, uh, I'm just going to go to bed." I whisper, taking my glass to the sink before walking to my room, locking the door before he can follow me in. He sees you like a sister, you idiot, I chastise. It was the wine talking, he doesn't want you, I scold. It's time to be serious about moving on, I vow.