Suzie’s House 28: Hey Babe

 “Hey, Babe.  Why don’t you come on over here and sit down?”  Vin patted the seat next to him on the couch.  He had the remote in his off hand, the one set gingerly on the armrest.

“Shouldn’t you keep your arm in the sling?”  Miranda approached cautiously.  Knowing Vin, he would crack a joke about her cooking now.

She shouldn’t feel so shaky, as if the least little thing might break her.  Not with Vin.  Vin was just a friend.  He would stay her friend even if she had made spaghetti sauce with cinnamon and cloves and caused every single person at the dinner table to gag, including herself.

Would he stay her friend now that she’d kissed him?  Sure, it had been days since that time in the hospital when she thought he was asleep.  By now she should know where they stood.  But she didn’t.

Not knowing was driving her nuts.

Vin glanced at his shoulder, at the gauze taped over bare skin under an un-buttoned, faded, plaid shirt.  His answering smile was lop-sided.  “I’ll be careful with it.”  He patted the brown and tan checked upholstery in invitation.

Miranda sat on the edge, as far from him as the couch would allow.

“I’m,” she hesitated, hating to admit anything, “I’m sorry about dinner.”

Vin chuckled, then laughed, shaking his head and wiping his eyes.  “It was memorable.  Good thing this is Suzie’s house so there was something ready in the freezer.”

“You didn’t have to laugh so hard you pounded the table.”  Miranda glanced at him resentfully.

“Oh yes I did.”  His eyes danced with delight.  “You really caught me by surprise.  I mean I knew you couldn’t cook but that….  That was….”

“Awful.”  Miranda nodded, refusing to look him in the eye.

“See that’s the thing.  It didn’t really taste bad.  It wasn’t rotten, or nasty.  It was just so strange I couldn’t swallow it.  Something about the way the cloves numb the mouth and the tomatoes don’t.”  He stared into the air above her head with a bemused expression.

“Yeah, well.  It’ll be your turn to cook soon.  Lets see what you can do without ordering anything or using Suzie’s pre-made dinners from the freezer.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“You bet it is.”

“I accept.”  He stuck his hand out for a handshake.

She took it gently, not wanting to hurt him.  Even after days in the hospital his hand  was rough with calluses.  It was also large, warm, firm, and so manly she didn’t want to let go.

With any other man she would have been flirting up a storm.  Anyone else she could have taken what she wanted and walked away afterward without a backward glance. 

She carefully forced her fingers to relax and withdrew her hand.  Their fingertips dragged lightly across one another’s palms and fingers to cling a moment, tip-to-tip before pulling apart.  Sensation run up her arm to make her all shivery inside.  His eyelids lowered in sensual pleasure while his gaze sharpened with interest from even so innocent a touch.

“Don’t do that,” she muttered.

“Why not?  You love me.  I love you.”  He reached across, and settled his arm along the top of the couch.

She straightened away as far as she could, but still his fingertips reached far enough to toy with the hair at the back of her neck.

He laughed, but the sound held little delight.  His head tipped lazily to the side.  “All I had to do to get you to admit it was get myself shot.  I had to almost die, but it was worth it.”

“You’re supposed to die FOR me, not ON me,”  Miranda muttered.  Then her eyes went wide as she realized she’d said it out loud.  “I didn’t mean…”  She turned toward him.

Vin grinned from ear to ear, his head resting on the back of the couch.  He looked a little pale, but so pleased with himself.  “You can’t take it back.  You can’t pretend anymore.  I’m the one for you and you’re the one for me.  I’d rather not have to die for you to prove it.”

Miranda whipped her head to the side so he wouldn’t see how upset he made her.  He offered all the hope for a real relationship that she kept locked deep inside where it couldn’t hurt her.  He brought to light the pain of knowing she would never have the kind of love he said he’d give her.

She wasn’t sure what self-destructive imp had gotten into her, or when, or how.  All she knew was every single time she let a man get too close, she messed it up.  The way things were going with Vin, it wouldn’t be too long until she screwed it up somehow.  He wouldn’t mean to turn her into a bitch, but that’s what would happen.  She could already feel the imp clawing to get out.

“You want me to admit I love you?  Fine.  I admit it.  That doesn’t mean we should do anything about it.  All right?  You don’t know what I’m like when I’m in love.  I do.  Trust me, you don’t want anything to do with it.  So just back away and leave it alone.  All right?”  Miranda forced herself to turn her head and look Vin in the eye.  It was vital she make her point.

Vin lay with his head against the back of the couch, mouth slightly ajar and eyes closed.  As she watched he took a deep breath, and snored.

The previous was Suzie’s House 27: The Taste of Defeat

This is Suzie’s House 28: Hey Babe

Next is Suzie’s House 29: Guilting the Lilly