He returned, clapping his hands together as if brushing off dust. “What do you say we drop off the boxes then go grab something to eat?”
“Sure. I just have to find my shoes.”
“Take your time.” He pressed a kiss to her temple then disappeared into the kitchen. The fridge rattled and she heard him pour himself a drink.
Their relationship confused her. They were officially sleeping together and their connection felt strangely normal. Any animosity from their childhood had faded away, replaced by an unexpected, but natural, familiarity.
She didn’t know why he was so nice to her when no one else was. Maybe it was the sex. They were good in bed, but they were also good out of bed. If she were being perfectly honest, she liked him, as a friend and more.
The more wasn’t a surprise. Giovanni was extremely attractive and sweet when he dropped the act and showed his true self. Any girl who got to know him would easily fall for him—a threatening thought she didn’t like to entertain.
Their friendship worried her more than their chemistry. Sex was easy, but sex with Giovanni always demanded more from her than with anyone else. With him, it was deeper, emotional, and ten kinds of earth shattering. He was giving her feelings she wasn’t ready to feel.
Erin didn’t have many friends. The few she had, she often wondered if friendship was too generous a label. Was Finn her friend, or simply an acquaintance from her past? Even now, she shied away from such technicalities, afraid the truth might leave her with an unwelcomed emptiness inside.
Giovanni came to her house every day. They watched TV together, talked, laughed, and sometimes just sat in silence, enjoying each other’s company. Maybe that was normal for him, but it was a novel comfort for her.
She didn’t share her life with anyone—never had. When her father was alive, no one was ever allowed in their house. Finn never came over when they dated, and it wasn’t like she had any urge to hang out with the one-night stands she’d had over the years.
Yet, she often found herself telling Giovanni secrets she never shared with anyone. Maybe it was because her father was gone and couldn’t hurt her anymore. But she suspected it had less to do with the man who made her life miserable and more to do with the man who made her laugh and smile daily. Giovanni made her happy, a feat few had accomplished before.
Confused as to whether this advanced comfort level was a postmortem-empty-house thing or a Giovanni thing or a compatibility thing, she simply observed and let it happen. But the more consistently he appeared in her life, the more she expected him to be there—wanted and anticipated his presence—and that scared her because everyone she cared about eventually abandoned her. She worried one day she’d anticipate his arrival and he’d never show, and that would be the end of them.
Her fear of abandonment often got in her way, tripping up her thinking and putting her in a temper she couldn’t easily navigate. Giovanni showed so much patience with her. He’d wait out her moods and try to talk through her feelings, which caused her to think deeper than she would on her own. Sometimes it was insufferable to dig through her thoughts, but other times it helped her shrink down her demons and focus on the present.
“You’re quiet tonight.”
She glanced at him as he briefly took his eyes off the road to meet her stare.
He studied her, seeing way too much in only a brief second.
“I’m okay.”
“You sure?” His hand closed over hers and he gave her gloved fingers a squeeze, a common gesture she was growing used to.
“I’m sure. Just thinking.”
“About?”
She shrugged. “Life. Us.”
He glanced at her again, this time his stare wore a hint of concern. “Should I be worried?”
Her lips curled into a soft smile because it was sweet to think that he cared enough to worry. “No. I’m just wondering what we’re doing.”
“What do you mean? Right now, we’re dropping boxes off at Goodwill then we’re going to dinner.”
“I mean us. Are we…dating?”
Again, he looked at her, then his eyes focused on the road, but she knew he was thinking about her question. “Well, we’re sleeping together. I would hope that stayed sacred between us.”
“You know I’m not with anyone else. We’re together every day.”
“Does that bother you?”
“No.”
“Good.” He smirked. She loved when he showed hints of possessiveness with her, mostly because no one had ever treated her like someone worth coveting.
He turned the car and they headed out of Jasper Falls toward Goodwill. They were silent for several minutes, just the soft rush of the tires under them and the chatter of a radio commercial playing low from the speakers.
She smiled when they passed the side of the road where her car had broken down. That memory seemed a lifetime ago.