Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
When I look up at him, Erik bends and plants a quick kiss on my lips, like it’s something we do regularly, which I guess it is now. I’m happy about the win, but the kiss is even more exhilarating, brief as it is.
The smile on his face makes me feel like I’m glowing.
“Congratulations! Do you want to keep playing or collect your winnings and try another machine?”
“It’s your win.” I push my chair back. “I was just pushing the buttons.”
He looks like he’s about to argue, but says, “Fine, it’s our win.” He presses the “Cash Out” button and the machine makes a tinny sound of coins being dispensed, even though all it produces is a white slip of paper.
“Maybe I had beginner’s luck,” I say as he shows me the slip, which lists a total of $59.48 in bold black ink.
“Could be. Maybe you’re a lucky person.”
As he tucks me under his arm, I start to think that might be true.
We decide to stop while we’re ahead, and after visiting the redemption machine, Erik insists on giving me thirty dollars of the winnings, even though I protest that the initial bet was his money.
We walk around the casino for a while—it’s enormous inside, and I’d probably get lost if he wasn’t leading the way—but we don’t play any other games.
He also asks if I’d like a drink, but I decline that as well, simply because I’m not thirsty. His offer makes me think of the bar at Metro Station again, and I can’t help but wonder if Gray will actually contact me once Erik gives him my number.
Gray can be wild, Erik had said, and my mind whirls with possibilities, even if I don’t know whether I can handle wild.
I’m getting more comfortable inside a casino, though. Thoughts of how my church would label everything in here as sinful are further from my mind the more time I spend here. Sure, there may be some people in here taking their life off the rails, but most of the folks just seem to be having a harmless good time.
We don’t stay too long, and the next thing I know, we’re back at my door.
AVA
When we’d gone out for dinner as friends, I didn’t think twice about inviting Erik in to hang out afterward. Now, the decision to invite him inside my apartment seems fraught with possibilities. The idea of inviting him in is also newly exciting.
I’m not sure what the right thing to do is, but Erik ends up making the decision for me.
When I open the door and invite him to come in, he says, “In the interest of taking things slow, I’ll say goodbye to you right here tonight.”
Several things run through my mind all at once. I can’t help but wonder what might happen if he were to come in and decide not to take things slow, and I notice that he said tonight, the implication being that he will, of course, come inside after some future date. What will happen then?
The possibilities are far more exciting than spinning the reels of a slot machine.
Even though he’s opting not to come in, it’s clear that he’s not ready to leave yet, either.
As I stand there next to him, alongside the desire and excitement that I’m feeling, a pang of something—not quite guilt, but something very similar that I can’t name—nags at me.
“I kissed Brax again last night,” I say before I can think better of it. Immediately, I second guess my admission. “Sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that.”
His eyes aren’t looking as warm and inviting as they were a moment ago, and internally, I’m kicking myself.
“Maybe you don’t want to hear about it, but I just want to be open and honest. I know you said I should date both of you, but —”
He cuts me off, pulling me closer to him as he rubs my arm in soothing strokes. “It’s okay, Ava. I appreciate your honesty.”
When I let out a sigh of relief, he says, “You’re right that I’d probably rather not hear about it, but I expected that you’d kiss him again, and I hope for your sake that it was more comfortable for you than it was the first time.”
My chest floods with warmth as if I’ve just stepped into a soothing bath. My friend, who’s turned into a man I’m now dating, is such a wonderful, caring person. It hits me all at once that I probably wouldn’t be nearly as gracious if he told me he was kissing someone else, and I immediately push that unpleasant thought from my mind. Add jealousy to my list of sins.
“Did it … go okay?” he asks.
My eyes locked on his, I nod.
“That’s good. I want you to get more comfortable with dating and everything that goes along with it.”