Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 157175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Resting her forearm on top of the door, she sits her chin on it, eyeing me up. ‘So basically our normal is you throwing your orders around and me obeying?’
‘If the shoe fits.’
‘What if it doesn’t?’
I dip and startle her with a forceful, lingering kiss on her lips. ‘Oh, but it does, lady. And I know you feel it deep inside you. Stop fighting it.’ She’ll never stop fighting it. And I don’t want her to. She keeps me on my toes, as I keep her on hers. It might send me wild, but every pound of my heart when we’re sparring with words is the sign I need to tell me that I am alive and she is with me.
*
The boutique I chose is the very one I followed Ava to all those years ago, the one where she bought that wretched dress that I cut off her body some days later. My choice isn’t an accident. I’m hoping it might nudge something for her, anything to give me another rush of contentment when she remembers something.
The store is full of endless suitable options. Yet Ava seems to be passing each and every one of them up. ‘I like this one.’ She pulls out a micro cream thing, not too dissimilar to the poor excuse of a dress she bought the last time we were here. It wasn’t suitable twelve years ago, and it isn’t now, either. And it has nothing to do with her age.
‘I don’t,’ I counter dismissively, taking it from her hand and hanging it back on the rail.
‘What about this one?’ A peach strappy thing is presented to me. I shake my head, and Ava rolls her eyes. ‘This one?’
‘Nope.’
‘This one?’
I toss her a dark look, and she flops to a nearby velvet couch in exasperation. ‘Surely I have some say in this.’
She’s purposely pulling out dresses that she knows will send me batty. Driving me crazy is obviously ingrained into her. ‘You love everything I choose.’ I flick through the rails and home in on something lace, pulling it out and looking it up and down. It’s fitted, will showcase her every perfect curve, and it’ll sit just below the knee. ‘Perfect,’ I declare, handing it to the assistant. ‘She’ll try this one.’
‘Yes, sir.’ The assistant scuttles off to place the dress in the changing room, and I smile, all happy with myself. Until I find I’m being glared at. ‘What?’
‘You didn’t even ask if I liked it.’
‘You said I could choose.’ I laugh, pulling her up from the couch. Her resistance is pathetic.
‘Yes, but you didn’t even consult me.’ Snatching her hand back, she marches off to the dressing room, pulling a few random dresses from the rails on her way, just to prove a point. I inhale some patience and follow on behind. She’s being defiant for the sake of it. ‘Do you like the dress?’ I ask, being quickly flashed by very displeased, puckered lips over her shoulder. But I get no answer, making me smile. ‘Well?’
‘That’s not the point.’
‘Yes, it’s the point, Ava. I have good taste and I know exactly what’ll look lovely on my wife. That dress will look lovely.’ I point to the others in her hand, the unapproved dresses. Yes, they’ll look lovely, too, but I’m likely to be arrested for murder if she wears them. ‘Those are a no-go.’ I take them from her hand and toss them aside.
Scowling at me, she yanks the curtain closed, but no sooner have I lost sight of her, I have it back again when she whips the curtain back across, her eyes wide, some kind of recognition on her face. ‘We’ve been here before.’
‘Yes!’ Both of our gripes are forgotten with the promise of another recollection. I move in closer, waiting for her to give me more.
Her head tilts, and she looks down the corridor to the store. ‘I bought a dress.’
‘Yes. Go on.’
Turning her eyes onto me, she brings her hands to her face, the strain from thinking so hard clear. ‘I bought it here! The dress you cut off my body, I bought it here in this very shop!’
‘Yes!’ Fuck me, it worked!
‘Jesse, I remembered something else!’ She virtually dives at me, and I catch her, hauling her up my body and holding her tightly. ‘That dress cost me a bomb.’ Her face in my neck, she laughs against my skin, her arms wrapped so tightly around my neck.
‘And you wearing it cost me a few heart attacks, lady.’ I’m smiling through my scolding words, absolutely beside myself with joy.
‘There’s something else.’ She wrestles free of me, her front rubbing mine as she slides down my body, her palms resting on my pecs, her eyes darting across the material of my Ralph.
‘What is it, baby? Take your time.’ I walk us across to a chaise and sit her down, holding her hands while she thinks. I’m all hunched over, trying to see her eyes as they jump across her lap.