Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 73425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
I nod and leave them to it. Their eyes blaze hot trails on my bottom as I turn back towards the living room. I need to get over these butterflies even as a warm sensation starts in the pit of my stomach.
Yet I can feel my stomach getting restless too. The last thing I ate was that ice cream Jessie brought out, and only a few spoonfuls then. I had half a muffin at the coffee hour, but I was so nervous knowing I was going to see Jason and Jordan that I barely ate anything the rest of the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Jordan takes three plates from the cupboard and puts them down by the stove. He scoops out some pasta, dropping it in slippery piles on each plate, and hands them to me, motioning over to a circular table on the other side of the room.
“You can just place them over there.” I put the plates down and keep going until the table is set. All three places are ready with spoons, knives, forks, and pasta. We place our frosted mugs of beer by the spaghetti and my stomach grumbles loudly.
Jordan comes up from behind me and places a kiss on my cheek.
“You’re hungry, aren’t you sweetheart? Jason and I are going to go and wash up. Just give us five, alright?”
“Okay,” I nod.
They leave me in the living room by myself and head down the hallway before splitting up, one going right and the other going left. Those must be their bedrooms, and they probably each have their own bathroom. Wow, what luxury. En suites are definitely not the norm in the tiny, cramped apartments of New York.
But while they’re gone, I take the opportunity to look around the room. There’s a giant bookshelf here, and the shelves are stacked with all kinds of books, just like at church. I wonder how many of them they’ve actually read.
Then, something catches my eye. Oh wow, a photo album bound in red leather. I pull it out and open it, confirming my guess. Inside are pictures of what looks like scenes from a seminary school, with students milling about a nice lawn while laughing into the camera.
I turn to the next page, and there’s a picture of Jason and Jordan tossing their graduation caps into the air. They look carefree and handsome, that black hair tousled as they smile. This must be from five years ago. I wonder what it was like knowing them back then. Were they the same guys they are now? Were they different? More mature? Less mature? I want to hear stories from their school days going way back because these men are so interesting. How did they become the people they are today?
Slowly, I return the album to the shelf and run my hand along a few of the book spines. They’re not dusty at all, and there are quite a few classics like Treasure Island and The Great Gatsby. Hmm. Plants rest on the windowsill, green and colorful.
It’s nice, frankly. There’s nothing ostentatious or gaudy about the apartment, and there’s quite a relaxed vibe. I can see the two of them sitting on the couch, reading books and drinking coffee, or maybe even writing their sermons.
I wonder how well I would fit into that image? Could I join them on the couch, sipping on my own mug of tea? Would I get my own bedroom, or take turns spending the night in their separate rooms? Or would we move, and find an apartment with one big bedroom?
What about when they’re cooking? Do they cook together every day or was today the exception? If the days are scheduled, would I just add myself in effortlessly into the mix? Or maybe they want to cook for me because they’re amazing chefs.
Everything’s felt pretty easy so far, but that’s because there hasn’t been much thought put into this whole thing. Now that we’re about to hash things out in an adult conversation, nerves start to get to me.
Great. I’ve been here ten minutes, and I’m already having my first crisis.
I need to get my composure back. I can’t be acting like a child when Jason and Jordan return because I want to come off as graceful, mature and elegant. I want to enjoy the evening and find fulfillment as a wanted woman.
Slowly, I take a deep breath, letting my lungs fill with oxygen. It’s clear what I hope and desire from these two men, but what if they’re looking for something else? What if I’m just a roll in the hay, and nothing more? I’ll be devastated, but only Jason and Jordan can tell me what’s going through their minds.
13
Jason
Cooking dinner took a little longer than Jordan and I expected but now we’re almost done. There had been a mad dash of stirring and frying, and throwing what we needed into the pot but things were pretty much under control now. I look forward to treating Mira to our hopefully good spaghetti with marinara sauce.