That One Ride

Chapter 11:Fears

Teresa's POV

"Do you want homemade breakfast or order something?" I asked Alex, who hadn't gone to his place since yesterday.

"We will cook ourselves, darling." His husky morning voice hummed around the apartment from my bedroom.

Things had been happening at rocket speed. I just agreed to date him yesterday; I mean, to give him a chance. We would figure out things as the time passed. In the honesty of the world, I wanted this to happen... I wanted us to be together because let's be honest the spark we both felt from day one was not normal. The chemistry we had, I was hungry for it.

Pouring pancake batter on a frying pan, my thoughts drifted to the fears I had endured. I was afraid. I panicked when he asked me to be his after our kiss. That kiss. Damn my existence if I won't admit that it flipped my stomach to painfully pleasurable sides.

The only reason to ignore Alex for all these days was that I was afraid of the consequence and trauma I faced all those years. After seeing Adam that day, things had been hard, but only Alex, that sexy, loving man, kept me at my pace. Kept my mind at peace. Nightmares had started since I bumped into Alex, getting worse every day with me puking out my guts once in a while, but not yesterday. Not when Alex sleeps beside me. Strange, right? It's questionable that how, on this earth, out of nowhere, you come across a person and he takes away your bad dreams. Without. Even. Touching. You.

A smile formed my face as I finished the last pancake and placed it on the plate. Deciding to be extra, I cut some strawberries, placing chocolate syrup on the kitchen counter, and settle everything in between. Neat and clean.

It's 9 AM and Alex had been asleep on my bed as I gawked at him in awe. The beauty he possessed over those sharp features, his long nose taunting me to pinch it, his full lips that I could kiss all day long, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths. And, of course, his eyes.

I climbed to his side and started kissing his cheeks, forehead, bridge of his nose, eyes. Placing my mouth over his ears, I said as high as my vocal cords could allow, "WAKE UP SLEEPY HEAD!"

He jerked awake, eyes wide like a bulb. Might have formed sweat on his brows. Oh, he was lost for a good 10 seconds, sinking into the shock he just had.

His breathing caught a rhythm, and I looked right into his eyes. Slowly, oh so slowly, a smile formed my lips, and then I burst into laughter. I couldn't control the fast beating of my heart at the dumb face he was making.

"You are so dead now, little tigress." I jumped out of the bed when he grumbled, not fast enough for him to catch me up in the air. He threw me on the bed and started ticking me.

I lost it there.

"Sorry. oh god, Alex, let me go." laughter filled the silence, but he didn't seem to stop the torture. His fingers did the tickling. My face turned red and red and red. Tears of joy escaping the eyes as his fingers wiggled over my waist.

note: my body is sensitive to tickles.

"Don't you ever do that! Understood?"

"Yes, sir," I said, in between catching up my breath.

He went to shower and got ready in the clothes he asked his driver to deliver to him late at night. We had our breakfast in peaceful silence and a bit of conversation here and there.

Alex went into the room to make some calls, and I started washing the dishes. Just about the time when his arms wrapped around my waist from behind. I turned to look back at him, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. He abruptly turned me to his side and lifted me to the kitchen counter, settling my vision to the level of his head.

"You have been running from me all morning, woke me up the worst way and now a kiss on my cheek? How unfair of you, Ms. Smith," he said, stroking his thumb over my rib, far away from my breast.

"Oh, really?" I said, raising my brows, "I don't think I am being unfair, Mr. McOwen.. You are finding excuses to be close to me."

"And why wouldn't I? I have the right after all."

"Again, you think so highly of yourself, Alex." I said, rubbing my palms on his biceps and trying to push him away.

"Shut up Teresa, you talk too much." Having said that, he slammed his lips on mine. I didn't hold back the heat of his touch as I gasped and he slid his tongue inside my mouth, our tongues touching and playing with each other.

He pulled his lips apart, making me frown at his choice, "oh, I forgot to tell you, I am having a business party next week. We are going at around 9 in the evening on Saturday."

"We? as in you and me?"

He looked around as if scanning something as he said, "who else is here except us? Of course, you and I, darling. You are my girlfriend."

"Take it slow, macho man. We discussed it yesterday," I said.

"You said you are giving us a chance and I cannot figure out any word that fits in between friendship and relationship for what we have. So I am reclining more towards a word that I would use in the future." He smirked, making me roll my eyes at him.

"You know, I admire your confidence. But why do I have to go? I wanted to spend the weekend together."

A smile formed on his lips. "Really?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Mmm... yes?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"We are going to the party, please?" he made puppy eyes, I laughed at that. I mean, he didn't ask me, he said that.

"I have nothing to wear. I'll stop by at target or somewhere." I smile at him while planning what type of dress would fit.

"NO! I will have an appointment with my designer for you to have a dress." he expressed his dismissal. I kissed his cheeks, interlocking my arms around his neck.

"No need, baby. I will have a dress of my choice, which I can certainly find anywhere." He gave me a really wide grin at my remark, but then his face was straightened.

"You said that on purpose?"

"Maybe, baby."

We spent the day on the couch, catching up with our high school adventures and the type of clients he had come across in his business: some really great friends and some funny types of people I worked with in my job. The conversation we were having sometimes changed from fun to emotional whenever my father was mentioned, but even that didn't change the fact that how comfortable I had always been around him and how real we both were. Just like they say, if you know, you know.

But I was not letting myself attached to any hopes. If he was here with me for today without promising a tomorrow, I would rather enjoy him than worry about the future we could have. I would rather kiss him anytime I feel like it, which I did while talking. Because without worrying about what would come next, you can enjoy the present.

I learnt that concept of now or never the hard way. Every day that passed without my father being by my side, I felt that pain. A kind of pain that could rip apart your heart into shreds, that could make you weak. I guess these were the type of fears I had whenever it comes to Alex.