A Duet of the Soul

Chapter 18: Strategy and Game Play (Part 1)

*Maria's POV*

Justin was already in the kitchen preparing lunch by the time I returned downstairs. The momentum and determination I had built up internally while I was upstairs was quickly fading as I approached the kitchen. I realized I still had the movies in my hand and quickly pivoted around back towards the living room.

"Maria? You okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I uhm..." I turned back to face him and held up the pile of DVDs in my hands. "Gonna put these in the living room. If that's okay?"

His grin spread from ear to ear. "Yeah, of course that's fine! Glad to see you making yourself at home."

My heartbeat quickened as I hastened into the living room out of his line of view. I set the stack of movies down and took a deep breath. I'm not making myself at home, I'm not getting comfortable here with him, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not. It's just pretend, but he needs to think it's real. I released a quiet sigh of frustration as I gathered my courage once again.

This wasn't as easy as I had anticipated it being. One sentence from Justin had me all flustered and second guessing my plan once again.

I took a deep breath to steady myself and returned to the kitchen through the library-like study. Justin had already finished plating up our lunch and was sitting on a chair at the kitchen island next to the chair I usually sat in. I paused standing next to the counter, unsure of whether or not I should sit down. In the past, Justin had eaten standing up across from me at the island, never sitting in such close proximity. Even in the truck there was a center console separating us. The only time we were this close to each other has been the past two nights when he insisted on holding me in bed.

"Are you going to sit down?" he chuckled at my hesitation.

"Uhm...yes." I slid onto the chair next to Justin.

His arm snaked around my waist and pulled me close to him. He planted a quick kiss on my cheek, then he retracted his arm and went back to eating his lunch. The fire in my cheeks was blazing bright as I struggled to regain my composure.

This man was constantly stealing kisses and sending my insides all askew.

If I was to play the part of caring girlfriend I knew I needed to allow these antics to slide by without a ruckus. I just needed him to keep this to a minimum.

"How was your morning, baby girl?"

I shrugged my shoulders. I tried to make my voice lighter and more friendly than I was this morning. "It was alright. I mostly just unpacked my bags. How is work going?"

Justin had made tuna salad lettuce wraps with a side of baby carrots and a cup of cottage cheese. I took a bite of the lettuce wrap as I listened to his answer. "I had taken yesterday off, so there was a lot to catch up on this morning, but I'm on a pretty good roll. I should be done by four this afternoon."

"That's good. What kind of engineering do you do? I thought most engineers worked in the city in offices or in warehouses."

"Most do," he replied after finishing off his carrots. "I'm a software engineer, though, so I can work from home. Basically I design software products and work on network securities. I also have side projects for my family's business in Chicago that I work on every now and then."

"Oh, that's neat." I glanced at him and noticed his gaze focused on me. I wiped at my face afraid that I had food smeared on it. "Something wrong?"