(Complete but Publishing Chapters In Progress) Rebound, Boundless Series, Book 1

Nineteen

Before dropping me off at Duration, Matt reminded me that he'd pick me up after my class at about 7:15 p.m. We gave each other a heated kiss before I tore myself from him, exiting the car as I waved goodbye as if it would be the last time. I ran into the building, patting my lids as tears threatened to burst.

Where the hell did this reaction come from?

The last thing I needed was to be an emotional wreck at work. I felt a mixture of elation and emptiness. I tried gathering myself. So much had transpired between us in such a short period of time. Matt wasn't giving me enough space to process our connection. If I had a chance to be alone with my thoughts, I could feel more comfortable with the speed at which we were becoming an exclusive couple.

I couldn't even call ourselves a couple.

We hadn't expressed exclusivity.

Matt said the right things and offered the very best, but I couldn't get caught up in the fantasy.

Once I focused on work, I managed to suppress my thoughts about him until my stomach growled. It was one o'clock, and I didn't have a tour scheduled until three. I had no walk-ins, and none of the staff popped into my office for a chat.

Remembering I had no prepared lunch with me, I grabbed my purse and hoped Chelsea would take a break with me. I walked to her office. "Hi, Lovey." I knocked on the door. Chelsea looked over my way and smiled.

"Hi, Sweetie. How are you?" She stopped clicking on her computer.

"Good. I'm hoping you can spare thirty minutes for lunch. My treat, please."

"I already ate, but I'll take a coffee."

"Great! Are you able to go now?"

"Sure." She collected her things and closed her door.

"How are you?" I asked to postpone my weighty conversation. I wanted her advice as to how to proceed with Matt. We sauntered to the café.

"You didn't pack your lunch?"

"I spent last night with Matt. I was kind of busy."

"Mhmm... I bet you were," she said. I gently batted her arm. "So, how's it going?"

We arrived at the moderately busy café. After selecting a salad and taking Chelsea's coffee order, I stood in line for what felt like an eternity. After I ordered and paid, I went to the table to eat. When the barista called, Chelz grabbed our coffees then returned with an eager grin.

"To answer your question..." I took a deep breath, trying to formulate the story. "I feel like it's moving too fast. We had a great time on Saturday. We had great sex. He took me home, and I thought, okay, I'll see him someday. He picked me up the next morning at an ungodly hour, left tons of voicemails and texts, and..."

I took another moment to compose how much I could say without sounding ungrateful. "He picked me up from work last night. He washed my clothes. These are yesterday's clothes he washed, dried, and folded. He bathed me. He brushed my teeth. He tucked me into bed. He bought me soy milk... All of the nut milks. Fuck, Chelz. He's done more in this short time—"

"Than Ben had ever did for you, right?" She filled in the proverbial blank correctly.

"Yep." I swallowed the knot, clearing my throat. "That's not even the half of it. He wants me to spend the week with him until he goes away on business. He wants me to stay at his place while he's away. He's giving me access to his Rover. His goddamn Rover, Chelz. It costs as much as my debt." I shook my head at how ridiculous it all sounded. "He says he trusts me. He wants to keep me safe. He wants me in his home for when he returns."

"It's all great stuff. What's the problem?" Chelsea shrugged. And I couldn't believe that she saw nothing wrong with all of this.

"The problem is, I only expected this to be a one-night stand. A simple fuck. A really, really good fuck, but just one fuck. And now, I think I'm falling in love with him."

"Oh, Sweetie. You can't expect to have a one-night stand with a man who knows the results of your last pap smear." Chelsea said with a giggle. I laughed. She always brought humor to my seriousness. "What do you want? Because it seems to me you've found someone who wants to give you all the things you deserve. What does he want in return that you aren't willing to give freely? What do you need him to prove so you can accept this?"

"First, I need a crystal ball to tell me this is all going to be okay. He said I've brought him more joy in these few days than he's ever had. I guess..." I pursed my lips, waiting for the right words to come to mind. "What's he expecting? My time and affection, which I'm willing to give, but what if that's not enough? What if, in the future, he thinks, I'm not enough and I still believe he's everything? What do I do when he breaks my heart?"

"Like Ben. Was Ben enough?"

"I thought he was, but this... This is too good to be true."

"Comparing the two of them, which is not a good indicator because they are two different people..." Chelz leaned in and whispered, "Which one fucked your brains out?"

I coughed up my latte. "Chelz!" I covered my mouth to stifle a looming hacking fit. "That shouldn't be the measure of what's best for me."

"Sorry, I just really want to know. The good doctor looks like he can make you come by looking at you." She looked around, then leaned in and said, "Okay, I love Dougie. He's the best thing for me, but even when we were just dating, he never washed my clothes, bathed me, and tucked me into bed."

"You forgot—brushed my teeth."

"Not all men do those things, and those actions don't matter to every woman. It's obviously important to you because you feel pampered. You were never spoiled. You nurtured Ben and he didn't do it in turn. You need a man who will indulge you. Enjoy this. Stop questioning it. You don't have to move in with him. Think of it as just a convenient offer. You aren't giving up your place. You're gaining more than you're losing."

"Is it too soon to feel this way about a man?"

"Are you asking if it's too soon to fall in love with a man because you just met him or too soon after your divorce?"

"Both?"

Chelz leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Can we really put a timeline on falling in love? It just happens. We either fuck it up by running away or we push forward and work hard at it. He seems worth the work."

"But I don't know him. He doesn't know me."

"It will come. You'll learn about each other and grow together. If you two grow apart like you and Ben, you've had a great time, and you'll find love again. It seems you already have." When I didn't seem convinced, she added, "Consider him the rebound guy, a placeholder for 'the one.'"

I hadn't wanted Matt to be just a rebound. And I wasn't sure if he was the one to be my forever person

"We should get back," I said, standing and clearing up my salad, which I'd barely touched.

I wasn't quite cheered up.

Chelz asked a lot more questions, and I reflected on the answers. I concluded I just needed to see this through, enjoy myself, and make up for years of sexual frustration due to marital neglect. I wouldn't let Matt steal my independence, though. If he wanted to be exclusive, which I already was, I would be faithful. I had no plans of seeing anyone else. After four days of bliss, how could anyone else compare to him?