Coming to Terms ✔️

7: Pond Dives & Wet Dreams

"From what? I didn't take up that much room in your bed, did I?"

"What? No," I rolled my eyes.

I wasn't going to spell out anal for him. He was a smart boy sometimes, I figured he could figure it out eventually. Put two and two together, maybe? I waited patiently for his reaction but it didn't come until a few quiet minutes later.

"Ew!" he cried out.

This made me laugh a little too loudly, my chortle echoing off the lonely stop signs and empty streets. I loved running at this time, to be quite honest. No one was around to awkwardly smile at me with tight pressed lips, leaving me no choice but to reciprocate. I didn't generally like company, but Xavier wasn't talking enough for it to bother me.

"Don't knock it 'til you try it," I joked, knowing that would never happen.

But then I thought about it. Too much.

I thought back to his shirtless body in the window, feeling almost on display for my eyes only. I thought of when he was concentrating on fixing his camera settings and his long fingers fiddled with the buttons agitatedly, his teeth grazing his bottom lip. I imagined his hand on my abdomen again, so soft but with clear intentions. My breathing grew unsteady and I lost my pace, so I dragged him with me to sit down on the curb to catch my breath.

He scoffed. "Can't keep up, Bradford?"

God only knows, I thought to myself. Was he rough in bed? Was he painfully vanilla like Charlie made me suffer through tonight? Was he gentle and sensual? Of course, sex with women was an entirely different play style, but would he treat me like a submissive, little --

I had to stop this. Realizing I hadn't answered him and he was looking at me like I had a third nostril, I swallowed the lump in my throat and shook my head. "Got a little winded. Didn't stretch," I lied, cradling my head in my hands.

His phone buzzed in my pocket, since he'd asked me to hold it since his gym shorts didn't have any. I pulled it out, holding it for him but he didn't acknowledge it at first. It grew incessant and didn't appear to me stopping any time soon, so he finally snatched it away and turned it over. My nosy ass couldn't stop myself from reading Jade on the screen. I looked away, knowing it wasn't my place but preparing my ears to eavesdrop.

"Yo," he answered casually. I couldn't hear what Jade was saying, but he looked pleased. Occupying myself with untying and retying my tennis shoe, I heard him lowly chuckle, "Nothing, I'm out on a run."

I looked at his face. He was chewing on the inside of his lip and picking at a scab on his knee absentmindedly.

"I dunno' . . . like, thirty minutes. I'll come over after that." Pause. "Yeah, you know I will." Pause. "Damn. Sounds good. I'll see you in, like, forty-five minutes."

Well, wasn't that just typical? I literally had to catch my breath after accidentally fantasizing about this man, and in the same span of less than five minutes, he made an appointment for his dick. Without realizing it, I grew very, very salty. My whole demeanor changed and I pushed myself off the ground. He handed me the phone once more and I pocketed it.

I now actually did want to blow off some steam.

Was there a part of me that thought he would ever actually get with me? And if there was, why? This was Xavier, I was talking about. I hated him. Maybe not anymore, but there were no feelings of fondness or attraction. Or, god forbid, lust! Why was I so pressed over the idea of him having a booty call?

He hummed next to me as we ran once more. I thought about saying something snide, but decided against it. Sometimes, it was better to just ignore all the pessimistic things my brain came up with and just be the bigger person. That is, until he decides not to first.