My Only Exception (gxg)

Part 12

As we walked back to the table with our drinks, I looked at Poppy, "Why did you pay for me?"

"That's a funny way of thanking me."

"I didn't ask you to pay for me!" I said back to her, frustrated.

"I know. I wanted to," Poppy looked at me.

"Thanks," I said back to her, not knowing what her aim was.

"There we go. Was it that hard to thank me?" Poppy asked as we got back to the table.

I simply rolled my eyes and took my spot at the table.

I was surprised to see that Poppy and Sydney seemed friendly toward each other, but not flirty at all. I was expecting them to be all over each other, but I could tell that Poppy especially was keeping a distance.

Why am I relieved about that?

Even toward the end of the night, when we were all leaving, Sydney and Poppy gave each other a hug, but it seemed friendly. No extra lingering.

"Bye, Delilah," Poppy said in a saccharine tone as she waved to me.

"Goodnight, Poppy," I said back, not matching her tone.

When I got home, it was close to 11 PM. My mom was surprisingly home, and not out. It was a weeknight, but of course that didn't stop her.

She was in the kitchen, eating sliced apples and cashew butter.

"I'm having a late night snack," she said to me, "Do you want any?"

"No, thank you," I said back to her.

"Where were you?"

"Bowling with some friends from work."

"I'm glad to hear that you're making friends at your job. I know how hard it was for you to make friends growing up, you were always so introverted. Thank God for Emily. She's such a good friend."

Guilt washed over me as my mom said that about Emily.

I'm such a bad friend.

When I got to my bedroom, I changed into a pair of plaid pajama pants and a black t-shirt. I was about to wash my face when my phone started vibrating.

I looked down to see that it was a number with my area code, but not one that I had saved.

I decided to ignore it, if it was important they would leave me a message...after 11 PM.

Odd.

My phone then vibrated, and I saw it was a text from that same number.

Who the fuck is this?

My eyes widened when I read the text. It said:

It's Poppy. Call me back.

I wasn't surprised that Poppy had my number. All of our phone numbers are listed on the schedule we get every 2 weeks.

As I stood in the bathroom, about to wash my face, I had a mental debate.

Do I call Poppy back?

I really shouldn't.

But...I want to.

I knew I would likely feel guilt over it later, but I called Poppy back. She picked up on the second ring.

"I knew you'd call me back," she said.

"Hello to you too, Poppy. What do you want?"

"So hostile, Delilah!"

"Poppy, I'm serious. What do you want?" I asked her.

"For you to come over," she said back to me.

"What? Why do you want me to come over?" I asked.

"I think the answer is obvious. I want you."

Hearing Poppy saying the words, "I want you" did something to me. It made goosebumps appear on my skin immediately, and I started to get flashbacks of us in the storage closet at work.

"Text me your address," I said back to her.

"I'll see you soon, Delilah," Poppy said back to me in a satisfied tone, and I hung up.

When Poppy texted me her address, I was surprised to see that she lived in the same apartment complex as Laura...only about 5 minutes away.

I was grateful that I still had my makeup on, and I changed out of my pajama pants and into a pair of leggings. As I was putting a jacket on, guilt washed over me again.

But it wasn't enough to stop me from driving to Poppy's.

When I got to her apartment, my heart was racing, and I knocked on her door.

Poppy opened it a moment later, wearing a black tank top and gray leggings. Both skin tight.

"Hi, Delilah. Come on in," Poppy smiled at me, and moved to the side so I could step into her apartment.

"I didn't know you lived in the same complex as Laura," I said, walking in.

There wasn't much in Poppy's apartment from what I could see. There were the basics. A couch, TV, coffee table, and a small kitchen table. But there wasn't anything on the white walls.

"She lives on the other side of the complex," Poppy said as she walked in front of me.

She has such a nice ass.

"I know you're looking at my ass," Poppy said, looking back at me.

"It's pretty hard not to," I responded back, and Poppy turned around and winked at me.

Fuck.

"I know my apartment isn't all that impressive," Poppy said as she led me to her bedroom, "I live here with my younger brother, Chris. We don't really decorate."

"No worries," I said to Poppy as we went into her bedroom.

Poppy shut the door, and I glanced around. Like the rest of her apartment, it was the basics. A bed, bedside table with a lamp, and dresser.

"I know my bedroom isn't impressive either," Poppy looked at me, "But it has a bed, that's all we need."

I looked at Poppy, "I need to ask you something."

"Sounds serious, what is it?"

"Are you and Sydney going to pick up where you left off?"

"Why do you ask, are you jealous?" Poppy smirked.

"No," I somewhat lied, "I'm not doing anything here with you if you're still fucking with Sydney."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you're definitely jealous."

"Answer my question," I demanded.

Poppy raised her eyebrows slightly and said, "I have no interest in fucking around with Sydney anymore. I told her we could try and be friends and we'll take it from there."

"Poppy, I can totally see why she thought you meant that you might hookup again. 'We'll take it from there' sounds a bit misleading."

Poppy frowned, "I guess you're right. I'll make it known to her that we're not going to be anything more than friends."

"Hopefully Sydney is okay with that."

"She's not going to have a choice," Poppy said, and she then smiled at me, "Sydney and I aren't going to fuck again. Unlike you and I."

"You sound so sure," I said to Poppy.

"Why else would you be here?" Poppy took a step toward me.

I looked at Poppy, and placed a hand on her waist, "You're right. I'm here to fuck you, Poppy."

Poppy's hazel eyes widened as if she wasn't expecting me to admit it so bluntly.

Quickly, she smirked and said, "Then get on the bed, Delilah."

I'm about to feel guilty tomorrow all over again.