How to love

seventeen: Pizza?

The snow began again, little flakes slowly turning into chunky clusters. I resorted to dragging the comforter from my bed, hauling it over my shoulder and dragging it back to the living room before returning to my cosy spot in time for the parade. Thousands lined the streets, waving flags and not caring about the blizzard that was starting. Tugging the blanket to beneath my chin, I groan aloud as my phone began to vibrate of the coffee table and out of my comfortable reach.

David.

Furrowing my brows, I cautiously answer with hesitation. "David? Everything okay?"

"I swear you two are like a married couple." He huffs with a slightly gruff tone. "What are you fighting about now?"

"What?"

"You and Jason. You're both obviously arguing over something, so what is it? He's locked himself away in his office, yet again" What, again? "And the last time this happened was the whole photograph sanario. So what's happened?"

I sigh, snuggling back into the warmth of the cocoon. "Nothing, everything is fine."

"Believe me, I know when a woman says nothing - it means something." He jokes with a tease to his words. "Now tell me. C'mon Frankie, I would like to think we're friends now. You can trust me."

"I just suggested that we stayed professional - boss and employee." My words were unintentionally slow, as if my brain was trying to process a correct way to explain to him why his cousin and business partner had locked himself in his cave over the holidays. Again. "Has he been sleeping in the office again?"

"No, not this time." He tells me. "But I'm pretty sure he's not getting any sleep at all."

"I'm sorry, David. I don't think I can help you this time." My strained words croaked. "I promised that we would stay strictly business. Things were getting a little too, uh, complexed."

"By complex you mean, both of you finally realising you have feelings for each other?"

I heave out a cough. "No!"

"Please," He scoffs and I could hear the entertainment in his voice. "If you two were a cartoon, there would be hearts floating from your eyes. What I'm more surprised about is that you've actually cracked Jason's stone exterior. I didn't think he was capable of actually being happy with someone - guess that's what happens when I've only ever seen in unhappy in relationships. Seeing him smile a proper smile around a woman is weird."

I couldn't stop the small giggle that seeps through my lips but was quickly pulled back with a heavy frown. "Jason and I will only ever be boss and employee. I can't begin to muddle work and pleasure, especially not when I've just got this new position."

"Okay, but let me ask you this." He says. "Why did you agree to teaching him how to love someone, if you didn't have a small thought that this would go further? Before you ask, yes I know about your arrangement with him. He told me on our trip."

Looks like both of us broke our deal on keeping this a secret.

Absentmindedly I run my fingers along the patterns of the comforter, my mind spinning to find my excuse. Why did I agree to teaching Jason on how to love someone? It was naive of me, idiotic to say the least. I had no clue what I was getting myself in too, no clue what way things to plan out.

No clue that I would catch feelings.

"You don't know, do you?"

I shake my head, "No."

"Well I do." He said confidently, a hint of a smile hanging onto his words. "I think that you agreed to teaching him, because you wanted to teach yourself. I think that you want a relationship like the ones you read, you want to feel them feelings that you feel against fictional characters in books against a real person. You wanted to teach Jason how to love because you wanted know what it feels like yourself."

He was right. He was completely and utterly right. I wanted that toe-curling, mind-numbing, goosebumps from head-to-toe, feeling. I wanted to feel that security, I wanted to feel that importance, I wanted to feel that connection. I wanted someone to come home too, to curl up with on the weekends, to cook dinner with after work and to just be with.

And I wanted it all with Jason.

"You're in the wrong profession." I tell David in a grumble. "You should become a relationship counsellor."

"I've been told." He laughs. "So now you've told me how you feel, how about telling the grumpy old man sitting in his office? I'm sure he would love to see you right now."

I laugh loudly, so loudly and outrageously I snorted and David rumbled with laughter. "Are you kidding me? You mustn't have had enough sleep since Hong Kong because I would've sworn you just said for me to tell Jason about how I feel."

"I did."

"You're crazy!" I shriek, the laughter and humour completely evaporated and replaced with shock and terror. "I can't do that, David! Don't be so ridiculous! No, nope! I'm perfectly fine with our step-up as it is, that way nobody needs to get hurt and by nobody, I mean me."

"Jason won't hurt you, Frankie." He tells me with a softened tone. "You and Jason are more alike than you think, actually. He wants the same as you. He wants love - he would need too, to ask you to teach him how to love. He's been hurt just like you, too."

"He has?"

"More than you probably know - but that's not my place to say. He'll tell you in his own time but just don't give up on him, not yet." David says just as I shuffle to get comfier and accidentally press the volume button on the television remote and sent it shooting to a uncomfortable loudness. I hiss, muttering a apology as I scramble to turn it back down. "Where are you? Was that the parade?"

"Yeah, sorry. I lay on the remote."

"Wait, you're at home? On thanksgiving?" He gasps shockingly. "But why? Are you not back at your sisters?"

"No," I reply, explaining our situation to him. "So I usually just stay here. Eat my body weight in pizza, watch tv until my brain turns to mush and lie on the couch until my muscles start aching. Pretty perfect day if you ask me."

"If I had of known Frankie," His voice trails and he lets out a sigh. "Listen I gotta' run, Georgia and I have plans with her parents. I'll see you on Monday?"

"Bright eyed and bushy tailed, sir."

Before long, my muscles did start to ache from the continuous position I lay in. My skin began to feel sticky and grubby after missing my morning shower, so after shoving another handful of Doritos into my mouth, I drag myself to the warm water and steamy mist in a hope to freshen me up.

With a towel wrapped around both my body and my head, the overwhelming smell of coconut and almonds now filling the entire apartment I fished clothes from my top drawer and yelped at the unexpected knock at the door. I clench the top of my towel, holding it tightly and hoping that it was only Ms Hanna from down the hall asking about her disappearing cat that often wandered off.

Instead, my eyes rest upon him.

A charcoal grey t-shirt and dark washed jeans loosely hanging by his hips, with hair messily tousled and a sheepishly shy smile tickling his lips. He raises his shoulders, holding out the two red and white pizza boxes and a bottle of rich red wine.

"Jason."

"Did you order pizza?" 

| | |

4K!!! Thank you so so much guys! 

Please comment and vote xoxo