Cherished (bxb)

Chapter Twenty-Four

"You know...we said some pretty important words to each other last night," I said, my heart pounding quickly. "Um. That's not weird, right? I kinda said it first and it was in the heat of the moment so it wasn't really thought out very well, but I totally mean it unless that freaks you out because we haven't even been dating for longer than 13 hours now."

I cut myself off when I realized that Gerald was grinning and I'd been talking for way too long.

The bliss of breakfast and our little talk had worn away the second I remembered that I'd told Gerald I loved him. It hit me the second we went back into the bedroom to get ready for the day.

Gerald pulled off his shirt and grinned at me, all bright teeth and fluffy hair. "Oh? And what did I say back?"

I got a little distracted by his abs. Then I refocused and remembered that we were having an important conversation.

"You said you loved me too," I said. My face felt like it was definitely really red.

Gerald approached me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He kissed my forehead. "Yeah, we've only been dating for 13 hours. But we've known each other for a long time now. I feel like I've seen you at your best and at your worst. I love what I see. I love you."

My mouth opened and closed a million times. "U-um. Are you sure?"

He snorted and ruffled my hair. "Yes. Of course I'm sure. Why wouldn't I be, silly?"

"Because! I have a crazy ex-boyfriend and I overthink things and I might not be as kinky as you are," I blurted out.

Gerald laughed and hugged me closer. "Your crazy ex-boyfriend doesn't scare me. We'll just make sure we have clear communication, that way you don't have to overthink things. And guess what? I can live without kink."

I cleared my throat. "Well. I never said no kink."

His eyes darkened with lust. "We're having a sweet conversation, don't go and get me turned on during it."

I bit my lip and grinned. "But I want you turned on."

Ger laughed and tugged my earlobe a little. "You little minx. And you insist that Ty is the horny one."

"Ty is the horny one," I snorted. "He wants a foursome!"

"Good point," Gerald chuckled. "But you never told him no."

I laughed and gave Gerald a big hug. He made a delighted sound and wrapped his arms around me. "You make me so comfortable," I sighed. I tucked my head under his chin. "Thanks for being awesome."

Ger laughed. "You're the cutest. What do you want to do today? Let's go on a date; something you really want to do."

Huh. Royce also bossed around our date ideas. It felt weird to be in charge of the decision.

I had to think about it for a minute, but finally I decided on what I wanted to do. "Can we go bowling? Because I always have so much fun when I go but nobody ever wants to!"

Gerald nodded and grabbed a shirt. "Let's do it."

It took us a bit of time to get dressed, because we occasionally got a little...distracted. But once we were fully clothed and ready, I was practically tugging Gerald out the door.

We rolled up to Alley Cat, the local bowling alley, and I was practically bouncing in my seat. Gerald steadied me with a hand on my knee and a kiss to my temple. "You ready to get your ass kicked?" he asked teasingly.

If only he knew.

I shrugged innocently. "Maybe, maybe not. We'll just have to find out."

Gerald was gonna get slaughtered in the most loving way possible.