"Desi, baby, wake up."
My eyes fluttered open as my body took a second to readjust to the light falling into the room. My eyes were blurry, but I could make out the red hair of my girlfriend.
"Tasha?"
"Hey, baby," she stroked my hair as I fully woke up.
"What are you doing here?" I was really confused and groggy.
"It's Friday, honey. You missed our lesson."
"Fuck," I sighed, rubbing my eyes. It had been three weeks since our date, and I had become swamped with work, meaning I only saw Natasha in her lectures or at our lessons. "I'm so sorry, Tasha, I've just been working a lot."
"I know, Desi, don't worry about it. How about I take your mind off it?"
"Please," I begged, desperate to have a change of scenery. She helped me out of bed, and since I was still in my day clothes, we just walked straight out of my dorm and to her car. I looked over for Natasha's permission before switching on the radio, and Stevie Wonder started blasting out of the speakers.
'Yeah, I've done a lot of foolish things
That I really didn't mean
I could be a broken man
But here I am
Watch out with my future babe'
"Here I am, baby" Natasha sang out, joining in. I let out a laugh before singing the next line.
"Here I am, baby, get it," I let out without a care in the world.
"Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours"
"Ooh baby. Here I am, baby"
"Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours"
"Here I am, baby. Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours" I finished as the song ended, and both me and Natasha were in a laughing heap. I kept catching her eyes in the car mirror as I sang the lyrics, knowing that what was being said was true. I gazed appreciatively at my girlfriend as she drove through the roads, taking in her beauty. She had plaited her hair, framing her face perfectly, and her ears were stacked with silver jewellery. Muscles were peeing out under her sleeves, and her eyelashes fluttered as she blinked.
"Desi, what are you doing?" Natasha half-turned her head to me, smiling softly.
"Just looking at my beautiful girlfriend."
"Seriously?" She giggled, causing my stomach to flip.
"What, I'm allowed!" Her hand lifted off the steering wheel and came over to cover my eyes, sitting there until I poked my tongue at it.
"Ew!" She shrieked, whipping her hand away.
"You are asked for it, Miss Romanoff."
"Shut up!" We both giggled until we arrived at our destination, the bowling alley. Natasha dragged me to a lane and sat me down as she ran off to get shoes. The alley was retro-themed, with an old jukebox in the corner and booth style seats. Vintage signs littered the walls and the sounds of the balls hitting the pins brought back fond memories of trips to the bowling with Alex and my parents.
"Desi?" I span around and was met with the devil himself.
"Alex? Hey!" I jumped up and gave him a hug which he readily accepted.
"How you been Des? Has work been killing you as much as me?"
We both laughed as I replied, "Probably more, this is the first time I've been out in weeks!"
"Yeah, how come you're here?" Alex cocked his head sideways, analysing.
"Oh I'm here on a... I'm here with Natasha," I corrected myself before calling this a date in front of Alex.
"Miss Romanoff?"
She heard her name being called as she walked back towards me. Her mouth opened slightly to reply as she saw Alex, but no words were emitted. I gave her a small smile letting her know I could handle it before turning back to Alex's expectant face.
"We're friends, she's pretty cool and she saw that I needed to get out."
"I could have taken you out, Desi," Alex looked sad.
Natasha came over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I promise you, Alex, that Desi is all yours the next time you want her. It was only because we had Russian today that I acted on a whim."
He nodded, satisfied, before leaving us, walking out of the door.
I moved seductively up to Natasha with a playful look in my eye. "I thought I was yours."
She looked me straight in the eye and replied seriously, "You are."
"And you're mine," I said before bringing my lips to hers, placing a sweet kiss before grabbing the shoes from her hands.
"Strike again, Miss Romanoff! You are on fire!" I called from my seat as she took a bow, revelling in her lead. After about the second round she was far ahead of me, but I was happy to see her win. After the game was finished we strolled over to the leaderboard and saw that she had broken the record, meaning she got to choose a prize. In the end, after much deliberation, she choose a stuffed koala, swinging it under her arm before grabbing my hand and leading me back to her car. We stood outside the door, staring into each other's eyes until she held out the koala.
"For my girl."
I rolled my eyes but happily accepted the present, snuggling into it. She took a picture of me and showed it to me and we both burst out laughing. Soon enough, the laughter turned into tears that I couldn't stop, and Natasha pulled me fiercely into a hug. She kissed my tears away when I was finished, pushing my hair out of my face as I calmed down.
"You're just overwhelmed, Desi, it's okay."
"I'm so sorry, Tash. This is so embarrassing!" I sighed, dropping my head onto her shoulder in defeat.
She pushed me back so that I was forced to look into her eyes. Even the sight of her emerald gems was enough to make me feel on top of the world, but when she spoke she transported me to a different level.
"Desi, you are mine. That means I don't care what you look like or what other people say about you. All I care about is you, making sure you are good, and spending time with you. Now, sit and relax." She pushed me into the passenger seat and walked around to the driver's side as I sat in her words.
We drove in comfortable silence, the radio now providing quiet background noise. I was looking out the window when I noticed something.
"Tash, you missed my road."
"You're coming home with me, Desi. I'm not letting you be alone right now."
"But I don't have anything with me!"
"Baby, I've had stuff ready for weeks. You can wear my clothes and I have toiletries for you. You can even go in my library if that would make you feel better."
I would have instantly said yes, but her bribe made me even more excited. I nodded and watched closely for her house. We pulled into the driveway and I took in the impressiveness of her house for a second time. We walked through the foyer, and I made my way over to the sofa we had ended up on the last time. I looked at it sadly, but then I felt Natasha wrap her arms around my stomach.
She whispered in my ear, "We have plenty of time, don't worry, darling. But for now, I want you changed, cleaned and ready for bed, got it?"
I didn't reply or move, enjoying the feeling of her body on mine. Sensing this, she spun me around and tapped my leg, signalling for me to jump up. I did, and wrapped my legs around her waist, letting my head sink into her neck. She carried me upstairs as I took in the new surroundings since I had only been on the ground floor last time. Her staircase spiralled with a gold railing, and I could see that the carpet was soft. When we reached the landing, I gaped at the number of doors. She led me through the biggest one, leading me to her bed, placing me on it. Before she could walk away, I pulled her closer so that I could kiss her. Her lips graced mine and I felt myself relax under her touch. Leaving me breathless she walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out a t-shirt and sweatpants, tossing them next to me. She signalled to the bathroom, telling me where everything was.
"I'll be back, baby."
"Thank you, Tasha." She smiled and left the room.
I quickly got into her clothes, enjoying her scent on them. Making my way into the bathroom, I gasped at the sight in front of me. She had an enormous bathtub and a glass walk-in shower. I rummaged through the cupboards, finding the box with my name on it. Inside were all the essentials, and my heart warmed at the thought of Natasha preparing this all for me. I sighed in happiness as I started my nighttime routine. By the time I was done, Natasha had returned to the bedroom and was now in pyjamas, waiting for me on the bed.
I crept into her arms which were open for me, and instantly relaxed as my head hit her chest. She switched on the TV, putting on The Good Place as she traced patterns all down my arm and back. I felt myself drifting away peacefully, feeling safe and warm in my girlfriend's presence. I felt Natasha kiss my head before I sunk into unconsciousness.