The first game Lex and I tried, soon after getting back home from the Crawfords', was a little lost on him since it required some popular culture knowledge. I struggled as well sometimes, as it was more suited for Meryl and Glenn's generation than mine. We still had fun, and it allowed us to spend time bonding together.
The next day, though, we decided to give a shot to the game for couples, where we had to ask each other questions. Meryl had insisted it had done a lot of good to their relationship, and I was sure it would benefit Lex and me as well. For the occasion, we'd opened a bottle of wine and had prepared appetizers and nibbles we'd eat throughout the evening. The flames dancing in the fireplace before the couch were our only light, and the curtains were wide open so we could gaze at the night outside. To make it even more special, I had decided to wear a dress for the first time since the incident. It was the same one I'd worn for our first date, but this time, I wasn't wearing expensive and skimpy underwear underneath. I would have if it had been an option, though.
We had been close since getting here, watching movies, sleeping together, and spending time with one another. But for once, it felt like we were really having an actual couple's date, and I was excited about it. If everything went well, I might even advance my seduction enterprise by a few days and give it a try tonight.
"Hi, handsome," I greeted him as I came back into the living room.
He lifted his eyes from his task – setting up the last things on the table – and there was a short halt in his gestures when he first glanced at me. His gray gaze glided over my shape, lingered on my makeup'd face, and then dropped to the hem of my dress, which reached mid-thigh. When he looked up to meet my eyes again, he squinted his. Apparently, my secret mission to win him over was quite obvious. He said nothing, though, and returned his attention to the glasses, pouring us the red wine we'd picked.
I grabbed my glass as I sat down and watched him do the same. "To us," I offered as a toast when he turned to me. Our glasses did an elegant clink when we tapped them together, and I took a sip of the deep red liquid. It was my first time drinking alcohol since my birthday, and my taste buds seemed to sparkle at the taste of it. Per usual when he was picking, it was excellent.
"So, what is this game about?" Lex asked, looking at the box before us.
"It's especially for couples. Each card has a question, and we have to answer them together, then maybe discuss it. From what I've heard, it's amazing for communication, building trust, and getting to know one another."
"That should be fun."
"That's what I thought too. Shall we?"
He nodded, and I bent to pick the box. Once it was open, I randomly shuffled through the neatly organized cards and chose one. I read the bold letters silently first, and then out loud. "What non-sexual thing does your partner do that really turns you on?"
We both thought about it for a few seconds, even though the answer came to me pretty fast. "When you put on your glasses," I admitted. "It makes me so horny, it's not even funny."
"Really? You must be horny quite a lot."
"You have no idea."
"I used to get really turned on when you called me 'baby', but I've gotten used to it now. I think I'd say it's when you're thinking intently, with your brows furrowed. Sometimes you even have the tip of your tongue poking from between your lips. It makes me want to distract you."
"Oh, please, distract away. I live for distractions."
"Most of that happened when we were at Kelex together, so I held back."
"Really?" I asked, amused. "So what, you'd get a hard-on in the middle of work?"
"Woman, I've stopped counting the unsolicited erections you've triggered at work for me."
Delighted by his admission, I took a sip of my wine with a broad smile. Gesturing toward the game, I offered him an inviting smile. "Alright, it's your turn to pick one."
"Is it our similarities or our differences that attract us to each other?" he read after choosing a card.
"Hmm, that's a good one. For me, our similarities helped us find some common grounds and bond. But I definitely love how different you are from everything I've ever known. That's part of why I'm attracted to you. I like that you're cerebral, full of self-control, and aloof to most of the world. It makes me feel so special that you're spontaneous, open, and warm with me."
"And I love that you're free-spirited, impulsive, and friendly. It makes me want to be the same. It pushes me to be more like you."
"You know you don't have to become like this for my sake, right? I love you just the way you are," I insisted.
"I know. You're more of a role model, if that makes sense? I adore everything about you, so becoming even the slightest bit like you would be an achievement."
His words made my heart flutter, and my eyes became wet with emotions. Damn, I might turn into a puddle by the end of this game. "I'll need you to be much less endearing, Coleman. At this rate, I'll jump you and beg you to put a baby in me by card number four. And not even for the sex; just so I can birth your offspring."
"Right, we'd hate to bother Meryl and Glenn with little hell raisers."
"Exactly. Next question, then. What's the most unusual place we've made love in?"
"Easy. In an airplane's restroom."
"Yeah, that one's a no-brainer. Your turn."
"What possession of your partner's would you like to throw away?" he read.
"Hmm... Okay, I need to think about that a little."
"Your car. I'd throw away your car."
My mouth fell open as I stared at him with disbelief and amusement. "Your hatred for my car is baffling."
"What's baffling is that you kept it around when you have the Mercedes, now."
"It's just in case."
"Of what?"
"I don't know. If the Benz has an issue or something."
"If it does, we'll rent a car during the repairs. And if it can't be repaired, we'll buy a new car."
"Okay, you know what? I'll get rid of my car if we get rid of that weird painting down the hallway at home. The really dark one, by the guest room."
I thought I'd found a good way to delay the throwing away of my old Ford, as the painting was probably worth a small fortune, and he might not agree to part with it so easily. I was clearly wrong, though, as his answer came in less than a second.
"Deal."
"Wait, really?"
"Yes. You should have told me you didn't like it."
"It's just... creepy. It's so dark, it feels like something unholy might creep out of it."
"Well, now we're getting rid of it once we get home. And of your car."
I huffed but didn't say a thing, knowing I'd have to uphold my end of the bargain. It was my fault for thinking I could get away with it. I took another card, and a smile stretched my lips as I read it. "How is our relationship unique?"
Lex looked around us with a cocked-up eyebrow, and I had to agree that the situation we were currently in was the perfect answer to this one. Without even expressing our response, since it was so obvious, he picked a new one.
There were a few questions we already knew the answers to, like who had been our first love – each other – our favorite sex position – good ol' doggy style – or what sexual thing we wanted to try – anal and tying me up. On a less carnal note, we also knew a lot about one another's upbringing, about each other's parents, about our faults, qualities, and insecurities. But the game allowed us to ask things we'd never thought about, and I absolutely loved learning more about him. We could have spent an entire week picking cards, answering, and discussing without me growing bored with it.
"What did your worst heartbreak teach you?" he asked with a slight winced.
"Oof, that one's deep. Okay, so, you were my worst heartbreak. And I've learned that I need to fight for what I want. Also that I'm so much stronger than I thought. And that you are one stubborn imbecile, even though you have the best intentions."
He grunted something that seemed to approve of my last statement and shook his head. "When we separated, I learned that even if I tried my hardest, I could still break someone I loved. But then I discovered you were really hard to break."
"Baby, I'm basically adamantium. Or is it vibranium? Which one's the strongest?"
"Dragonite is the strongest metal in the MCU, actually."
"Then I'm that."
"You are," he agreed with a crooked smile.
"If you had 24 hours left to live, what would you do?" I then asked.
"I don't think I'd change a thing. I'd stay right here and enjoy those last hours with you."
"Alright, that's it. Put a child in me, Alexander," I humored, moving from my spot to sway a leg over his lap. He chuckled and rested his hands on my hips as I fully straddled him, grabbing his face with tender determination. "I would make it the best twenty-four hours of your life, baby."
"I know you would. What would you do if you had a day left?"
"I would spend the first sixteen hours with you, just you. Then we'd go to Portland, preferably with a jet, so there isn't any wasted time. Then I want to spend the eight hours I have left with you, my family, and Kate. We'd do my favorite things, eat my favorite foods, and have an amazing time together."
"So I'd have to share you with others in your last hours?"
"I'm afraid you would have to, yes," I admitted with an apologetic pout. "I love you more than life, you know that, but I can't not be with my parents if I knew I would die."
"It makes sense, yes. You make me envy this; knowing what it's like to have an actual loving family, to have parents you love and who love you back."
"We'll have an actual family together. You'll be the parent who is loved and who loves. I promise."
Still propped on his lap, with my hands still holding him, I bent forward and gave him a tender kiss. His hands on my hips tightened for an instant, and then I pulled away, drowning in the gray sea of his eyes. "I motion we kiss every time we're done answering a card."
"And I motion we make it retroactive," he agreed.
Giggling, I twisted to take the pile of discarded cards from the coffee table while he kept me there, and then I quickly counted them. "Thirteen. Do you want them all at once, or do we spread them?"
"Ravish me at once, freckles."
A laugh bubbled in my chest, but I quenched it as I pressed my lips on his again. I counted out loud each kiss I gave him, and when the thirteenth one came, I lingered millimeters away from him, delaying the ultimate one. He gave in faster than I thought, moving up to steal that last peck. We made it worth it, and our tongue brazenly met for a lascivious graze. Below me, pressed on the front of my core, I could feel the proof of his desire for me, swollen, hard, and oh so tempting.
Maybe I did have a chance to carry out my secret mission. Maybe we would end up rolling in the sheets later. Deciding this was a decent amount of teasing for now, I moved away from his lap, ignoring the way my intimacy ached to welcome him.
He adjusted his pants while I took my glass again and then chose another card. "Who was your first kiss?"
"It was a guy named Jackson, in high school."
"And how was it?"
"It was... sloppy. I was seventeen, and he was my first boyfriend ever. I wasn't really interested in men. We were friends, and I don't know, we just decided to try? My excuse was that it was the first time I was kissing someone, and I think he was just bad at it. I remember feeling like it was what clothes must feel like in a washing machine."
"How long did you two stay together?"
"All the way till graduation. Then we split up. I wasn't really affected; he was still more of a friend than a boyfriend. Then in college I met another guy, and we became friends, and then the same thing kind of happened after two years of knowing each other. But he wanted more, and I wasn't feeling ready for it. My third boyfriend, Liam, was more of a romantic kind of thing. We started seeing each other, and we were in this unspoken but agreed-upon relationship? At some point he too wanted to pop my cherry, so I let him after making him wait for months. We lasted ten months in total."
"And after him?"
"I had a few other boyfriends, but it obviously didn't really work out. I wasn't in love with them, and as much as I tried, I don't think I would have ever been. In the end, I was waiting for that tall, dark, and brooding guy in that elevator."
There was unmasked pride on his face when he moved forward to kiss me, but I stopped him with a hand over his lips. "No, it's your turn to answer first. Who was your first kiss?"
"Her name was Jenna. We were in the same study group at Harvard. I was twenty, she was twenty-six. Since I was much younger than everyone in my classes, it was kind of a struggle for women to see me in a romantic way. She didn't really care, though. It wasn't anything romantic. We became 'steam-blowing partners' as we used to call it. Neither of us had time for relationships, so we fucked now and then to relieve some pressure. She was seeing other guys at that time, but I didn't mind. I was getting laid, and it was free of any complications."
"That sounds lovely," I humored while scrunching my nose.
"It was strictly strategic. We'd work on our assignments, have a quick fuck, and then get back to work with a clearer mind and more balanced hormones. Nearly all of my encounters with women followed that pattern, actually. It was convenient, pragmatic, and uncomplicated."
"Wasn't Eva a little different?"
"Barely," he admitted with a grimace. "I'd had three of those arrangements before her, so it was basically all I knew. I compartmentalize things very well, so when we were meeting in a friendly way, our interactions were platonic, and when we were meeting for sex, I didn't push for bonding or friendly behaviors."
That was so harsh to hear. For four years, Eva had stuck around, hoping Lex's intentions would shift into something more romantic. But because he was clueless and lost in the ways of relationships, he hadn't given himself the chance to maybe fall for her. He'd categorized her as one of his fucking buddies, and his mind had kept her in that box, not allowing her to get out of it.
"Did you ever realize that she..." My words swiftly died as I realized this wasn't my secret to share. The truth that she'd loved him and possibly still did wasn't mine to disclose. Lex still caught what I'd meant, though.
"That she was in love with me?" I nodded, sheepish. "I didn't know it then. Kevin was the one who opened my eyes on this."
"How so?"
"After we divorced, I told him I didn't really understand why she would change her mind like this and call it off. I don't think he has ever gotten mad at me like this. Not before and not since. He mentioned how crazy it was that I could be so smart and so clueless at the same time. That's when he explained she was in love with me, and how she'd probably accepted I would never see her that way. I hadn't even realized how much I'd hurt her until he shouted at me for hurting our oldest friend."
"But once you knew, didn't you want to actually try to build something real with her?"
"In my mind, it only confirmed that I wasn't meant to be with anyone that way. If for four entire years I couldn't even tell she wanted more, how could I ever be suitable to anyone?"
"You're quite good at reading me," I pointed out, sorry that he'd felt that way.
"That's why you've been so different from everyone else. I don't know if my curiosity towards you made me more receptive to the non-verbal signs you sent, or if it's because you're particularly expressive, or because, for once in my life, I wanted something with someone. But I can read you like I can't others. I can understand you even when you don't express what's on your mind. I can do that with other people, but it takes some amount of work from me. With you, it comes naturally. When we're together, I feel normal – like what people are supposed to be. The rest of the world is lost on me, but you I get."
"I always thought having an overly expressive face was annoying," I confessed. "It makes me so bad at lying or hiding what I'm thinking."
"Don't change it. Not ever. If nothing else, I understand you."
"I promise I won't," I agreed, pushing myself forward for a kiss. It was my turn to pick the next question, so I did. "What title would you give this chapter of your sex life? Ah! Easy. Blue ovaries."
"How about my balls? Can't they be included too?"
"Blue genitals, then?"
"Perfect. What do you now understand about love that you didn't before?" he read after a quick peck.
"You can't force it, and you can't escape it either."
"Smart. I've learned it is the most terrible and the most wonderful thing altogether. Knowing it is an elation like no other, and losing it is the worst pain one can endure."
"Damn, baby... We should write these answers down," I declared, completely entranced by him.
After two other questions, we picked our first wild card, where we had to write a note to our younger selves on a piece of paper. We had one minute to do it, so I quickly came up with my answer. "Ready?" I asked, curious to see what he had.
"You go first."
"Okay, this might sound silly, but I really struggled with this when I was younger," I warned, hoping he wouldn't make fun of me. "But I wrote, 'Don't brush your hair outside of shampoo day. That's how you get cute curls.'"
His first reaction was to frown as he looked down at the note he'd written. "I think I might not have done this properly."
"I'm sure you did. What does it say?" I asked, peeking at his terrible handwriting.
"'The woman with the curly hair, the freckles, and the Hulk T-shirt you'll meet in an elevator is the one. Don't be an ass to her.'"
It was a miracle that my jaw didn't hit my lap with the way it fell open. Holy fucking shit. This fucking man... "Are you kidding me?! You nailed this so much more than I did. Fuck, I feel stupid for mine. Can we have a do-over? I'll give my younger self your name and address, and tell myself to go get you."
He let out a throaty laugh and slipped a hand around my waist to pull me in closer. "As much as I'd love the idea of meeting you years ago, I'm not sure we would have worked out the same way. Alterations in the timeline are no jokes, and we might not have been ready for one another at different points in our lives."
"Shit, you're right. I guess I'll keep my curly hair tip, then."
His eyes glanced at my hair with unmasked appreciation, and he gave me a small, approving smile. "I fucking love your curls, so yes, that seems like a good strategy."
Something wicked made its way into my mind, and I couldn't prevent the way my lips stretched into a playful grin.
Time to turn the temperature up in this joint.