his chest Braden gave a wide smile as he swore, "Hey, I'm committed to beer and pizza."
"Yeah, you have issues," she laughed, turning as the oven timer went off.
~
After Liv won all seven rounds of Loteria, her Mexican Bingo game, the pizza was gone and so was all of the beer.
She was collecting the cards and placing them back in the box teasing, "Maybe one day," before laughing, "Ha! Just kidding, I always win."
"You suck." Braden griped as he cleared their plates and empty bottles off of the table.
"Awe, don't be a sore loser," she replied before picking up her game, taunting, "You should be used to it by now," as she sashayed out of the kitchen.
Braden watched her victory walk until she disappeared down the hallway that led to her bedroom.
M 2 H
Sitting quietly on the ottoman, Liv hesitated. Braden was asleep on the couch in front of her. She knew she needed to wake him but he seemed so at peace with himself, she waited. Watching his chest rise and fall as he slept, she caught herself keeping rhythm with his breath. As each inhale and exhale passed perfectly in sync with his, Liv closed her eyes.
Their friendship, while unusual to most everyone around them, gave her purpose. She had been in love twice in her life and both times she had been hurt. Her relationship with Braden wasn't love. It was hard to explain. On the outside everyone saw only what they wanted them to see. Braden and Liv knew each other on the inside. She had watched him break just like he had seen her unravel and somehow for a few hours each Thursday night between the board games and beer, they were whole again.
As Liv slowly opened her eyes, she felt herself smile.
Hopping up from the ottoman, she clapped her hands just inches from Braden's face while alerting, "Wake Up!"
Groaning, he rolled over, putting his back to her.
"Come on, punk, get up. You're going to be late for work."
"I got laid-off yesterday," he replied, his voice muffled by the couch cushions.
"That sucks. You hungry?"
Rolling onto his back, Braden looked up at her.
"Bacon and eggs?"
Turning to walk out of the living room, Liv asked, "Are you going to start looking for another job?"
Braden let out a loud yawn as he stood, following her to the kitchen.
"Nah, I think I'll be alright. I have some money saved and I'm going to file for unemployment."
Pulling a package of bacon and a carton of eggs out of the refrigerator and setting them on the counter by the stove, she offered, "If you run short, I've got some work around here."
"Whatcha need?"
Liv unwrapped the bacon and dropped it in the skillet as Braden leaned against the counter next to her.
"I'm turning Kieran's marking room into a library."
"You are?"
Nodding, she started to explain, "This book I read a few months ago, said..."
Braden cut her off, laughing, "You and your self-help books."
"It was an erotic thriller that centered around..."
"Hold on," he interrupted her again, "Erotic like porn?"
Shrugging her shoulder as she poked at the bacon with a fork, Liv clarified, "More like mystery with lots of hot sex."
"You dirty girl," he teased with a wide smile before questioning, "So this 'library' you're wantin', is really a room to stash your porn collection?"
"No, I keep all the porn on my kindle in the drawer next to my bed." Liv replied with a smirk.
Braden started to smile then narrowed his eyes at her. Instinctively, she narrowed her eyes back at him, without realizing they were having a stand off until he broke into a full sprint towards the back of the house. Quickly removing the skillet from the burner before turning it off, Liv rushed to the back, after him.
By the time she made it into the room, Braden had her kindle in one hand, swiping pages with the other.
"Here we go," he announced as something apparently caught his eye. "Roughly rubbing circles around her..."
"Put it down," she snapped, marching towards him.
Backing into the corner, he skipped to, "Threading his fingers into the back
"Yeah, you have issues," she laughed, turning as the oven timer went off.
~
After Liv won all seven rounds of Loteria, her Mexican Bingo game, the pizza was gone and so was all of the beer.
She was collecting the cards and placing them back in the box teasing, "Maybe one day," before laughing, "Ha! Just kidding, I always win."
"You suck." Braden griped as he cleared their plates and empty bottles off of the table.
"Awe, don't be a sore loser," she replied before picking up her game, taunting, "You should be used to it by now," as she sashayed out of the kitchen.
Braden watched her victory walk until she disappeared down the hallway that led to her bedroom.
M 2 H
Sitting quietly on the ottoman, Liv hesitated. Braden was asleep on the couch in front of her. She knew she needed to wake him but he seemed so at peace with himself, she waited. Watching his chest rise and fall as he slept, she caught herself keeping rhythm with his breath. As each inhale and exhale passed perfectly in sync with his, Liv closed her eyes.
Their friendship, while unusual to most everyone around them, gave her purpose. She had been in love twice in her life and both times she had been hurt. Her relationship with Braden wasn't love. It was hard to explain. On the outside everyone saw only what they wanted them to see. Braden and Liv knew each other on the inside. She had watched him break just like he had seen her unravel and somehow for a few hours each Thursday night between the board games and beer, they were whole again.
As Liv slowly opened her eyes, she felt herself smile.
Hopping up from the ottoman, she clapped her hands just inches from Braden's face while alerting, "Wake Up!"
Groaning, he rolled over, putting his back to her.
"Come on, punk, get up. You're going to be late for work."
"I got laid-off yesterday," he replied, his voice muffled by the couch cushions.
"That sucks. You hungry?"
Rolling onto his back, Braden looked up at her.
"Bacon and eggs?"
Turning to walk out of the living room, Liv asked, "Are you going to start looking for another job?"
Braden let out a loud yawn as he stood, following her to the kitchen.
"Nah, I think I'll be alright. I have some money saved and I'm going to file for unemployment."
Pulling a package of bacon and a carton of eggs out of the refrigerator and setting them on the counter by the stove, she offered, "If you run short, I've got some work around here."
"Whatcha need?"
Liv unwrapped the bacon and dropped it in the skillet as Braden leaned against the counter next to her.
"I'm turning Kieran's marking room into a library."
"You are?"
Nodding, she started to explain, "This book I read a few months ago, said..."
Braden cut her off, laughing, "You and your self-help books."
"It was an erotic thriller that centered around..."
"Hold on," he interrupted her again, "Erotic like porn?"
Shrugging her shoulder as she poked at the bacon with a fork, Liv clarified, "More like mystery with lots of hot sex."
"You dirty girl," he teased with a wide smile before questioning, "So this 'library' you're wantin', is really a room to stash your porn collection?"
"No, I keep all the porn on my kindle in the drawer next to my bed." Liv replied with a smirk.
Braden started to smile then narrowed his eyes at her. Instinctively, she narrowed her eyes back at him, without realizing they were having a stand off until he broke into a full sprint towards the back of the house. Quickly removing the skillet from the burner before turning it off, Liv rushed to the back, after him.
By the time she made it into the room, Braden had her kindle in one hand, swiping pages with the other.
"Here we go," he announced as something apparently caught his eye. "Roughly rubbing circles around her..."
"Put it down," she snapped, marching towards him.
Backing into the corner, he skipped to, "Threading his fingers into the back
Similar Books
Alice 1
Ernest Kinnie
Echoes of the White Giraffe
Sook Nyul Choi
Dark King Of The North (Book 3)
Ty Johnston
Deanna Madden #1 The Girl in 6E
A.R. Torre
Fame
Karen Kingsbury
Soulless (Maiden of Time Book 2)
Crystal Collier
President's Girlfriend 06 - The Sins of the Fathers
Mallory Monroe
Beginning with Forever
Lan LLP
Dove Season (A Jimmy Veeder Fiasco)
Shaw Johnny
Beneath the Shadows
Sara Foster