Blueprint for Romance

Chill & Relaxed

Damon

“Oh, woah! Nice!” Molly exclaimed as she came barging into my apartment. I looked over to see her peeking into the takeaway bags from Jack’s restaurant. “I love me some pasta,” she remarked as she started unpacking the bag. Luckily, I knew my best friend and I had made sure to get more than enough for the three of us. “Special occasion?” she then asked.

“No,” I answered as I took out the bottle of wine I had chilled in the fridge. Vanessa should be arriving soon, so I wanted everything to be ready by the time she got here.

“Um…is Vanessa coming over?” Molly questioned as she eyed the three wine glasses.

“Yup,”

“Ugh,” Molly remarked as she dropped the container on the counter. I ignored her remark as I got out some forks. I may have overdone it when I had placed the order, but I was starving and everything sounded so good. “Why?” she whined, and I sighed as I finally glanced over at her.

“Because I asked her to come over,” I answered. Molly rolled her eyes, and I knew she was considering her options. I wouldn’t deny her a good meal, so she knew she could simply grab some of it and go back to her apartment. Or she could suck it up and enjoy the evening with us. “I like her, Molly,”

“I know you do,”

“Why don’t you?” I asked curiously, but Molly quickly shook her head. This wasn’t the first time we had talked about Vanessa.

“It’s not that I don’t like her, because I do. It’s just that she is so…obsessed with you,”

“She is not obsessed with me,” I argued. I didn’t want to start off the evening this way. Especially after the long day I had been through.

“You know she wants more,” Molly pointed out as she finished unpacking the bags. I didn’t say anything because it was pointless. Yes, I already knew that Vanessa wanted more, but we had already talked about it. That was why we were friends with benefits. That was why there were rules in place. I wasn’t about to ruin that, and I knew Vanessa wouldn’t either. Right on time, there was a knock at the door before Vanessa poked her head inside my apartment. She smiled when she spotted us in the kitchen as she let herself in.

“Well, hello there,” Vanessa greeted, and I instantly felt relaxed. She had that type of vibe that always made me feel comfortable and relaxed.

“Hey, Vanessa,” I greeted her and as soon as she was close enough, I kissed her cheek. Molly grabbed the bottle of red wine and started to pour each of us a glass.

“Here’s to the end of another long week,” Molly toasted. Both Vanessa and I agreed as we clinked our glasses. “Well, if you two don’t mind, I think I’ll take my food and make a run for it. I have a date with my favorite TV show,” Molly then announced as she grabbed one of the trays and loaded it up. I didn’t say a word, but I could tell that Vanessa wasn’t happy. By the time Molly was gone, that feeling of being relaxed had vanished.

“Don’t mind her,” I told Vanessa as I loaded up another tray to take into the living room.

“She doesn’t like me,” Vanessa whispered while she picked up our wine glasses and the bottle before she followed me into the living room.

“She does like you,” I insisted. “I literally just had this conversation with her. You know, Molly, she doesn’t want to be the third wheel,”

“If anyone feels like a third wheel, it’s me,” Vanessa muttered softly. She may not have intended for me to hear her comment, which was why I chose to ignore it. All I wanted to do was eat, watch a good movie – preferably action – and chill out. We got comfortable on the couch and, as always, we moved as one as we divided the food. I knew her so well that it was like brushing my teeth. It felt so natural. I put on a movie, and we settled in. The action movie I had chosen ended up having a little bit of everything. Some drama, some romance, and even a few steamy scenes that made me a little hot.

“That was good,” I said when the movie ended. The food was gone, and the bottle of wine was almost finished. Vanessa gazed over at me and smiled. “What did you think?” I asked, curiously.

“It was good,” she agreed. “It wasn’t just action-packed, and I enjoyed the storyline,” I was relieved that we had both enjoyed the movie. While Vanessa and I did have quite a few things in common, we didn’t agree on our types of movies. I reckoned this was a big win for me. “Damon…?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think…do you ever think you will be ready for something more?” she asked, and I frowned. It had been a while since this had come up, but it was the way she phrased the question that gave me pause. I didn’t want to answer her without truly thinking about it and as I looked over at her, I knew the answer. However, I shrugged it off and smiled. I didn’t feel like getting into it.

“Ask me again in a month or two,” I said instead. Vanessa nodded thoughtfully and I handed her the remote. It was her turn to pick something. Luckily, she chose a comedy, and I happily pulled her against me as we snuggled on the couch together. I loved sharing these moments with her and, of course, the s*x was fun. However, I just wasn’t sure if I could see myself being with her long-term. I also wasn’t ready for anything more serious than what we already had. My career was everything to me, and I was just waiting for Alastair and Atticus to make me an offer. I knew it was coming and when that happened, I didn’t want to be tied down by being in a relationship.