To Love Irrevocably [18+]

Chapter Twenty-One

*Mature content*

Zesty tomato sauce and rich red wine fills the space of Seren's apartment. Two tall candles sit on the coffee table, lit and slightly lighting us up. Before us, a movie plays on the flat screen, but I can't remember what it is.

Next to me, Seren sits and our thighs touch. I can hear every breath she takes, every crunch of spinach and almonds. The moves she makes, I feel all of them. I'm too tense right now, having such a beautiful woman next to me. Her warmth is even more noticeable than everything else.

Seren gets up, causing me to look over at her. She smiles down at me, holding her empty plate in her hands. "Done?"

I look to see my plate empty and I wonder when this happened. Standing, I shake my head and grab the plate from her gently. With a smile, I walk to the kitchen and set the dishes in the sink. Getting ready to wash them, I pick up the dish soap. A hand on my back alerts me and I straighten.

"I do have a dishwasher, Sutton."

I shake my head again at her. "Waste of water, and this is much more efficient. I wash, you rinse? I see... uh, you have a dish rack."

"Hmm." Seren shrugs against my back before stepping around to stand next to me. "Okay, while we're here, I can ask you some questions."

Suddenly, I grow even more nervous than the whole night. Our first date was silent and awkward because of me. I couldn't speak and tell her about myself like I wanted to. Instead, I got scared and shy, which only made things kind of weird. Though I'll hand it to Seren, she hasn't once mentioned that, which I'm forever grateful for.

"Tell me about yourself, Sutton," she softly commands as the silence lulls. The sink fills with water and suds that I play with to avoid her gaze.

"What do you want to know?" I ask and turn the water off.

From the corner of my eye, I see her shrug. "Tell me anything, Sutton. Anything you want."

Licking my lips, I glance at her full on and furrow my eyebrows. I'm too awkward for this, but for Seren, I'll try.

"Well..."

Nope. Not happening. I freeze up fast, my mind growing blank. There's a void which I'm ashamed to admit. But what can I do? The silence continues to carry on as I wash the dishes and pass them over to Seren. Shaking my head, I sigh.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Seren's voice is soothing and calm. It lacks the judgment I expect and has the comfort I crave. "Why don't you tell me where you learned to cook?"

Nodding, I hand over another clean dish. "My mom." I smile down at the woman. "She's always worked a lot to provide a shelter for my brother and I, so we kind of had to fend for ourselves sometimes."

"She's a single parent," Seren states, rather than ask. I guess it's a pretty obvious conclusion to come to.

"Yeah," I confirm, sighing. "Uh... my dad kind of left us after I was born. I guess he couldn't handle the heat of being the father of two, so he ditched. Especially as a teenager. But we were okay. My mom provided for my brother and I and those two... I'd do anything for them."