13 Flames | gxg

21 - bittersweet

Lexa

I'm in the shower when James comes home. I hear him knock on the door and call my name.

"Come in!" I call over the sound of the rushing water. The door opens and I poke my head out of the curtain. "Hey," I smile.

He returns the grin but I can tell he's tired. "Hey."

"How was work?" I ask, closing the curtain again and continuing to shampoo my hair.

"Alright. The contract fell through and my client was pissed off and..." He goes on about his day and I let him. He clearly needs to rant. I wait until he's finished before bringing up what happened earlier.

I shut off the water and step out of the shower, James handing me a towel. "Hey, can we talk?"

He eyes me sideways. "About earlier?"

"Yeah."

"What's there to say, Lexa?"

"I just... I feel bad. I don't want you thinking that I'm flirting with someone else."

"That is what you're doing."

"But it's not me." I step closer to him and he puts his hands on my hips. "It's a character. It's a role. It's words on a page."

"It doesn't mean anything?"

I shake my head. "Nothing, James. She's just a coworker. I hardly know her." Except she knows me. Better than I know myself.

"I'm glad to hear you say that." He smiles and I stand on my tiptoes to kiss him.

"But I need more warning if we have sex in my dressing room again. At least time to lock the door," I tease.

"Deal." He grins and pulls my lips to his.

---

An hour later I lay in bed beside him. He scrolls through something on his phone while I read a book. My head rests against his shoulder and he holds an arm around me, his fingers tracing the skin of my bare stomach.

James sighs and I feel his chest fall with the action. "How much have you eaten today?"

"Enough," I reply casually, keeping my attention on my book.

"Wasn't there a party after work? What food was there?"

"Pizza, cake, bowls of chips."

"How much did you have?"

I frown. "Only one slice of pizza. Why?"

"No reason," he replies, "just curious. Want to look good for the cameras, right?" He flashes me a smile.

I force one back. "Right." Suddenly self-conscious of his hand on my stomach, I roll away to turn off the light. I put my book on the nightstand and bury myself in the covers.

"Goodnight, James."

"Night." He kisses my forehead and I roll over to avoid the light from his phone. Exhausted, I fall asleep without his arms around me.

────

I roll over and rest my head on James's bare chest. He nuzzles his head against my shoulder in his sleep and I smile. My alarm goes off a moment later and I hit the button, trying not to wake James.

We started planning the wedding this past weekend. He called his parents and they agreed to have the ceremony in New York, with a little convincing. We looked at different venues and made plans to go see them next weekend.