005: Getting Friendly

Rick Raven had had to go out of town for some meeting and wasn't due back until the following evening. From the moment he left, Kayla Knix had missed him almost immediately. Nearly every night she'd been staying in his penthouse with him and falling asleep in his arms. When she had tried to sleep that night back at her own apartment, it hadn't happened. She'd spent the entire night tossing and turning, going from her bed to the couch and then back to the bed again. She'd even tried to take an over-the-counter sleep aid, but that had wired her. Saturday morning had come and Kayla still hadn't slept. She felt exhausted but luckily Rick was due back that evening. It was already planned that she would be at his place when he got home, but she opted to head over there in the late afternoon. Rick's penthouse felt like home to her, the first one she'd had in many years. It had nothing to do with how fabulous the place was, it was because of the man who inhabited it. As much as she hadn't wanted to think it had happened so quickly, Kayla had undoubtedly fallen in love with him.

From the moment Kayla entered the penthouse, she could feel her body relax, along with her mind. She wasn't sure when Rick would be home and figured some downtime would be a good idea. First though, she took a relaxing shower and curled up in the bed, wearing one of Rick's shirts. It was baggy on her and one of the most comfortable things she'd ever worn. The drapes had been closed and the flat-screen in the bedroom had been turned on. Recently, she'd started watching The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix and opted to watch it while she waited for the devilish man's arrival. However, ten minutes into the second episode, Kayla couldn't keep her eyes open and was soon after sound asleep.

It was early evening when Rick finally got back and he was surprised to find the place in darkness other than the glow of the TV in the bedroom. Following that, he found himself in the doorway, looking at Kayla fast asleep in his bed. Chuckling to himself, he took everything out of his pants pockets, setting it all on the dresser. He plugged his phone into the charger and took off his watch. He took off the jacket and pants next, hanging the former in the closet and dropping the latter into his laundry hamper. Next, he unbuttoned his dress shirt and tossed that in the dirty laundry as well, walking towards the bed in nothing but a pair of briefs and a plain black undershirt.

The blonde's eyes barely opened, but enough that she could see the shadow of someone else. "It's you." She said softly as her eyes opened more and she greeted him with a smile. "You're back." She held her hand out for him. "I missed you."

"I can see that." Rick's voice was filled with amusement as he sat down on the edge of the bed, taking off his socks. He balled them up and tossed them into the laundry hamper without missing a beat. "Keeping it warm for me?"

"I couldn't sleep last night." She turned on her side towards him. "Guess I can't sleep well unless you're next to me." A thought crossed her mind that had her a bit worried. "I didn't overstep coming here while you were gone, did I?"

He was surprised at her question. "No. I said you could spend nights. Me being here isn't necessarily a requirement." Turning towards her, he held out his hand. "And I missed you too, Angel."

Kayla smiled softly at him as she grabbed his hand. "Good news is I got a few hours sleep. So, I am ready to go; whatever you want to do. You wanna go dancing? My feet know how to move."

"Honestly? I think you've got the right idea here." He smiled at her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Let's stay in. Order some food and watch silly movies. I could certainly use a little downtime after the last few days."

"Oh, thank God." She said this with a laugh as she brought his hand up and kissed his knuckles. Within a few moments she had moved over so she was next to him. Her lips pressed against his as she hugged onto him. "You smell good."

"Mmm," he kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her. "You taste good. Delicious, even."

She was sitting on her knees in front of him as her arms slid over his shoulders. "Well I marinated in the shower for a bit." After the words left her mouth, her brow furrowed. "That… I apologize, that sounded weird."

Rick laughed, shaking his head. "A little. But it's fine. That shower is perfect for marinade. Or for washing all the bad memories away. Should give that a try." He winked, leaning in to kiss her forehead. God, he'd missed her so much. He wanted to tell her that, to make sure she understood just how much she had begun to mean to him. He didn't. He couldn't bring himself to.

"Lately you've been helping me make some good memories."  Kayla rested the side of her face on his shoulder, her arms going around him. "Thank you." The feelings she had been wrestling with were coming to a head and she was struggling to keep from blurting them out. "Just thank you for everything."

"No." He looked down at her, shaking his head, knowing he had to be honest about everything before it got too much further. This whole thing had been a terrible mistake. She was worth far more than some side piece. "You can't thank me for being wholly selfish here. That's just wrong." It sounded like he was trying to make a joke but he was completely serious. "I really need to tell you something. Don't make it harder by thanking me for being an insensitive ass."

"Okay." She pulled back and looked up at him, that familiar knot of anxiety tightening in the pit of her stomach when she saw his expression. "You can tell me anything, Rick."

"We've been spending an awful lot of time together— don't get me wrong, I love it and I don't want to change it. I just feel as though I need to be forthcoming with you. Technically…" he sighed, "you're not the only one. I have a girl. The one I told you about that's in New York. We're doing the long-distance thing. A bloody nightmare, that is. I just thought you should know."

She would have been lying if she said it didn't feel like someone sucker-punched her in the chest. The way he'd spoken of her had always been in the past tense, making it seem as though they were over. Honestly, she wasn't surprised— he was a wonderful man and she would have been stupid to think she'd have been the only one. She'd heard various things about the woman in New York, how glamorous and fabulous Lauren-Jane Starke was. Kayla was a nobody from a small town in Mississippi. There was no way she could possibly compete.

"Thank you for telling me; I appreciate it." Her words were sincere and as angry as she wanted to be, she just couldn't. He'd become so important to her and the feelings she had overruled everything else. "How about if I go order some food? I'm sure you're hungry and I can always eat." She laughed awkwardly and crawled off the bed, grabbing her phone. "Why don't you pick a movie?" She flashed him a tight smile before heading into the living room to go through his drawer of take-out menus.

She knew what she'd do— she'd order the food and then tell him she wasn't feeling well. It technically was true. When she was in high-stress situations, her whole body would start to hurt— as if someone had her muscles in a vice grip. There wasn't much she could do to make it better, except wait it out. She could head back to her place and try to get her head clear. She just needed to keep her eyes dry, because once one tear came, they all would.

"Kayla?" Rick's voice was filled with concern and she looked up to find him in the doorway, wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants now with his undershirt. "I didn't mean…"

"You told me the truth and it's fine." Again, she tried to smile, but it was sadder than anything. "We're friends and it's all good." Turning her back to him, she was going through the menus once again. "How about Italian?" She held up the menu and focused almost too intensely on it.

Crossing the room, he snatched the menu from her hand, a flare of annoyance there in the face of her attempt to hide what she was feeling. "Friends? Is that what we are now?"

She took a moment and swallowed back the lump that had formed in her throat. "You're not my boyfriend because you have someone. You aren't just my boss, because we have gone way beyond that. So, if we aren't just friends, then what are we?"

"I don't know." The answer was honest as he shook his head. He tossed the menu down on the table and headed for the bar, suddenly itching very strongly for a drink. He had nobody to blame but himself for the shift in the atmosphere but he liked her too much to hide the truth from her, even though he still hadn't been completely forthcoming. "Why does it need a label?" He muttered it under his breath as he reached for a bottle at random, coming up with vodka.

"I guess it doesn't." The last thing she wanted was a fight. Instead of challenging him, she walked over to where he stood. "I think I'm gonna go lay back down." Her voice was soft as she placed a hand on his arm. "If you want to order something, I'm good with whatever." She then raised up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips softly to his cheek. "I'm glad that you're home safe." She squeezed his arm gently and then made her way back into the bedroom. She knew she should have left, but she didn't have it in her. Quietly, she climbed back into the bed and turned her attention to whatever had come on.

Rick filled a glass, forcing himself to take the time to be civilized when he poured a few inches of vodka in and topped it off with lime club soda. The longer he lingered, the more the anger dissipated until he just felt tired and stupid, wishing he hadn't even brought the subject up. LJ would probably be in New York for months longer before he'd see her again. He didn't realize he'd moved until he found himself standing awkwardly next to the bed, sipping his watered-down cocktail. "The important thing is that you're here. Does that make sense to you?" The words came out softly, "you're here and she isn't— and I don't care that she's not." He drained the rest of the liquor, setting the glass down on the table. "You're here… I want you to be. Okay?"

Kayla was turned towards him and her blue eyes looked up at him, she simply nodded. "I'm not gonna go anywhere, Rick. If you want me here, this is where I'll be."

"Good," he crawled into bed next to her, pulling her into his arms. "Didn't order anything," he murmured the words, nuzzling against her neck, "only thing I'm hungry for right now is you."