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Was I being an asshole by pressing this? Maybe. Probably. But I had the best of intentions. If she said no after reviewing the options, it was a no. I didn’t need to buy a house now. It seemed serendipitous that we could help each other out. Was I oversimplifying my solution? Maybe. Probably. Okay, definitely. But it sounded idyllic. I wouldn’t be going home to an empty apartment. I hadn’t realized how lonely I was, bouncing between haunting the gym and my place, but the thought of going home to Melena instead was tantalizing. Staying with her today was equally appealing.

“Do you feel like hanging out today? We could hold down the couch and binge some TV?” I asked.

Going back to my empty apartment meant I’d sit around worrying she’d relapse. It’d be impossible to settle if I was thinking of her. Spending more time with her was the only cure. But I couldn’t tell her that. It wasn’t the most creative date idea, but I hoped Melena would take pity on me. She smiled. “Sure, if we can agree on something good.”

It was my turn to show surprise. “Challenge accepted. What’s something good for you?”

She squinted. “How would you feel about a classic?”

“I’m listening. What kind of classic are we talking about?”

“Battlestar Galactica, circa 2004?”

My smile slowly took over my face. “You’re proving me right, you know? We’re very compatible.”

She arched a brow but said nothing.

“I love Battlestar. So say we all.”

She shook her head but smiled at my quote. “So say we all.”

We moved into the living room and settled on her couch while Melena fired up her TV. I hadn’t seen Battlestar in years, but it truly was a favorite. As we wrapped up the first episode, I snuck a quick glance at Melena. She was curled up with her legs beneath her at her end of the couch. Her ponytail fell softly down her back, and a fuzzy blanket covered her lap. Cute and cozy. Soft and rosy in all the right places. I wished she were closer, but maybe she needed some time to process after the drama of last night.

She caught me looking and smiled sheepishly. “One more episode?”

“Yeah. Keep ‘em coming.”

I didn’t bring up marriage again, but it didn’t stop me from thinking about it. I could picture lazy Sundays like this one, curled up on a couch. Maybe with some extended naked ‘commercial’ breaks. Hopefully, Melena was interested in the same.



















Chapter 4

Melena – It’s in the Details

Ihalf expected Jimmyto withdraw his hare-brained proposal after we finished our Battlestar marathon. We’d spent a quiet day on the couch, and it was what I needed after my hospital adventure. I couldn’t shake the awareness of him beside me. He’d come over in dark jeans and a blue button-down shirt, and the warmth and mass of his body taunted me from the other side of the couch. Feet up and muscular thighs weighing down the cushion next to mine, tilting my body toward his, he was the perfect couch companion on a drizzly Sunday. Every time I leaned forward to grab a handful of pretzels, I got a good whiff of his aftershave. It could be calledSage and Sighsfor the impact it had on my hormones.

Jimmy was handsome. Tall, broad shoulders packed with muscle from daily workouts filled out his crisp shirt. His tanned skin made his white smile that much more spectacular. That smile. It hinted at the shy boy he must have been. It was at odds with the confident man he portrayed, but still full of mischief. He was a charmer when he smiled. And he did it often. It was hard to imagine him as a serious firefighter, though I’d gotten a glimpse of that persona when he was convincing me to let him take me to the ER.