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Make Me Feel Good

ADONIS

“What are you doing?”

Beside Delilah’s bed, I stand over her. It’s a place I haven’t visited in the weeks since she started sleeping with me every night.

“Going to sleep.” She sniffs, rolling away from me.

“And I’m supposed to leave you alone while you in here crying?”

The muffled noise she makes sounds like yes, and I kiss my teeth.

“Fuck out of here, Delilah.” I toss my shirt on the chair by her closet before slipping my phone on the nightstand beside hers. “Move over.”

“Leave me alone, Adonis,” she says with zero conviction, moving to the center of her bed to create space for me.

The instant contradiction tugs at my heart.

“You can keep the fucking attitude, but I’m still sleepingwith you.” I wrap my arm tight around her waist. “Even though my bed has more room, I won’t complain.”

Delilah ignores me so I spend the ensuing silence inhaling the soapy strawberry scent on her skin. While I was letting Titus out one last time, she was in the shower.

I can’t get enough of this feeling. Being close to her. The unraveling that starts when I’m within arm’s length of her.

Something fundamental changed in my brain the first day I met her. The rewiring runs so deep that I have a visceral reaction whenever I catch a hint of her scent. It’s a signal that tells my brain I’m home and I fall into it, without question, every time.

Delilah may be heaven and hell wrapped up in one, but it doesn’t change the fact that she’s my safe haven. And I can’t believe she’s mine.

“Why did you know what she looked like?”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you know what Elodie looked like?”

“Because I looked her up when you told me you wanted to meet her.”

“She doesn’t look like me.” Her voice is quiet as she turns to face me. “I thought I’d look like her.”

Exhaling, I nod. “She got a lot of work done when she left your father.”

“Why?” Lines appear on her forehead.

“If you decide to meet her later, I think that’s something you should ask her.”

Those pretty, amber eyes shrink to slits.

“I know that’s not how you wanted to cross paths with her, but I think you should reach out so she can answer your questions.”

“It’s just fucking weird that she showed up at the same place as us. On tonight of all nights.”

I was having such a good night. You should have just left me alone.

I’ll never forget the hurt in her voice when she said that or the crushed look on her mother’s face when she heard it.

Being able to understand where they were both coming from didn’t change me being Team Delilah.

“Shit happens, baby. You haven’t reached out since she sent you that note. I can see why she jumped at the chance to meet you.”