Michael’s leg was jiggling nervously and he asked anxiously, “Well?”

“It’s good.”

“Good like good, or good like you want to have sex with me it’s so delicious. I mean, if you were a girl.”

Del Zotto was sitting at Michael’s kitchen table and took another bite from his plate. Nodding, he said, “Yeah…if I was a woman I’d fuck you for making me this.”

Michael let out a breath and finally tried the dish himself. It was pretty damn delicious. “Mmm, it is good. Sex good. This will work.”

“Isn’t this girl already fucking you regularly anyway?”

“Yes, but if I am going to cook for her it needs to be so good it’s erotic. I want her to be blown away. I want moans of pleasure from her mouth when she takes a bite.”

Del Zotto stuffed more food in his mouth and muttered, “Why do you even care? I thought you said she didn’t want to date, just fuck.”

“She did, that is what we’re doing. That’s what I’m trying to change.”

Del Zotto watched him for a moment and then said, “Raff, you’re my friend so please don’t take this the wrong way, but maybe she’s just not into you like that. Maybe you’re just a guy she wants to fuck and that’s it.”

Michael had considered that weeks ago when this first began and quickly discarded the idea. “No, she doesn’t date anyone. I don’t think she ever has. It always just sex, but Contessa told me that Ryan’s never kept a guy around this long. She likes me. I know she does. She just has a hard time with emotional stuff.”

“So…you want to get involved with a girl who can’t even admit she likes you? No offense to her or you, but that sounds like the woman has some issues.”

“I know, she does. We all do, hers are just different than mine.”

Del Zotto sighed. “Once again, my friend, I have to ask, what do you even see in this girl? You wear your heart on your sleeve and love romance more than all the women I’ve ever dated combined. Don’t you want a girl who’s more like you?”

Michael shrugged. “Not really. In a lot of ways you two are very similar, actually. And you and me get along great.”

“That’s because we’re friends, Raff, we’re not dating.”

“Look…” Michael started, but then struggled to explain himself. Del Zotto waited, continuing his lunch that Michael had prepared. “She’s simply wonderful, you don’t understand. She’s full of passion and this sort of…wild energy. She’s not like any other woman I’ve ever known. She’s fiery and she makes me feel alive when we’re together. She’s the one I want, the only one.”

“But if she can’t ever even care about you…”

“She does already, I can feel it. She just can’t say it to me. This woman feels thing so deeply, but she struggles with trust and letting people in. She doesn’t want to be vulnerable by telling me, or anyone, how she feels. She could be in love with me and would probably never say anything, that’s just her way.”

Del Zotto wanted to tell his friend how fucked up this was, but he instead he simply said, “I just don’t want to see you hurt. Because YOU feel things very deeply, too.”

Michael smiled, carefree and sweet. “I won’t be. I told you, I can read her and I’m getting better. Even if she can never say the words, if she could love me…it would be like nothing else I can ever experience. I want this, I want her.”

“You’ve only known her a few weeks -”

“What does that matter? I know her.”

“I’m not saying you don’t, I’m saying maybe the novelty will wear off. Because it’s all fun and games until you tell her you love her and she laughs in your face or calls you an idiot.”

Michael had thought about how she might respond if he did confess his feelings for her. Not just that he adored her, but that he was falling for her and felt fully fallen more and more. He remembered their drunken chat, her telling him she didn’t want to hurt him, but that she would. That just felt so long ago now and he had come so far with her. He couldn’t imagine her hurting him, it wasn’t even a scenario he considered as an option. Maybe he shouldn’t have, but he had faith that she would return his feelings, even if she didn’t want to say the words to him.

He finally said, “She calls me an idiot all the time, that doesn’t bother me. And if she laughed…” Michael shrugged again. “I love the sound of her laughter so it would fill me with joy just as much as her saying it back to me would.”

“Jesus, I always knew you were a hopeless romantic, but I never thought you’d be this easy going. You’re talking about trying to love a woman who a. doesn’t even want to date, b. calls you names, c. would probably laugh in your face if you told her you love and never say it back to you.” Del Zotto held his hands out helplessly, begging Michael to make him comprehend this madness.

“I guess you just have to spend time with her to understand. Contessa knows, she been friends with her for years and she’s the same way with her. That’s how I know she likes me, she treats me like she does Contessa.”

Del Zotto shook his head and gave up. “Fine, try, love the impossible woman, cook her this damn fine meal. But know this, she hurts you, she’s gonna have to answer to me because I don’t play that shit. I will fuck her up, I don’t even care if she’s a woman, I’m not joking. You’re a good guy and I will not let this crazy, cold-hearted -”

“Don’t even say it.”

Del Zotto paused and finished, “...witch hurt you in anyway.”

Michael started laughing and Del Zotto just smiled. “You know, it’s funny, but that is exactly something she would say.”

“Huh…maybe she’s alright…”

Michael’s grin was unstoppable. “Better than alright, she’s perfect You’ll see.”

Across town, two other friends shared a conversation as well.

“He did what?”

“My laundry, babe, he did ALL my motherfucking laundry. Washed, dried, folded and even put it away. And he must have brought over some kind of fabric softener, because everything smells like lavender and is soft as all hell.”

In Cole Harbour, Contessa laughed and tucked the phone between her shoulder and ear as she used both hands to rise some fresh strawberries in the sink. “Wow, Ry, I’m officially jealous. I can’t even get Sid to put his clothes in the hamper up here, let alone actually wash his own shit. That man is a keeper. I hope you were nice to him after that.”

“I sucked his dick and then he fucked me on the dryer, does that count as being nice?”

More laughter and Ryan joined in. “Um…sure, I suppose that counts. How come you’re not in bed with him right now?”

“How come you’re not in bed with Crosby, you slut?”

Contessa blushed, as silly as it was. “He’s out doing…actually I don’t even fucking know, chopping wood or something? It’s not the wilderness, but it ain’t exactly city living either. What’s your excuse?”

“He had a lunch date with Del Zotto.”

“Oh, his other lover getting needy?”

The two always had a good laugh over the Del Zotto/Raffl love affair as they called it, because the two of them were always together. Del Zotto had been sounding mighty jealous when he talked to Raffl lately since he had been spending so much time with Ryan. “Yeah, his boyfriend needed some attention so they spent the morning working out and then having lunch. He’s coming over later. Hopefully I can get him to do some more housework.”

“Ryan! Do not abuse his kindness or I will come home and beat you.”

“I would never. I am paying him back in copious amounts of sex, that seems like a fair trade.”

“Now who’s the slut, you slut?”

“That would be me and I give no fucks.”

“Good, baby, good. Me either. I love that we’re both slutting it up. But seriously, I need to ask you for something.”

“Anything, my dear. What’s up?”

“Can you go see my mom? I think she’s bummed about my leaving Philly for the summer. And…”

“What happened?”

“Well…my dad apparently has a new girlfriend.”

Everyone knew that Contessa’s mother had never really gotten over her divorce and was still very much in love with her ex-husband who was currently residing in his hometown of Dallas. Thus, Ryan knew why Contessa was really asking her to go see her mother. “How did she even find out? They don’t have any friends in common anymore and he lives thousands of miles away.”

“I guess…I can’t believe she did this, by the way…but she was Facebook stalking him.”

Ryan didn’t want to laugh because the reality was not funny, but Facebook stalking your ex-husband, seriously? “Oh, babe, really? Why would she do that?”

“I have no clue. I suppose I should have told her that lurking only gets your feelings hurt, but I don’t think she would have listened. Last time we talked she sounded so sad I thought about flying home.”

“No, no, you stay in your love nest in the woods. I’ll go see her. I’ll even bring Raff. He’ll love that and it will give her someone new to harass.”

Contessa was grinning from ear to ear when she asked, “So, you approve of my Canadian love nest? Does that mean you forgive Sidney and we can all get along?”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but I would never ask anyone to leave a place where you do nothing but chop wood and fuck all day. Sounds like heaven, expect the manual labor part, that’s someone else’s job.”

“Someone like Raffl? Sounds like you guys have your own little love nest going on in Philly.”

Ryan rolled her eyes, even though there was no one around to see, and told Contessa, “By the way, we fucked in your bed after you left.”

“You didn’t.”

“Oh, yes we did. And then he came on me and we rolled around in it.”

“Okay! That’s enough! I’m sorry I said you’re in a love nest, let’s never speak of this again.”

Laughing, Ryan said, “Bye, baby.”

Contessa made a kissy sound and then said, “Bye, my love. Be nice to Raffl!”

“I am! God, shut up about it already.”

After she hung up, Ryan called Contessa’s mom and set up a time to come over the next day. She was going to bring Raffl she decided, but she didn’t tell her mom that. She knew he would probably be excited; the man wanted to know about Ryan’s family, but Contessa and her mom were her family, so this should make him happy.

Suddenly, Ryan realized she did actually care if Michael was happy or not. She smiled to herself about that for a minute.

Alone, she said to herself, “Oh, God. I’m turning into…Jesus, I don’t even know.” The thing is, it wasn’t as unsettling as she might have once thought it would be.

Later, when the man in question came over, he was very shifty. “Go upstairs,” was the first thing he said to her when she let him in.

“What? Why?”

He was hiding something behind his back, but when she tried to look around him, he moved to keep it hidden. “Just go. I need a some time in the kitchen.”

“But -”

“Ryan, it’s called a surprise. I’ll yell for you when it’s done, but I’m not telling you anything, so go.”

With a huff and one more attempt to see behind him, she gave up and stomped up the stairs. And that was where she stayed for nearly an hour. At one point she screamed down, “Are you done yet?”

“No! Don’t you dare come down here or I’m never fucking you again.”

That shut her up and she went back into her bedroom and slammed the door. A short while later, she heard him calling her name. Once out of her room, she came running down the stairs and into the kitchen, a space she hardly recognized now that there was a homecooked meal on her table. Plus candles and a table cloth. Did she even own a table cloth? Where had that come from?

She met Michael’s eyes and started, “What -”

“Whatever you do, please don’t ruin it. Because the last time someone made a meal in this kitchen, Contessa ended up crying on the floor all night. I’d really like this occasion to go better than that.”

He pulled out her chair, but now she hesitated. “Raff…”

“You should know, this is not a date. It’s just us having a dinner that I cooked so we have enough energy to fuck all night.”

Now she smiled. “And the candles?”

He shrugged. “They look nice, that’s all.”

She took a step closer. “And the table cloth?”

“Thrift store. I washed it first, don’t worry, but I thought the pattern matched your kitchen. It’s a gift, you can keep it.”

The delicate embroidery featured yellow flowers with bright green and winding vines along the edge. Ryan’s kitchen curtains were pale yellow and they did match well. She stepped up to him, tilting her head for a kiss that he gave to her. She simply thanked him, “Danke,” and sat down.

He hustled to sit as well and then he started serving up the meal and pouring her wine. He had made Beef Bourguignon with baby carrots and adorable whole baby onions. With that he offered her a slice of thick cut sourdough bread he had grilled on something (she had no idea what) and roasted new potatoes. The wine was red, dark and the same one he had used in the dish. It was very rustic, meat and potatoes, simple but fancy, so very German-Austrian, so very Raffl.

She was too busy watching his beautiful hands working across the table that she didn’t notice him looking at her expectantly.

“Well?”

“Oh, shit, yeah.” She grabbed her fork and dug in, snagging some of the perfectly cooked beef and an onion that practically melted in her mouth.

She didn’t say anything and Michael was about to die of suspense. He asked again, more tensely, “Well?”

Ryan didn’t say anything, she just chewed. But then, her eyes closed, she swallowed, and she moaned. It was a long, deep, sexual sound, and it was music to his ears.

“Good?”

She reached out and grabbed his forearm that was resting on the table as he sat next to her. Finally she opened her eyes and met his. She seemed at a loss for words. “Raff…fuck me…this is…God…amazing.”

He was like a child, desperate for her approval. “Really? You mean it?”

She gave it happily. “Fuck yeah, I mean it. Goddamn! I thought you couldn’t cook.” She didn’t wait for his answer before putting another bite into her mouth.

He finally took a bite himself and said, “I couldn’t. I learned.”

Her mouth now full of the bread, that she also moaned around, she asked, “Why?”

“Honestly, because I just wanted to hear you moan while eating something I made.”

She moaned again and leaned towards him for a kiss. “Success, baby. This is so good! You like it?”

His head snapped up. She never asked if he liked something, except during sex and even then rarely. In life, Ryan did as she pleased and didn’t really notice if anyone was enjoying it unless it was Contessa. He managed to say through his shock, “Yeah, I love it. Del Zotto liked it, too. He was my first test subject.”

“Of course he liked it, he’s not that dumb. And this…” She tapped her plate with her fork. “This is the fucking shit, Raff. No lie.” She grunted again and took another bite.

He just smiled at her, glowing with pride and she let him have the moment. He deserves it for this, she thought. “Have some wine. It should pair nicely.”

She took a drink and moaned again. “Don’t tell me…you also learned about wine as you taught yourself how to cook?”

“Del Zotto actually picked it out. He tried teaching me, but…not really my thing. You know my people are all about beer.”

“Right, of course. Well, props to Del Zotto. Remind me to thank him when I see him.”

She was back into her meal and Michael was as well when he said, “On that note, you want to come to a Phillies game with us? Del Zotto wants to a plan an outing.”

“Ugh, Raff, baseball is so boring.”

“I know, but a bunch of the guys are going and I thought it might be fun.”

Ryan paused her enjoyment of the meal to quirk an eyebrow at him. “A bunch of the guys and their girlfriends?”

“No, sweetheart, no girlfriends, just friends. We’re friends…right?”

Ryan knew that shoveling food in her mouth was only going to buy her so much time. Why the hell was this so hard? He wasn’t asking if she was in love with him, he just wanted to know if they were friends. And they were, she knew they were, he knew they were, why couldn’t she just answer the damn question? She cleared her throat and took another drink of wine. Looking at her plate she struggled to say the words that came out anyway, “Yeah, we are…friends.”

When she looked up, Michael was smiling again, wider than before, showing all his teeth. He knew that was probably hard for her, so he didn’t say anything more about it, but the progress was beautiful. “You want to go, or no?”

“Ugh…fine. But you have to come visit Contessa’s mother with me tomorrow, then. She’s been bummed since her child left for the summer and her ex she’s still pining over recently got a new gal pal so…”

She said it like it would be chore for him, but the invitation warmed him from the inside out. She knew it would and when she looked at him he knew that she knew and also that she knew that he knew that she knew. Again, he said nothing about this. He feigned reluctance. “If I have to, I supposed I can. And you’ll come to the game?”

“If I have to.”

“You do.”

“Then I will.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

“Shut up and eat and continue telling me how fantastic it is.”

They ate, they drank, they were merry. Ryan had two helpings and Michael had three. He was even impressed with himself because the more he made this dish the better it came out. And he had more tricks in store. He had mastered a few things, started mastering others. He could do this for her every night if she wanted. He had a feeling she would.

When they were done, he cleared the table, but she got up to start the dishes. He stopped her.

“No, no, I can do them tomorrow.”

“No way. You cooked me incredible food. I can do the dishes, I don’t mind.”

She reached to turn the water back on and he stopped her again. “I know you don’t mind, neither do it. I want to do them.”

“Cruising for another marriage proposal?”

He chuckled as his mouth moved closer to hers. “Maybe…you offering yourself to me today?”

“Shit…you do laundry, you cook, you clean…I’d be a fool not to snatch you up.”

He knew she was joking, but his heart leapt at the thought. This was the life he wanted, with her. And he knew now he could have it. She had called them friends, she was letting him in, it was only a matter for time. For now, he settled on a kiss, tasting the tangy grapes still lingering on her tongue and sucking the residue into his own mouth that was pungent with the same flavor.

They had drunk a whole bottle between them and they were both delightfully buzzed, but Ryan spotted another bottle on the counter and had a wicked idea. He was still kissing her when she reached behind him to grab it before she pulled away from him to open it.

“Save it for tomorrow,” he said

She shook her head. “You’ve inspired me.”

“How?”

Instead of answering, she got the bottle open and then pulled off her t-shirt, leaving her topless. Resting her lower back against the counter, she leaned her upper back towards the cabinets and proceeded to drizzle just a little of the wine from the bottle onto her bare chest, using her thumb over the opening to prevent too much from coming out, and tempting him with her eyes.

Now it was Michael’s turn to moan. “Ry…I did this?”

He bent to lick the red liquid from where it pooled in her collarbone and then his tongue followed the trail that was working it’s way down her chest. She groaned and answered, “When you came on me…and then bought such nice wine. I thought why not combine the two things? You like me dirty, right?”

He came back up to her mouth for a deep kiss and finally said, “I adore you dirty.” He snatched the bottle from her and poured a little more onto her body. Maybe too much, because it dripped down all the way to the band of her jeans. He cursed quietly. “Sorry.”

Ryan was too blissed out from the feel of his mouth to care. She just unbuttoned her pants and shoved them down to the floor, along with her panties to stand naked before him. Nearly panting she told him, “Fuck the jeans. Pour some more on me.”

First he licked at what was already there, then he poured some more, so much that it dripped down her torso, onto her pussy and thighs. The wine was room temperature, but as soon as his mouth touched the liquid it made her skin burn red hot. She bucked her hips against him, but he held her still and kept his mouth working.

He drew a nipple between his lips and pulled at it with his teeth, tasting the perfect combination of wine and her skin. She trembled under his touch and leaned her head back, eyes closed. He grabbed the bottle, covered her in even more of the scarlet sweetness.

His tongue went back to work and he came to his knees, licking up the faint pink rivers of wine that marred her thighs before nuzzling her mound with his nose. She spread for him, opening up so he could taste the most ideal combination of all: red wine and her arousal.

“Oh my God. Oh, GOD!”

It was sweet and pungent and he wanted to drink from her like this everyday until he dropped dead from it. As he licked between her thighs, she poured a little more down her chest and it trickled into his open mouth and onto his cheeks.

“Mmm, Ryan…more…give me more.”

She moaned, but obliged, pouring even more down her body to eventually met his tongue. She barely set the bottle down before she came, thrusting her hips and shaking the wine from her torso onto to the top of his head.

He stood and yanked off his shirt. He didn’t even have to ask because as soon as he was shirtless she was grabbing the bottle and pouring it over his chest. Grabbing his hips, she pulled his lower half against hers and pressed her mouth to his wet pecs, licking and sucking kisses into his skin as she went.

She was down around his abs when he dropped even more across his body. She moaned and licked upwards to meet the stream. When she nibbled on his wine-soaked neck, he lost control. His hands sought his jeans’ button and he couldn’t remove them fast enough. He had her on her back on the floor in no time, spreading to accept him as he thrust inside.

“Oh, baby, best post-dinner sex of all time.”

Ryan laughed and hugged him closer as he started to rock between her thighs. “Best dinner ever, so only fitting.”

He grunted and pressed in deep. They were a mess of wine and now sweat, making their bodies slick, letting them slide together with ease. The wine never had a chance to dry amidst all their perspiration so it made for a sticky slipperiness, rather than a stickiness that would imped them.

Michael couldn’t resist, he needed another taste. His bent his upper back, to better leverage his thrusts but also to bring his mouth to her chest again. He licked and nibbled along her skin, getting the last drops of wine still lingering.

Ryan didn’t last long, coming hard with a groaning moan and pulling him close he soon followed. They lay in a pile of their discarded clothes, full and happy.

Michael turned towards her, put a hand on her hip. “I can cook for you tomorrow, too.”

She looked at him wide-eyed. “For real? You know more recipes?”

“For real. You want me to?”

“I never want you to stop, Raff.”

Teasingly he asked, “Never?”

“Never. Right now though, you need to get hard again, because I wanna suck your dick so good you’re gonna pass out when I’m done.”

“I’m literally already hard again, just from you saying that.”

She looked down and started giggling. “No you’re not.”

He came closer to kiss her. “I know, five minutes, baby, and this cock is all yours.”

She smiled and rubbed his beard with her palms. “Seriously, thank you for this. It was so, so good.”

He agreed, it was, everything was so, so good. He smiled and kissed her, saying, “Anything for you, my friend, anytime.”

Notes