..."See you later." Precious gave her one last look before leaving.
He said no words to her as he got closer and checked her head with the back of his hand.
"I'm fine." she couldn't say it enough.
"So you have been saying. What is wrong with you?"
"Here we go!" she wasn't going to argue with him. She knew controlled anger when she saw it.
"Why didn't you tell me you were sick?"
"I was OK and I didn't think it was serious."
"Think? It is always that way with you isn't it? Everything has to be thought through for you to do it."
"That is not true and besides there's nothing you could have done."
"I could have been there," his voice was laced with anger. "I could have been there for you, I would have made you treat yourself better and take care of you!"
How could she deal with argument now she wondered, first Precious now him. How could she handle him, she wanted this to be over.
"I don't understand why you are so angry with me right now."
"Good then you can just listen." He came closer.
"Try to imagine how it was like to be called by a really terrified Precious that you had passed out on a cold floor in the mall. Try to visualize how worried we were when your condition got worse still at night."
She remembered herself throwing up then "But there was nothing you could have done, nothing."
"I could have been there!" He raised his voice a little. "I could have been there for you dammit, or do I not fit into your agenda?"
"What!" Now she was confused "Like I said I didn't think at all, it is nothing personal." she walked to the window.
"I take it personal, very personal. You are not just any woman, you are one I care very much for and I know you are not blind to that but you chose to keep me out of important things going on in your life."
She had thought nothing could hurt her more than the pain she felt two days ago, she was wrong.
"I'm tired, I'm embarrassed, please leave me alone." tears stung her eyes.
"You know, I would love to leave you alone, to chalk all these to a bad bet, but I can't. I can't Tale." he stood at her back.
"You don't have to tolerate all of these."
"True, but I do and I will, because I care deeply about you, and for me that means no secret."
...
He thought of the part of his life he kept from her and pinched himself but he had a good reason to hide it and he was going to tell her the night of their date.
She pressed a hand on her temple.
"Can't come up with a response I see."
"I don't know what I am to say, this doesn't feel fair!" she turned to him. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
He didn't like that he was hurting her but he needed her to know how he felt. "It's not about been fair, right now I don't like this situation any more than you do."
"Why are you then making it harder?"
"I need you to get this, he closed the gap between them. "I have taken my time to think about you and I and I have decided you are what I want, and I am going to have you and to me that entails a lot of things."
"How incredibly romantic!" she was getting herself back now.
"I will give you romance Tale and plenty of it"
"You can take your twisted concept of romance and shove it—"
He cut her off with a kiss, he wasn't going to do it but it was long overdue, it was a quiet and soft kiss but enough to startle her.
His lips skimmed hers gently as warmth settled in. He found her lips softer than he imagined and it took all his will power to pull back.
If he wanted to keep her quiet it worked.
He drew back to look at her face and he saw she looked pale but he was more shocked when she reached out her two hands gently cupping his face as she tiptoed to meet him halfway, pulling him down as she covered his mouth with hers, a whisper of pressure and want flowed.
When her hands rounded his neck finding comfort in his hair, he scooped her waist and pulled her closer.
She skimmed her tongue over his lips he all but thought he was going to lose the control he was dearly holding on to, she was completely in control and he let her. When her lips parted a little he dipped his tongue inside, the more he tasted the more he wanted.
She stifled a moan as she tore away from him as fast as she had pulled him close. When he eased back he saw she was still pale, her brown eyes were dark and clouded now.
"I um, I shouldn't have." she said trying to pull away from him.
He kissed her forehead as her eyes fluttered close, holding her close in a hug for a few moment.
Her head was spinning and her pulse pounding.
"A first kiss to remember" he said against her hair as he rocked them both.
Now she was embarrassed...