Chapter 64 Chapter Sixty-Four
Vanessa POV
The apartment door clicking shut behind him seemed louder than possible for no reason.
Suddenly I was alone with the sound of movie credits rolling in the background and my body screaming in frustration.
I sat there for a moment, stunned, staring at the door like Danny might suddenly reappear and finish what we'd started.
He didn't.
I grabbed the remote and turned off the TV, plunging the apartment into silence.
Then I stood up, walked to my bedroom, and collapsed face-first onto my bed with a groan that was equal parts frustration and disbelief.
This was torture. Actual, genuine torture.
I understood Danny wanting to take things slow.
I appreciated it, even because frankly I'm the start I had been against the idea so rushing head first wasn't really the smart thing to do. Plus it showed that he cared about our relationship, that he was thinking long-term, that this wasn't just physical for him.
But I didn't want to do the smart thing!
Couldn't the universe give us a break?
Just one night where we didn't get interrupted or where Danny didn't pull away at the last second. A moment where I didn't feel like I was going to explode from sexual need like some pinata?
My phone buzzed on my nightstand, and I grabbed it, hoping irrationally that it was Danny saying the emergency was solved and he was coming back.
But I wasn't that lucky and it was Bean.
How's the date going?
She texted and I groaned and typed back.
He just left. Emergency with the team.
AGAIN? Nessa, are you cursed or something?
Starting to think so, I replied.
My phone rang immediately and I smiled typical of Bean. She had likely gotten frustrated of her fingers dancing over the screen and wasting her time to hear gossip.
"Tell me everything," she demanded the second I answered.
"There's nothing to tell," I said, rolling onto my back and staring at my ceiling.
"We had dinner, came back here to watch a movie, started making out, and then his phone rang and he had to leave."
"Started making out," Bean repeated.
"Define 'started making out.” she asked. I felt my face heat up even though she couldn't see me.She sounded more excited about my love life than she should.
But at least she wasn't stuck in her depressive moods so I was taking one for the team.
"We were kissing. Things were getting... heated. I might have guided his hand to my breast."
Bean gasped in mock horror.
"You didn't!"
"I did," I confirmed.
"And then his stupid phone rang and now I'm lying here alone feeling like I'm going to spontaneously combust."
"Okay, first of all, good for you for taking initiative," Bean said.
"Second of all, Danny Glover is the most frustratingly respectful man on the planet, and I don't know whether to applaud him or smack him."
"I'm leaning toward smacking him," I muttered sullenly and Bean laughed.
"You don't mean that."
"I know," I sighed.
"But Bean, this is killing me. Every time things start to go somewhere, something happens and he pulls away”
“I’m almost starting to take it personally because really how is he able to resist so much. I'm starting to think we're never actually going to—"
"You will," Bean interrupted firmly.
"You guys just need to pick better timing. And maybe turn your phones off."
"Can't turn phones off when he's captain of a hockey team two months away from championship qualifiers," I pointed out.
"Fair point," Bean admitted.
"So what are you going to do?"
"Suffer, apparently," I said.
"Die of sexual frustration. Write a dissertation about the psychological effects of being extremely turned on with no relief."
Bean was laughing so hard I could barely understand her.
"Oh my God, please don't actually write that. Dr. Han would have a field day with it"
Despite my frustration, I found myself smiling.
"It would be very thorough research. I have extensive personal experience with the subject matter."
"I'm hanging up before you traumatize me further," Bean said, still laughing.
"But seriously, Nessa? This is good. The fact that you want him this much means you're really into him. And the fact that he's being respectful, even when it's hard—pun intended—means he's really into you too."
"I know," I said quietly.
"I just wish he would stop being so respectful and that the universe would just cooperate."
"It will," Bean promised.
"Give it time. Now get some sleep. You have that early morning class tomorrow."
After we hung up, I changed into pajamas and tried to settle down to sleep. But every time I closed my eyes, I could feel Danny's hands on me, could taste his kiss, could remember the way he'd looked at me before his phone rang—like he wanted to devour me.
This was going to be a long night.
My phone buzzed again, and this time it was Danny.
Ryan's okay. Just a minor bruise, he'll be fine for qualifiers.
That's good, I typed back.
I'm sorry about tonight. I wanted to stay.
The text made my chest tighten.
I know. It's okay. Your team needed you.
Rain check? I sent back, using his own words.
Definitely. Friday and Saturday before dinner with my parents is ours.
Friday. That was still four days away. Four more days of this building tension, of wanting him and not being able to have him.
Friday works, I agreed, because what else could I say?
Sweet dreams, Nessa. I love you.
Love you too, I replied.
But as I set my phone down and tried once again to sleep, I knew there was nothing sweet about the dreams I was going to have.
Because all of them were going to feature Danny Glover and things we hadn't done yet but God, I really, really wanted to do.
I grabbed my extra pillow and screamed into it, muffling the sound so my neighbors wouldn't think I was being murdered.
Four more days.
I could survive four more days.
Probably.
Maybe.
Who was I kidding? This was going to be torture.