Free This Time Around (Maybe) by Chantal Fernando Page B

she asks, cutting up a mango.
    “Cleaning, remember. Then I’m going to check on Mum and have dinner with her.”
    She sighs heavily , “I hate cleaning.”
    “ I know you do.” That’s why I never go into her room unless it’s a life or death situation. On the plus side, she’s pretty handy in the kitchen, so I don’t mind picking up her slack with cleaning, because she picks up mine with cooking.
    I glance at the time. “It’s already one, holy shit.”
    “I know. We need longer to recover. Not as young as we used to be,” she says, biting the little squares she made on her piece of mango.
    “That mango looks good .”
    “Want some?” she asks, grinning.
    “Yep,” I say, popping the P, my eyes not leaving the fruit. A knock at the door startles me, diverting my attention. Isis and I stare at each other before looking down at our T-shirts and panties. Clearly we aren’t dressed for company. I shrug, and walk to the door, opening it about an inch.
    “Hey,” I say, taken aback. I didn’t expect to see him again so soon.
    “Hey, can we talk for a second?” he says, looking a little unsure.
    “ Ummm,” I mumble, before making a second decision and opening the door.
    “Nice T-shirt,” he says, grinning as he walks into the house. Well, shit. If that didn’t give me away, I don’t know what will. I clear my throat, and avoid looking into his knowing eyes.
    “Hey Isis!” he calls out to my roommate. She calls out a hello in return.
    “No need to yell,” I tell him, wincing as my head pounds.
    “Sorry,” he apologises, staring at my thighs. He doesn’t sound sorry at all. We walk into my room and sit down on the bed. I can’t help but remember the last time we were alone in this room together, and I can feel the heat rise up my neck. That was pretty fucking embarrassing.
    “Is everything okay?” I ask, confused as to why he’s here. I’m pretty sure we said what we needed to, and although there was a lot more we needed to discuss , I still needed time to think things over.
    “Yes, I just forgot to do something when I walked you to your door.”
    “What?”
    “This,” he says, cupping my face in his hands and capturing my lips in a kiss. Not just any kiss. He’s telling me something with this kiss ; I can feel it. I understand it. The emotion, the… love. It’s undeniable. My tongue slips out to taste his, timidly at first. When I turn to straddle him, he pulls away, eyes shining.
    “That was some kiss,” I gasp, breathless.
    He smiles widely, showing off his perfect straight teeth. “I’m glad you approve.”
    “ He just kissed me into submission.” When he starts laughing, hard, I realise I’ve said that out loud.
    I don’t have time to feel embarrassed because h e stands up, leaning over me to kiss me on my forehead. “I’m going into work. You know where to find me whenever you want to finish that conversation.”
    With that, he exits the room, leaving me more confused than ever.

Chapter Twelve
    Ryan
    It’s been two weeks and Taiya still hasn’t come to me. I thought I was making the right decision, putting the ball in her court, not so patiently waiting for her to come to me. We’ve seen each other in passing, and even spoken a few times, discussing everything except what we should be. Us . I want her back with me, moving in with me in my apartment. At least she hasn’t mentioned the divorce papers, so I guess that’s something at least. I look at the time, wanting to go home. It’s been busy all evening, and I have an hour until Reid gets here so I can go home early. When Summer walks into the bar with Taiya, I know that my luck has changed. She hasn’t stepped in my bar since the night she and Summer went out. She is a sight for sore fucking eyes. She’s wearing jeans, so tight they are like a second skin, and a peach-coloured top, showing off a hint of cleavage. I couldn’t stop the smile on my face if I wanted to.
    “You’re here,” I blurt out. Does this