The Carrero Heart - Beginning (Friends to Lovers)

The day rolls by in an oddly familiar way. Arrick reappears after lunch when he hears the buzzer from the food place I ordered from, and I guess the smell of it, considering he eats like a horse and is always hungry. I’ve been sensible for once and picked an organic food deli that does salad and wholesome food spreads, knowing he’s still supposed to be on a strict eating regime and lately he’s been eating really badly, mostly because of me. I really can’t cook, so my attempts at making him anything ‘Tasha’ style would probably result in food poisoning or a serious bout of indigestion at the least. I know my limits, and making food is definitely not one of my skills. I also let him off with the sundae search, feeling guilty that he’d be breaking a food rule just for me.

We play Xbox for two hours, fight over games, controls, and squabble over the fact he’s a huge cheat who never lets me win at anything. I make him eat pillow a few times, and then he sits on me because he cannot have a girl beat him at mortal combat type games as it hurts his male ego. I swear he reverts to a ten year old kid when he thinks there’s a chance of losing at Mario Kart, and being smothered for daring to pass him ends up with me throwing the controller at his head, Sophie tantrum style.

We dump the game and opt for a movie to relax, which is another argument, seeing as I want to watch ‘The Labyrinth’ and he wants to watch ‘Die hard’ because he is clearly a man who has a fetish for action movies and not in touch with his inner child or feminine side at all. I win … I always win at movie time! Arrick just has to listen to me huff and whine for like thirty seconds about how much he is ruining my life by denying me the pleasure of ‘The Labyrinth’ and he always caves. Still got that little puppy wrapped around my ‘little Sophie’ fingers it seems.

So, we watch it, with a huge bowl of sticky popcorn, which really cancels out the healthy lunch I got him, and way too many cokes for a guy on a junk food ban. I swear, maybe I’m a seriously bad influence on him as all he ever eats when Tasha is around is strictly what’s on his diet list on the refrigerator. She takes immense pride in mothering him and making disgusting high protein ‘healthy’ food and snacks, while I obviously do not care enough. I pretty much rely on him making his own food choices, expecting him to take care of feeding me, and not vice versa. Maybe that’s something I should change, if I want him to think I might be worth more than just a sidekick.

The movie is nice though, laid out together on the couch. We end up cuddling up, no awkwardness or me getting all weirded out for once about it, and just seeing it for what it is; us of old. Me in his arm with my head on his chest as, he rests his feet on the coffee table, and we share the bowl on his lap in complete silence. We have the blackout blinds down and the whole apartment in darkness.

A couple of hours companionable quiet, as the guy who didn’t want to watch my ‘cheesy, shitty, girl flick’ is seriously engrossed and even chuckles along at the funny parts.

Like we’ve put everything aside for just a few short hours with a silent agreement, returned to some sense of us and gave ourselves a break from the reality of our mess for a

***

to enhance his own natural coloring. He has his leather jacket in one hand. I admit, I

draped in a robe and fiddling with the ties while I stare at the sea of dresses I’ve pulled out and hung up along the

Arrick meanders along the line of dresses, picking one up and turning it around to see what the back is like; he puts it back when he sees just how low it’s cut at the rear. Risky low and maybe a little obscene if you don’t wear matching underwear. I stifle a giggle

in my bare feet, like a child. Relaxed with him again.

for a dress.” He pulls out a black one and does the same thing, turns it to check the back, holds it out in my direction and squints with one eye to picture it

know.” I point out, moving past him to hook the plum dress he bypassed twice, and hold it against me while I turn to the long wall mirror to my side. He looks me over

with you dressing in any of these, but I’m still trying to get used to the fact it’s okay to see you dressed in any of these.” He throws me a grimace that is both endearing and yet