Latch - Sam Smith (Acoustic Version)
"So things got hot and heavy and he just left?" Caroline huffed.
"He said he respected me too much," I told her once again.
"That's it. That's it! He's gay! We found his flaw as a boyfriend," she exclaimed.
"He's not gay, Car. He's just not ready to jump in the sack yet. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that," I defended.
"So basically what you are telling me here is that Mr. Perfect is not only sweet and hotter than the surface of the sun, but he's also an old-fashioned gentleman?" She gave me a look with one eyebrow cocked. I shrugged my shoulders instead of answering her. I was done with the load of questions she had grilled me with since she woke me up this morning to announce she was on her way to my place. She was just about to start with what I knew was another series of questions when the front door opened.
"Looks like you've got some stuff here, Joe." The voice was that of my roommate, something I wasn't quite used to hearing often but still recognized. She came past the kitchen and into the living room holding a single red rose and the stack of my father's clothes that Steve had used the night before. "Men's clothing huh?" Natalie quirked an eyebrow.
"She's dating this guy named Steve," Caroline practically shouted, which earned her a quick slap on the arm from me.
"Good for you, Jolene. I'd love to sit and chat, but I really need to crash. Work has been a real bitch." Natalie sat the clothes and rose on the kitchen table before heading down to her room. "Good luck with this one, Joe. Caroline, nice seeing you again," she shouted back to us before closing her bedroom door.
"She looks worse for wear," Caroline blurted out as I stood up to retrieve my stuff.
"She works a lot, Car. We'd look like hell after working for three solid weeks too," I answered her, picking up the rose and lifting it to my nose. I pulled my phone from my pocket to send Steve a quick message.
Why didn't you knock? - J
I could hear you ladies talking and didn't want to interrupt. - S
You wouldn't have been interrupting anything. Actually you would've been saving me. - J
I'm sure she's not that bad. - S
I may kill her if she doesn't stop asking questions. - J
Don't do that. - S
I can't promise anything. Thank you for the rose by the way. - J
You are very welcome. - S
"Are you talking to him right now?" Caroline says breaking my focus. "You don't have to answer, the smile on your face answers for you."
"Shut up." I rolled my eyes.
Do you want to come over for dinner tomorrow night? - J
I can't. - S
Would another day work better for you? - J
Thursday? - S
I have to sing that night. How about Friday? - J
Good for me. - S
See you Friday then. - J
"Will Krista be working this weekend?" I asked Caroline as I sat my phone down.
"Yeah, she's going to be bartending with me, why?" She gave me an odd look, "Do you have plans this weekend?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to make sure that you were going to have help. I knew I didn't have to sing this weekend with that cover band in town, so I figured that maybe I'd be able to take Friday andSaturday off," I answered before walking back to my bedroom, knowing that she would follow.
"I'll have plenty of help. What plans do you have?" she asked as she jumped up onto my bed.
"I just asked him over for dinner on Friday, and then we have that party at Stark Tower that he invited me to," I shrugged before digging through my closet.
"A party at Stark Tower? Are you freaking kidding me!? Is he some kind of superhero or something? How the hell did he get an invite to a thing like that in the first place?" She was genuinely surprised at this new bit of information.
"He's a police officer, Car. I'm sure he probably works closely with them. The whole fighting against crime thing," I answered matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Would still be cool if he was a superhero," she mused.
"Well, he is. Ironman and his group fight the crime of the world, Steve helps fight crime in the streets." I smiled at her.
"Oh my gosh Joe, what are you going to wear to this thing?!" Her voice had returned to its overly excited tone. "His parties are always super fancy, or at least that's what I've been told. You have to wear something fancy. Actually, I saw a perfect dress at that shop down the street from my place. I'm going to go get it right now!" she shouted as she jumped up from my bed and raced past me. "I'll see you at work!" she shouted down the hallway before I heard her slam the front door behind her.
O.O
Steve surprised me with flowers, muffins, and coffee left outside my door every day leading to our dinner date. I found it odd but endearing that he thought of a little something each day that passed leading up to our date. I felt, for the first time, like I was being courted by a man rather than dating a boy. When our date night finally came, I was eager to see him.
I put on my ivory long-sleeved V-neck shirt before sliding into my high-waisted plum maxi skirt. I walked out to the kitchen, the cool tiled floor feeling good against my bare feet. I was feeling overheated, the excitement of seeing Steve coursing through my veins like lava. I had started peeling potatoes when there was a knock at the door.
"You're early," I spoke as I opened the door and saw Steve standing there holding a dozen red roses and a bottle of wine. He looked up from under the curtain of his long lashes and took my breath away with that adorable crooked grin of his.
"I tried to wait downstairs, but I didn't want the wine getting warm." He gave me a wide smile after he spoke. "These are for you."
"Thank you, sir," I replied as he handed me the flowers and chilled bottle. "Come on in and make yourself at home. I'm in the middle of making dinner, so give me a little bit," I said as I held the door open for him. He stepped past the threshold enough for me to close the door behind him.
"Can I help with anything?" Steve said, following behind me as I walked into the kitchen to get a vase for the flowers and put the wine in the fridge.
"No, I said I would make dinner for you. Can't really do that if you are helping," I smiled back at him as I placed the roses into the crystal cylinder. "The remote is on the table. You can pick out a movie if you want." Steve didn't make a move as I began skinning potatoes again. He leaned against the wall of the kitchen, watching me instead. I watched him out of the corner of my eye as I peeled another potato. Steve rushed to my side before I had even felt the sharp sting in my finger.
"Jolene!" he breathed out as he made me drop the knife in my hand and grabbed the other one. He moved me from the counter to the sink, running the cold water and placing my hand under the liquid.
"See? You're a distraction," I chuckled as he checked over the depth of the cut.
"Doesn't look like you need stitches. Where do you keep your first aid kit?" Steve said as he let go of my hand.
"There are band-aids in the cupboard over there," I said, pointing to the one that held what he was looking for. Steve retrieved the bandaids before turning around and taking the small hand towel off of the stove to dry my finger. His focus on the task at hand was intense as he pulled a band-aid from its box and wrapped it around the wounded digit before pulling it up to his lips and placing a kiss over the cut area.
"Mom always said kisses made the pain go away," Steve said, looking into my eyes, his cheeks flushing lightly. "How's it feel?"
"It's alright, but I think I could use some more kisses." I pulled my hand from his wrapping it around the back of his neck and pulling him to me.
"Only if you'll let me peel the rest of the potatoes. I don't like seeing you hurt," Steve said as his lips hovered over mine. I gave him a playful eye roll before lifting onto my toes and pressing my lips against his. It was a brush of lips at first before his tongue pushed itself into the seam of my lips. The feeling of Steve being forceful for once set me on fire, but before I could press our bodies closer, Steve was pulling away. He gave me a quick smirk before stepping over to the counter I had been working at before. "Better get started on whatever else you had planned," He smirked again, gesturing to the flour sitting on the counter next to the stove.
"Yes sir, Captain!" I said with a mock salute. Steve and I worked quietly on the opposite sides of the kitchen as my playlist of favorite music played through my Bluetooth speaker. I finished making the dinner roll dough at the same moment Steve had finished chopping up the potatoes. He set them on the stovetop to boil while I placed the rolls in the oven and set the timer for twenty minutes.
"How's your finger?" Steve's voice and his hand on the back of my arm startled me as I cleaned up the flour-covered counter. I turned around quickly and the flour in my hand flew across Steve's stomach, covering a good portion of his light gray Henley.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, Steve," I exclaimed as I attempted to wipe the mess off of his shirt, but only ended up making it worse since my hands were still covered as well.
"Are you really?" Steve chuckled as I let out a sigh at the even bigger mess I had created. "It's alright Jolene. Really, it's fine," Steve said as he ran his hands over his abdomen to brush away the flour. I turned around, cleaning the rest of the mess I had made. "Do you still have that shirt I left here?" Steve said, gaining my attention again. The wind was knocked from my lungs when I turned around to find a shirtless God standing there with his dirty shirt in hand. I couldn't form words as my eyes roamed over the exposed skin of his perfectly sculpted abs. My eyes slid down to the prominent lines starting under his hip bones. "Jolene?" My eyes snapped up to his and I felt the back of my neck heat from being caught gawking at him. I prayed to God that I hadn't drooled in the process of staring at this man. Steve tossed his shirt onto the counter before leaning back against it and raising an eyebrow at me.
"Steve." His name came out more like a rush of breath rather than an actual word, but his name was the only word my brain could function enough to produce. His hands gripped the edge of the counter at his sides as I took the few steps it took to stand in front of him. "Are you even real?" I asked while keeping eye contact as best I could before my eyes slowly lowered over his exposed neck, collarbones, chest, and stomach. Steve let out a nervous chuckle as I lifted my hand in front of me.
"Jolene." My name slid between his lips in a weak attempt to warn me from what my brain had already decided to do. I wasn't even sure my brain was making the decisions anymore as I felt all my nerves ignite in flames, my core clenching as my hand came closer to his stomach. Steve gripped the counter tighter as my fingers made contact with his overheated skin. I already known he'd have to have been sporting an impressive six pack from the preview his tight shirts had shown, but to see it without a material barrier was beyond words. My index finger traveled along the center line of his stomach, causing Steve to suck in a breath. My eyes snapped to his while my finger crawled its way slowly down to his navel before pulling my hand away slightly to return it to another line on his abdomen. I dropped my gaze to follow my finger as it weaved its way through each line of his abs. I slowly traced each line of his stomach before getting bold and moving both hands to trace the lines of his Adonis belt. I left one hand on his hip as the other grazed the top of his jeans, causing Steve to let out a groan. I looked up wondering if this was irritating him or turning him on. His eyes were shut tight, his grip on the counter threatening to snap through the marble. His bottom lip was held captive between his perfect teeth in an attempt to hold back his response to my touch. I glanced back down at my hand that was barely pressed against his skin, looking past it and seeing the bulge in his dark denim jeans. A thrill ran through my body, leaving lava behind that was heating every inch of my skin. Something about being able to see his response to my touch and knowing he was just as turned on as I was because of all of this spurred me to push a little further this time. I watched his face as I pulled my hand away from his stomach. The tips of my fingers skimmed over the denim of his jeans before tracing the outline of his erection that was straining against his jeans. "Mmm." The moan escaped him as I watched him try to gulp it back down with a bob of his Adam's apple. I made it far enough to cup him through the fabric before he lightly gripped my wrist. "Jolene." I was sure my name wasn't supposed to come out the moan that it did, but I enjoyed hearing it that way. His grip on my wrist went slack, allowing me to give him a firm stroke, causing him to let out another guttural moan before he gripped my wrist a little harder. I didn't want to stop, even though I was sure his touch was telling me that I should. "Jolene…..oh my god….oh…..we shouldn't be…mmmmm…doing this," He mumbled out between heavy breaths as I continued giving him only the small strokes his grip would allow.
"Why not?" I asked as I used my index finger to brush over the head of his girthy member. "Doesn't it feel good?" I watched as Steve tried to open his eyes to look at me, but they rolled back and closed again as I gave him another firm stroke. He let out a hum in response, his hand dropping from my wrist to the counter again and gripping it so hard his knuckles went white. "Something bad wouldn't feel good Steve. I just want to make you feel good." I gave him another light stroke, causing him to groan again. His mouth dropped open as his eyes squeezed shut and his chest heaved.
"This shouldn't be about me," he gathered himself enough to say as his left hand came to rest on my wrist.
"Then make me feel good, too, Steve. It's alright to touch me." I spoke in the most seductive tone I could manage, hoping it would spur him into action. His right hand came up cupping my jawline as his blue, pupil blown eyes opened and locked onto mine. The action alone was enough to make my heart speed up even faster than it had already been racing, but I felt the denim covered flesh under my hand push against my palm more as he pushed himself from the counter making me take a step back. He moved his other hand from my wrist to my hip, moving me around and pinning me to the wall of the entryway. His lips were on mine before I could catch my breath, knocked from my lungs by hitting the wall with such force. I didn't really care. Who needed oxygen anyways? Surely breathing was overrated when compared to kissing Steve. His lips were hot, full, and full of dominance in that moment. I pulled my hand from his crotch and wrapped it around his neck, pulling him closer to me. My other hand gripped the back of his arm trying in every way to push him to consume me. My body was on fire, my heart beating faster than the bass drum in 'Hot for Teacher'. Steve forced his tongue between my lips, owning my mouth as I moaned and scraped my nails over his scalp. His erection was pressed firmly against my stomach and I cursed my choice of clothing today because all I wanted to do was wrap my legs around his waist and feel him press against my overheated core.
"You deserve better than this, more." Steve suddenly pulled his lips from mine, leaving me trying to catch my breath. Steve rested his forehead against mine, pulling his hand from my hip to mirror his other on my cheek.
"Then give me more," I managed to say after stabilizing my breathing. I dropped my hand from his neck, running it over the center of his chest and over his stomach. I had almost made it to the waist of his pants when he grabbed my hand softly and lifted it, placing it over his thrumming heart.
"I'm trying," he breathed out. He kissed me softly before pulling away fully this time. Standing up straight, he started to speak again. "This," he said, gesturing between us with his hand, "this isn't about a romp in the sheets." Steve grabbed my hand that was still laying over his heart, kissing it before looking back at me again, "I don't want to have sex with you, Jolene. Sex is an act that should be had between two people who love each other." The words nearly broke my heart. I knew I was falling for him, on the brink of dropping the L-bomb myself when the time felt right. I dropped my eyes to the floor, trying to look anywhere I could without looking at him and revealing the hurt I knew was held in my eyes. He placed my hand back over his heart before he continued talking, "I want to make love with you Jolene, when we get to that point." I could feel the tears weighing on my bottom lid as I looked up at him. His eyes were clear and bright blue, filled with adoration and honesty. "And we'll get there. It may be tomorrow, next week, or next month, but it is going to happen. I'm certain of it, because I'm already falling for you."
I opened my mouth to reply, but the sounds of something sizzling in the kitchen demanded attention. "Shit!" I hissed out, pushing my hand against Steve's chest to push him out of the way. I ran to the stove turning down the burner on the pot of potatoes before stirring it. "Your shirt is sitting on top of my dresser in my bedroom. It's at the end of the hallway on your right," I added as the timer for the rolls went off. I pulled the rolls from the oven, sitting them on a pot holder on the counter to cool before stirring the potatoes. I felt his strong arms surround me, wrapping around my sides as his hands rested on my stomach and chin rested atop my head.
You lift my heart up when the rest of me is down
You, you enchant me even when you're not around
If there are boundaries, I will try to knock them down
I'm latching on, babe, now I know what I have found
I hummed along with the music as the lyrics sang the words that lingered in my heart still left unspoken. Steve swayed behind me to the music, letting me set down the cooking utensil in my hand before spinning me around in his arms. I placed my hands on the back of his neck as we swayed back and forth, letting the words of the song wash over us. Steve leaned down, capturing my lips with his own in a gentle kiss before pulling back and resting his forehead against mine, eyes closed as we finished our dance silently.
Steve set the table as I finished preparing the rest of our meal. I sat the pot roast with its roasted vegetables on the table along with the dinner rolls before bringing out the bowls of mashed potatoes and homemade gravy.
"This looks amazing Jolene," Steve smiled up at me after looking over the offerings.
"Let's just hope it tastes as good as it smells," I giggled. I watched Steve as he took his first bite, his jaw flexing as his mouth moved to process the food, his beautiful lips clamped tight and polite.
"Delicious. My mom used to make this like once a month when we had the extra money. It's just as good as hers, if not better," Steve offered up a bit more of himself before placing another forkful in his mouth.
"Good." I smiled up at him thinking about the little tidbit he had slipped. 'When we had the extra money.' The words resounded in my mind while we ate in silence. So he grew up in the lower class. Is that what had made him choose his line of service? Keep the streets clean and try to provide for the less fortunate? I wanted to ask, but I didn't want to press the issue. I knew he had lost his parents and I knew how painful reliving memories of lost loved ones could be.
I was standing up to grab the dishes off the table when he shook his head at me, reaching his hand out for my plate. "You cooked, I'll clean."
"You are the guest, that's not how this works," I protested, I grabbed my plate from the table before he had a chance, running to the kitchen to rinse it off and place it in the dishwasher. After I had put the plate in its place he nudged my hip with his, pushing me out of the way so he could do the same. I rolled my eyes at him exaggeratedly before walking into the dining room to retrieve the leftovers. I made him a spare plate to take home with him and placed he rest in the refrigerator. Glancing out of the living room window, I could see that the sun was just about to set. I grabbed my keys off the counter and before taking Steve's hand and tugging him out into the hallway and locking the door behind me. I pulled him up the other two flights of stairs until we had reached the door to the roof.
"Jolene?" Steve's worried voice came from behind me as I pushed the door open and stepped out into the last bit of daylight.
"The sunset." I pointed over to the sun as it sank behind some buildings. The bright blue of the sky was beginning to be overtaken by the purples, pinks, oranges, and reds of the sunset. It was a beautiful sight on a normal night, but the view was different tonight. They say sunsets are always beautiful and each one is special, but the sunsets you share with someone special are always the best sunsets of all. I hadn't really understood that until the moment I looked over at Steve. His always glorious features were only intensified by the glow of the descending sun. His jawline was always sharp, but the shadow cast by the lighting made it look sharp enough to cut a diamond. His beautiful blue eyes were crystal clear as they watched the last of the sun dip below the buildings on the horizon.
"What?" Steve acknowledged before side eyeing me with a smirk.
"This all just seems so perfect…too perfect," I rambled, looking up at the darkening sky. "I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Nothing can be this perfect, at least not in my life." I laughed at myself.
"Then let's enjoy it before the shoe drops." Steve grabbed my hand lacing his fingers through mine giving me that heart-stopping crooked grin before turning to face me completely. "Can you sing that song we were listening to earlier?"
"Which one? The stereo was going the whole time tonight." I smiled, wondering what he was up to.
"The one we danced to in the kitchen. I liked the lyrics," Steve answered. I knew which one he was talking about and began to sing the words. Steve curled our entwined hands into his chest as he rested his other hand on my lower back, pulling me towards him and swaying with me again.
I'm so en-captured, got me wrapped up in your touchFeel so enamored, hold me tight within your clutchHow do you do it? You got me losing every breathWhat did you give me to make my heart bleed out my chest?
I feel we're close enoughCould I lock in your love?I feel we're close enoughCould I lock in your love?
Now I've got you in my spaceI won't let go of youGot you shackled in my embraceI'm latching on to you
As I finished the last lyric Steve released me, bringing his hands to my face and placing his lips on mine. His kiss was heartwarming and knee-weakening, full of passion but soft enough to yearn for more. "I cherish you. You are much more special than you realize, Jolene," Steve said as he pulled back, still keeping my face in his hands.
"Ditto," I replied breathlessly.
"Ditto?" Steve looked completely confused.
"From Ghost?" I chuckled as Steve dropped his hands to his own hips.
"Ghost?" Steve's eyebrow lifted and his face still held the confusion it had before.
"You've never seen the move Ghost?" I asked through a smile. Steve shrugged his shoulders in response before I grabbed his hand again and led him back to my apartment. I popped the movie into the player before sitting on the couch next to Steve. Steve wrapped an arm around me, letting me snuggle into his side as the movie started.