Because, by default, I do more around the house, I know that we're low on a lot of basics. So I drag Edward to the holy land: Target. I grab a cart and direct myself straight to the dollar section to look at the picked-over goodies as Edward confidently starts toward the grocery section. It isn't until he realizes that I'm not with him that he turns around with a confused look on his face and walks back over. "What are you doing?"
"Dollar section," I say absentmindedly as I pick through the seasonal tea towels.
"What the fuck is the dollar section?" He picks up a discarded faux succulent and stares at it for a moment before setting it back down.
I roll my eyes. "As the name implies, everything in this section costs one dollar. Sometimes, it's cute stuff; sometimes, not so much." I move on toward the middle of the section where this Target always has tech stuff and grab a few charging cords for my phone. Edward gives me a curious look. "I run through mine super fast."
"Maybe you wouldn't if they cost more than a dollar," he says as I toss them into the cart.
I stick my tongue out at him and push forward, moving to the women's section when I feel two hands on my waist. "Oh, no, I'm not shopping with you." Edward steers me toward the opposite side of the store, and I sulk for the thirty seconds it takes to get to the aisle with deodorant and toothpaste.
"So." Edward drags the word out and looks to me as I grab for my favorites and toss them in the cart.
"Rules, sure. We both agree that Jake can't know, but I think that stands for anyone else we mutually know as well." Pushing the cart out of the aisle, Edward laughs.
"Not telling Jasper is going to be hard for me. He's my best friend," Edward tells me seriously.
Jasper was one of Edward's shipmates and spent a lot of time with him and Jake. I'd gotten to know him over the years; he was such a good guy. "If it comes up somehow, I guess it would be okay. But, you can't call him later today and tell him," I say as we weave through the aisles.
"No, I won't. Look, Jasper is so wrapped up in this Maria chick, I hardly get to see him, let alone talk to him. We're on the same ship, but during the day, it's all work." He grabs a toilet bowl cleaner and tosses it in the cart.
"I'm sorry. That sucks."
"It's just like you and Jake." He shrugs and grabs some kitchen sponges.
"Okay, so that brings me to the next rule, but I think we should amend it a little," I say as we both grab for a box of Magic Erasers.
"Lay it on me," he tells me seriously.
I take a deep breath. "We're not dating. We need to agree that we aren't dating each other right now."
"That's sort of the whole point of this—"
Holding up my hand, I cut him off. "I know, but … we like hanging out, right? Jake ditches me all the time, and you only see Jasper on the ship. So, I think that every once in a while, it would be okay for us to do something. Dinner, movies, whatever."
He's silent for a few minutes as he mulls it over. It's not like I'm suggesting a lot, but if we're not dating but having sex, and then hanging out … What are we really doing?
"Okay, but the times we hang out, we can't have sex." He sounds so sure of himself that it's easy for me to agree to the terms. "And speaking of dating, we can date other people."
"Okay, can we sleep with those people?"
"Only if you want to be a slut." Edward's deadpan response stops me dead in my tracks. "I'm kidding; your face right now." He's laughing at me, and I punch him in the arm.
"That's not funny."
"Maybe not, but I don't care about a girl's body count. And any guy who does is just insecure about what he's capable of and has been taught that women should remain virgins until they're married but that men can go off and sleep with as many women as they want. Honestly, the double standard is astounding and disgusting." He's casually picking out paper towels while explaining this to me, and I'm dumbstruck.
"Are these the same men who also want a woman who knows what she's doing in bed?" I'm sort of teasing, but I'm very curious to hear what he has to say.
He rounds on me. "Yes! The exact same ones. I don't understand it at all."
"I'm like super turned on right now, but I'd love to shelve this conversation for a later time." He laughs and throws an eighteen-pack of paper towels at me. I laugh and push the cart past him.
"Bella, seriously, if you start dating someone and you decide on the first date that you want to sleep with him or the fifteenth, just talk to me about it."
"Deal. Do we need sandwich baggies?" I'm racking my brain, trying to remember how full the box was in the drawer at home when I feel Edward's hand graze my ass. "Can I help you?"
"Your ass looks amazing in those leggings," he says and licks his lips. He leans toward me, but I throw my hand up between us and push him away.
"Okay, another rule: no PDA. We're not dating, remember?"
Backing up, his eyes twinkle. "Can you save those leggings just for me?"
"Absolutely not." I laugh and press on, forgoing the bags. "What else?"
"I don't think we need a schedule, but I do think we need to be on board with it every time it comes up. Consent is key, and I don't want you to have another morning like a few weeks ago. I know you were scared," he tells me quietly, and I nod.
"I was, but I did realize that I don't have any reason not to trust you. Even if you are an asshole." I laugh. "Okay, consent from both parties. Deal."
"This is a big one, for me at least." I'm grabbing gallons of milk and placing them in the cart, but when he doesn't continue, I stop to look at him. "No sleepovers. I don't mind sharing a bed, but … Contrary to the two times we slept next to each other, I don't usually sleep through the night. I'd rather not deal with that."
"Is everything all right? I mean, I've heard you get up in the middle of the night." I shrug when his eyes go wide. "I'm a light sleeper sometimes."
"Before Jake and I became roommates, I was on a long deployment and some stuff happened. I don't like to talk about it, but—"
"You don't sleep well; enough said. No sleepovers." I move on to grab coffee creamer and cottage cheese. "I think that only leaves one more thing."
"What's that?"
"It's two fold, but don't catch feelings and don't get jealous."
He shrugs. "Seems easy to me. What kind of cereal are you getting?" He walks away, and I shrug. Maybe this won't be complicated after all.