THE VISIT

Mia's POV

The door slammed shut behind me as I kicked off my shoes without bothering to see where they landed. One thudded against the wall, and the other likely ended up under something. My stomach emitted a loud, embarrassing growl, and I was thankful no one else was around to hear it.

Ugh, I should have eaten before meeting him. I was so anxious about everything that I didn’t even consider food, and now I felt starving.

I opened the fridge and just stood there, staring at its mostly empty contents. There was a half-eaten bell pepper that looked a little sad, some milk that I wasn't entirely sure about, three eggs, and maybe a couple of spoonfuls of pasta sauce left in a jar. Whatever, it would do.

I tossed some pasta into a pot and didn’t even bother following the right steps, just poured the sauce straight from the jar because, honestly, who cares? I added a heap of cheese because that usually makes any dish taste decent.

I devoured it while standing at the counter, scrolling through my phone with one hand and shoveling in pasta with the other. I came across recipes I had no intention of trying and I*******m posts from people I barely remembered from college. Anything to keep my mind off him sitting there at that restaurant table, looking at me like that.

After cleaning up the pan, I plopped down on the couch and grabbed the remote. A movie was already playing—one of those late-night cable flicks where you know exactly how it's going to unfold, but you watch it anyway because what else is there to do at this hour?

At first, I wasn’t really focused on it. I just needed some background noise to drown out my racing thoughts.

Then the scene shifted.

It showed a couple in a kitchen. She was leaning against the counter, and he was kissing her neck, his hands exploring under her shirt. It wasn’t gentle; it was intense and rough. His fingers were gripping her hips while she gasped and fumbled with his belt.

Heat rushed to my face.

I probably should change the channel.

But I didn’t.

He lifted her onto the counter, and something crashed to the floor, but they didn’t even notice. She wrapped her legs around him, and the sounds she made—well, they probably weren’t genuine, but it didn’t matter because my body was reacting anyway.

I shifted on the couch, pressing my thighs together, trying to focus on anything but the screen, but my eyes wouldn’t move.

He yanked her pants down and dropped to his knees, and even though the camera cut away, her expression stayed. Her head tilted back, mouth open, hands tangled in his hair.

My hand slipped into my shorts without me even realizing it.

Of course, I was already feeling turned on. It didn’t take long for my fingers to find the right spot, moving slowly at first because I wanted to savor it, but then faster as the urge took over. I bit my lip, even though there was no one around to hear me.

My hips lifted off the couch, and I was so close, breathing heavily through my nose, almost there, almost—

When the doorbell rang.

I stood frozen, my hand still awkwardly tucked in my shorts, my heart pounding as if trying to escape my chest.

Who in the world shows up at ten PM on a Wednesday night?

I quickly withdrew my hand, wiping it on my thigh while I attempted to steady my breath. The doorbell chimed again, this time two rapid buzzes, as if the visitor was eager to get in.

Rising to my feet, I pressed the button for the door camera, revealing Tom on the screen, his leather jacket slightly disheveled and hair tousled. He glanced at the camera and flashed that smile of his—one that stirred a whirlwind of emotions within me, none of them straightforward.

Tom. Naturally.

He’d been lingering in my thoughts for days, and the only thing holding me back was Maggie’s voice echoing in my mind, warning me against making a foolish choice I’d regret later. But with him standing at my door, her words were fading fast.

I knew I should retreat to the couch, ignore him, and finish what I had started.

But instead, I pressed the intercom. “What do you want, Tom?”

“Just wanted to see you. Let me in for a moment, Mia. It’s cold out here.”

Before I could overthink it, I buzzed him in.

He knocked, and I opened the door with my arms crossed, attempting to project annoyance even though we both knew it was a facade.

Without waiting for an invitation, he stepped inside, his eyes instantly drawn to my tank top and the cotton shorts I had hastily thrown on earlier. His gaze fell to my thighs and lingered there, a knowing smirk spreading across his face.

“Nice shorts.”

Oh no. Oh boy.

I glanced down and felt my face flush—there it was, a noticeable wet spot right in the center, exactly where my hand had been moments ago. I tried to laugh it off nonchalantly. “Yeah, um, laundry day. What’s up? It’s pretty late for a visit.”

He closed the door behind him, leaning against it casually. “You seem a bit flushed. Everything okay?”

“I’m fine.” I turned to head into the living room. “Can you explain why you’re really here?”

He trailed behind me, and I could sense him eyeing my behind the whole way. When I spun around, he was closer than I’d expected, his cologne mingling with the cool air from his jacket.

“You haven’t answered me yet,” he said, his tone hinting at something more.

“It’s only been three hours.”

“I thought you’d make up your mind by now, especially since it looks like you could use some company.”

My mouth felt parched, and when I opened it to respond, no words came out. He took another step closer, and I remained rooted in place.

“Were you…” he inquired, drawing out the words, “taking care of yourself when I knocked?”

I gulped down an empty throat…

I couldn’t speak, couldn’t even blink, just stood there burning under his stare while he waited for an answer I wasn’t ready to give.