Jon slowly leans past me and pushes the door closed. As he does, I subtly turn my head to the side and close my eyes, letting the woody and zesty notes of his cologne fill my nose. He is so intoxicating, and all I want to do is bathe in him. He leans back, and I quickly open my eyes and smile at him.

“Welcome,” he smiles at me. “Let me take that,” he says, reaching down, taking the beer from my hand and placing it on the small dining table to the right of us.

“Thank you,” I reply softly while placing my bag on the floor.

Leaning against the wall, I begin pulling my boots off placing them next to my bag. I take a few steps into Jon’s apartment. I’m feeling incredibly nervous; sensing those nerves, Jonathan walks up to me and puts his hands on the side of my arms. My nerves instantly calm, and I smile up at him. He steps to the side and takes my hand.

“Would you like the tour, Melek?” He asks sweetly.
“Absolutely, detective,” I wink at him.
“Perfect! Let’s start with the throne room,” he jokes.
“That’s where the real business is done,” I giggle at him.
“Damn right,” he says, pushing the door open.

The bathroom is beautiful and surprisingly big. The shower/bath walls are all marble, with it running down behind the toilet and a little over the sink. To my right is a large mirror with a matte finish frame around it, hanging against an all-white wall. The sink is off-white porcelain with a black cupboard underneath. In the corner directly in front of me is a stack of what I’m guessing are Jonathan’s favourite bath time reading books and a large black accent vase. Various pictures are hanging on the wall, all with the same black theme. The decoration is minimal, but it fits the room perfectly; I’m impressed.

“This is the kitchen,” he points to his right.

I tear my eyes away from the bathroom and to the kitchen. White cupboards shape the kitchen with small black, grey, and off-white tiles lining the wall underneath. All the appliances are silver; it matches everything perfectly. It’s adorable, but again, simple.

“Feel free to take whatever you want from there, ok?” He says, smiling down at me.
“Oh, detective, you have once again made the biggest mistake in your life,” I reply sarcastically.
“Nothing with you is ever a mistake, Melek,” he winks at me.

I can’t help but blush at his statement. 

How does he always know what to say? I think to myself.

“Just a minute, Camilla. Let me put that beer in the fridge,” he lets my hand go, dashes over to the dining table, grabs the beer, and puts it in the fridge. I don’t move; I stand there silent, fidgeting with my hands. He strides up to me and puts his hands over mine, stopping them in their tracks. I look up at him as he smiles down at me softly.

“Shall we continue?”

“Please,” I nod my head as he retakes my hand and leads me into his living/bedroom.
“This is where all the action happens,” he jokes.
“The watching of trash TV?” I reply sarcastically.
“Yep! That’s exactly it,” he chuckles.
“Figured,” I smirk at him.

I scan the room but can’t seem to find a tv. 

“So where does one watch this ‘trash’ TV?” I ask curiously.
“Ah, on my laptop,” he says, pointing to his bed where it’s lying.
“Oh, so how will we watch the movie tonight?” I tilt my head looking up at him.

He points to the roof, where I see a projector. “That’s how, Melek,” he smiles.

“Nice, detective,” I say, nodding in approval.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a bookshelf, nothing fancy, but I didn’t expect it to be. I let go of his hand and hurry over. I hear Jon chuckle as he strides up and stands behind me. I scan over the many pictures lining the first couple of shelves. One catches my attention; it has Jonathan, two older people, and another man, a little older than Jon. 

“That’s my mama, baba, and my birader, Emir,” he says softly as he points to them.
“Birader means brother in Turkish?” I ask nervously.
“It is, Melek, well done.” He kisses the back of my head.

My stomach instantly starts fluttering.

“They look really nice. What do they do?”

“They’re wonderful. I’m fortunate to have them, and to answer your other question, my baba is a Physics professor at Istanbul University, mama is a nurse, and my birader is a Pharmacist”.

“Wow! A family full of Einsteins,” I giggle.
“Ha! They would say the opposite,” he chuckles.
“What’s their names?”
“My mother’s name is Yael, and my dad is Benjamin.”

“Your mother’s name is beautiful,” I smile at him. “How did your parents meet?” I place the picture back on the shelf, careful to put it back in its right spot.

“My father was on exchange at Istanbul University from NYC. My mother was working as the college coordinator for international students; it was part-time while she studied nursing. She knew of him but didn’t meet him until he arrived at the college and attended a welcoming breakfast for all new international students. It was love at first sight for both of them. They were inseparable, so when it came time for him to return to NYC, he simply couldn’t leave mama, so he applied for an extension on his exchange program, got it, and finished his degree off in Turkey. After they both graduated, baba and mama got married & had us, boys.” His tone was so loving in the way he describes his parent’s meeting.

“Awww, that’s beautiful, Jon,” I say softly, turning and smiling up at him.
“It is,” he replies quietly, his gaze still on the picture of them altogether.
“Do you miss them?”
“I do, but they’re happy to back home, and that makes me happy.” he looks down at me and smiles.
“Good.” I nod, smiling back at him.
“Off-topic, Would you like a drink, Melek?”
“Please.” 

He winks at me before turning and walking towards the kitchen. 

“Glass or in the bottle?” He calls over his shoulder.
“Bottle will be fine, thank you,” I call back.

I turn my attention to the books on the shelf underneath the pictures. He doesn’t have many, and the ones he does have are mainly old textbooks from when he was studying to become a detective, some autobiographies, and a few true crime books. It’s not until I get to the shelf at the bottom that I see two familiar books perched between some old bookends.

He bought them; I think to myself, smiling.

I run my finger down the spine, pulling out ‘Blush’. Opening it, I see he’s read it; the corner of some pages is creased with stopping point markers. 

“I enjoyed that book,” he says quietly behind me, causing me to jump with fright and drop the book.

“Oh, shit! Sorry, Melek. I didn’t mean to scare you,” he places my beer on the shelf in front of me, leans down, picks the book up, and hands it to me as I turn to face him.

“It wasn’t your fault, Jon; I was just lost in thought.” I smile nervously at him.

“No, I should have told you I was behind you,” he smiles at me as he leans over and picks my beer up, handing it to me.

“Thank you,” I look down at my beer and then at the book. “I didn’t think you would buy both of her books, let alone read them.”

“Of course I would, and I loved them both. Laila is an amazing writer.”
“She is,” I look down, smiling at her book.
“How do you know each other?”
“Do you want the long or short version, detective?” I smirk at him.
“Either, Melek,” he winks at me.

“Ok, well, while I was working at a publishing house in Brisbane, Blush came across my desk. I sneakily read a couple of the chapters of her unpublished manuscript and instantly fell in love with the story, but I knew it deserved a better publishing house. I made contact with her agent, who reluctantly put me in contact with Laila. I told her that although our publishing house was good, it wouldn’t do her book justice. I put a list together of publishing houses that I knew here and in Australia that would do away better job with her story. We kept in touch throughout the process, and it went from a working relationship to a true friendship.” I smile softly. 

“Laila encouraged me to become my own boss. She knew I wanted to get out of Queensland and work in the US. Being in the industry now with her work published, she had now established relationships all over the US. She put my name out there to everyone in her circle, and before I knew it, I had offers from all over the US coming in. I had no excuse not to pack up and start this new adventure. She’s my best friend and my sister but don’t you ever breathe a word of that to Kay,” I place my finger over my lip, signalling Jonathan to keep my secret.

“Got it!” He says playfully. “When I meet her, I’ll have to say thank you.”
“Why?” I ask curiously.

“Because if she hadn’t given you the push you needed, you never would have moved here, and I would never have met you. That thought makes my heartache.” 

Things grow awkward as Jonathan starts shifting his weight and fidgeting, causing me to let out a giggle.

“What’s so funny, Melek?” He asks nervously.
“Just you getting all awkward and quiet,” I tease.

“I’ll always be awkward around you, Camilla. You’re unbelievably smart and funny and beautiful. I’m worried you’ll realise I’m not good enough, and all this will end,” he says softly as he shifts his weight from one leg to the other.

Awwwwwwww! My inner voice says sweetly.

I turn and place my beer on the bookshelf behind me. Standing on my tippy toes, I wrap my arms around his neck. A smile spreads across his face as his hands wrap around my waist and hold me tight.

I look him in the eyes. “You don’t EVER have to be nervous around me, Jonathan, and I’m DEFINITELY not going anywhere. You are all those things and more,” I give him a reassuring smile and kiss him on the end of his nose. He closes his eyes as he lets out a sigh. I feel him instantly relax at my words. I like that my words have this effect on him.

“Now, feed me,” I pull back from him and wink.
“Yes, ma’am,” he smirks back.

I turn around and place Laila’s book back on the shelf and take my beer. I make my way over to his couch and plop myself down.

My god! This couch is heaven. I think to myself as I sink into it.

“This couch is heaven,” I shout to Jon in the kitchen.
“You should feel the bed,” he chuckles, walking up to me.
“Are you trying to get me into your bed, Detective?” I tease.
“No-” he puts the pizza down on the wicker ottoman. “I-” he stutters.
“I’m just joking, Jon,” I giggle at him.

“Phew, because that wasn’t what I meant at all. It’s just that my mattress is ridiculously comfortable. Makes getting up every day to work hard”. 

Just as he goes to sit down next to me, I jump to my feet and run over to his bed, throwing myself on it.

“Woooo, you’re right, it’s AMAZING!” I say playfully as I feel my body sink into the mattress and his blankets mold around me.

Mmmm, this bed smiles like him. My inner voice purrs.

Jonathan starts laughing hard as I sit upon my elbows and grin at him.

“You are something else, Camilla,” he sighs out between laughing.
“I know,” I reply boastfully as I hop off his bed and plop myself down next to him.
“I like you, Camilla,” he says softly, looking at me.
“I like you too, Jon,” I wink at him.
“Shall we eat?” He gestures towards the pizza on the table.
“Absolutely,” I smile at him.

I pick my plate up and settle back into the couch as Jon sets up the projector and screen.

“What are we watching?” I mumble out between bites of pizza.
“What would you like to watch, Melek?” He asks as he turns to me.
“Hmmm,” I place my plate in my lap and begin to lick my fingers.

What do I want to watch? I think to myself.

“Hold that thought; I’ll get the lights,” he says, walking over and dimming the lights.

Returning to the couch, he sits next to me, placing his arm on the back of the couch 

“Wanna snuggle?” He asks softly.
“Like I would say no,” I reply sarcastically.

Jonathan lets out a soft chuckle as I lean forward and place my plate on the ottoman. 

Wriggling over, I snuggle into him.

“Wait, are you going to eat?” I whisper, looking up at him.
“Of course, it’s right here,” he moves his other arm, and I see his plate sitting on the armrest.
“Good,” I snuggle back in under his chin.

His fingers begin to draw small circles on the shoulder as we flick through the movies he has; it sends chills down my spine and heat to my core.

NOT NOW! I shout to myself.

Let’s play, Cami, my inner voice purrs.

I clench my legs together in an attempt to stifle the feeling I’m getting, and it works for a moment but not completely.

I’ll take what I can get, I think to myself.

“Oh, oh, oh!” I blurt out. “Thor: Ragnarok,” I point at the screen excitedly.
“Is this because of Loki?” he asks sarcastically.
“Yep!” I reply in a boastful tone.
“Not even hiding it?”
“Nope, that man is hot as fuck,” my tone both cheeky and playful.
“Ok, fair enough,” Jon says, chuckling.

I look up at Jonathan; he’s looking at me with a warm smile on his face.

“What?” I ask shyly.

“You’re just so cute, Camilla. You don’t hesitate to say what you’re thinking,” he replies sweetly, “And I just love that about you,” he kisses my forehead.

My cheeks immediately turn bright red. I’ve never had a man look at me or treat me the way he does; sometimes, it doesn’t feel real. As the movie starts, his gaze moves off me and to the screen. We settle in to watch the film, and it’s not long into it that I feel my eyelids grow heavy. I do my best to fight the urge to sleep, but my eyes win the battle. I reach over next to him and grab a pillow, placing it on his lap. I lay down, facing the screen, and curl up. The last thing I remember before my eyes close is Jon playing with my hair.

Art by @konturava.art

2 AM

Rolling over, I stretch out before rubbing my eyes and taking in my surroundings. I fumble around for my phone and find it lying on the side table. Unlocking it, I see it’s 2 AM, and Kay hasn’t messaged me once. Confused, I unlock my phone and open my messages up.

I instantly lay my phone in my lap and search the room for him. Spotting him looking incredibly uncomfortable on his couch, I lock my phone and place it back on the side table. I slip out of his bed and tiptoe over to him. He’s on his back, hands behind his head and a throw blanket just covering him. I sit quietly beside him, admiring him. He looks so peaceful as his chest slowly rises and falls. The tiniest snore slips out, and I stifle a giggle. Reaching over, I lightly brush the hair off his face as he wriggles at the feeling of my hand. I sit there for a few more moments watching him before I lean in, placing my hand on his shoulder, and whisper, “Jon.”

He doesn’t move, so I give him a little shake. “Jon.” He wakes with a start; bolting upright, he grabs me by the shoulders. “Are you ok, Camilla?” His voice dripping with concern.

“Yes, Jonathan. I’m fine,” I smile at him.
“Oh, thank goodness. I thought something had happened,” he sighs in relief.

“No, nothing happened,” I rub his hands in reassurance. “You just don’t look overly comfortable here, and I thought you might want to come to sleep in your bed with me”. 

“What’s the time?” He grabs his phone.
“It’s 2 AM,” I quietly say, standing to my feet.
“I am ok sleeping here, Camilla,” he says quietly.

I put my hand out. “Come to bed?” I smile down at him.

“Are you sure?”
“Mmhmm”

He smiles, nods, and taking my hand; he stands while still being groggy from being woken and follows me to his bed.

We crawl into bed, and at first, he settles on his side of the bed, but I’m not having it.

“Big spoon or little spoon?”
“Pardon?” his tone surprised.
“Big spoon or little spoon?” I repeat my question.

“I-” he stammers. “Whatever makes you comfortable. We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with, Camilla.”
“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t comfortable, Jon,” I smile at him.
“I just don’t want you to feel pressured into anything because I’m here,” he replies nervously.
“I didn’t ask you if you wanted a blow job, Jon. I just asked if you wanted to cuddle,” I tease.

He instantly chokes on his breath; I can’t help but giggle.

This boy doesn’t know what he’s gotten himself into, I think to myself.

“Listen, I like cuddling. So I’ll be the little spoon, and you’re the big spoon,” I wink at him.

He rubs the back of his neck nervously before turning over to face me. “Big spoon it is then, Melek.”

I slide over and wrap myself in his arms. I immediately feel safe and protected. I fit so perfectly, almost as if I was made for him, and he was made for me. I’ve never felt this way in my life. Not once while I was growing up and not at all with any of my boyfriends in the past. Jonathan is the missing part of me, and just by this small gesture, I know this is where I’m meant to be. Jon whispers in my ear, “Goodnight, Melek,” as he kisses the back of my head. I manage to mumble, “goodnight, Jonathan,” as my eyes close.

Sunday morning

Feeling a light kiss on my shoulder, I open my heavy eyes and see Jon looking down at me, softly smiling.

“Good morning, Melek,” he says in a sexy husky morning voice.

I roll over, making sure to stay in his arms. “Morning,” I reply while yawning.
“Did you sleep well?” he asks, laying back and pulling me onto his chest.
“I did, you?”
“Very well,” he says as he begins to play with my hair.
“Mmmmm, you smell good in the morning,” I mumble out.
“Thank you?” He giggles.
I lift my head up and cover my mouth in embarrassment. “Did I just say that out loud?”
“You did, Melek,” he continues to giggle.
I collapse onto his chest. “Oh my God,” I sigh as he wraps his arms around my back and head.
“It’s not funny, Jon,” I replied harshly.
“Oh, stop. It is, and you know it”. 

“Urgh!” I huff out as I roll back onto his chest and begin to giggle. He’s right, it’s not the worst I’ve said, but it’s still embarrassing to know that he knows I’m smelling him.

Idiot! My inner voice snaps at me.

We lay there a little while longer, Jon continuing to play with my hair and me silently cursing at myself.

KNOCK KNOCK
“Are you expecting someone?” I sit up and look at him.

“No,” he says, sitting up and looking at the time on his phone.

KNOCK KNOCK
Jon climbs out of bed, ties his hair back, and does his shirt up.

“Wait here; I’ll get rid of them,” he says, leaning down and kissing my forehead.
“I’ll go to the loo,” I look up at him smiling.
“Ok,” he winks at me as he heads towards his door.

Washing my hands, I can hear a lot of laughing and chatter going on outside the door. I quickly dry my hands, and, opening the door, I look over and see Jon standing next to his dining table, hands in his pockets, buckled over in laughter. It instantly goes quiet as the guest’s eyes meet mine. Jonathan turns around and smiles at me while gesturing for me to come over. I walk nervously over to him; he wraps his arm around my waist and kisses the side of my head.

“Anthony, Angel, this is Camilla,” he says, sweetly looking down at me. “Camilla, this is my partner, Anthony, and his gorgeous sister, Angel,” he winks at Angel.

“Hi,” I say shyly.
“Nice to meet you,” Angel beams at me.

My gaze leaves Jon and darts over to Angel; I instantly catch my breath. She’s absolutely stunning, and her outfit is perfection. She’s wearing a white turtleneck sweater with a gingham tan tweed coat, skinny black jeans with matching nude pumps, and an oversized black bag on her arm. Her hair is in passion twists with little gold clips scattered throughout.

Anthony is just as gorgeous, standing as tall as Jonathan; he’s wearing an oversized v-neck white t-shirt, a wooden rosary bead necklace hanging from his neck, stone wash ripped jeans, and tan boots. He’s a fine specimen but doesn’t hold a candle to Jonathan.

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you finally, Camilla. This idiot hasn’t shut up about you since we did the door knock,” Anthony chimed in, slapping Jon on the shoulder.

“Shut up, Miller,” Jonathan says, batting his hand away.

“Ignore this dumbass, Camilla. He doesn’t know how to shut his mouth,” Angel says, slapping Anthony over the back of his head.

“Hey, woman! That’s sibling abuse,” he whines.
“Yeah, whatever,” Angel huffs, rolling her eyes.

I instantly start laughing at their exchange.

“Anyway, Anthony parked your car back in secure parking, Jonathan.” She reaches into her bag “here are your keys, darling,” she says, pulling them out and handing them to Jon.

“Thank you, gorgeous,” Jon smiles at her.

“Not a problem. Now, if you’ll excuse us, I have to drop this boy home and head into work. We’ll leave you guys to it.” She grabs Anthony by his arm and begins pulling him towards Jon’s door.

“Boy! Did you just call me a boy, sister?” He snaps back. “I can promise you, Camilla, I am all man,” he shoots me a wink.

“Yeah, maybe in your big toe,” Angel sighs, rolling her eyes. “Now move!”
“Oh, come on! We just got here; I wanna chat with Camilla some more,” Anthony whines.

“Move, idiot!” Angels orders, opening the door and shoving him out. “Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, guys,” she calls through the closing door.

“You too, Angel. It was really nice meeting you both,” I call after her as Jon waves goodbye.
“You too, Camilla,” I hear her shout from the hallway.

I turn to Jon, giggling.

“Those are my friends,” he shakes his head.
“I like them,” I smile at him.

“That’s because you haven’t spent enough time with them,” he chuckles, turning and heading into the kitchen. “Hungry?” He calls over his shoulder.

“Always,” I reply, following behind him.