Chapter 6

I clutched my knees, trying to take deep breaths. My body burned. It was pulling closer to the performance, Madam was trying to kill us, and some of us still haven't gotten over our stage fright. I being one of them, the days leading up to a performance, I get nervous and on edge. However, when those lights are on, and the music starts playing, I zone out on the stage and give it my best. I walked over to my position after Madam told us to start again. I'm going to have to bury my body in ice this evening.

" Hey-" I said as I walked into the fragranced apartment. Dallas was cooking? What's going on?

" Something smells great." I sad and dropped my bags on the couch and walked over to the kitchen to kiss him.

" Hey, hun." He said and gave me a peck.

" Are you okay?" I asked, trying to look into the pot, trying to figure out what he was cooking.

" I'm fine; why?" I asked and raised an eyebrow, then looked from the pot to him. He rarely cooks; in fact, I remember him cooking a handful of times since we've been together. Most of them being because he messed up or because I forced him to.

"Your cooking, without me forcing you to," I said and scratched the side of my head in confusion. He chuckled and pushed me slightly with his hip. I smirked and hugged him resting my head on his still shoulder. Watching as he tossed the bell peppers and other veggies together.

" What are you making?" I muttered into his shoulder, kissing it after my sentence.

" I am making steak and veggies with a side of sweet potatoes, I don't know if tour eating dessert tonight, but I have a PB&J chia seed pudding in the fridge." He stated I pulled away, looking at him like he was going crazy.

" Babe, are you sure you ok?" I questioned. He made dessert as well.

" I'm fine; go get ready for dinner." He said. I nodded and pulled away from him, grabbing my bags and heading to the closet to discard my sweaty clothes. I stood still when I realized the hamper was empty and my clothes were neatly arranged the way I want them to. I ran and opened my underwear drawer; he even did my underwear. What did he do?

" Hey-" I screamed, cutting off his sentence. I clutched my chest and tried to regulate my breathing; I was so lost in thought I didn't hear him walk into the closet.

" What is wrong with you?" He asked. I shook my head then looked down at his hands that had my bucket of ice and water for my feet. Ok, something is defiantly up.

" What did you do, Dallas?" I asked, dreading the answer. Did he cheat on me? Was I too distant since the incident a few weeks ago? I tried being more touchy-feely with him. We even had sex recently. Did he still feel like I wasn't emotionally here? Could he tell from our last time being intimate? I tried putting my all, and I thought he was okay with it; I mean, he came and looked quite pleased. Did I say something to trigger him? Did he go to someone else for his needs?

" Azalea, fix your face and get out of your head." He said and put the bucket down, and walked over to me. I watched his movements intensely; I know something is going on. He pulled me towards him and kissed my forehead.

" What happened?" I asked. He pulled away from me and sighed. I could feel tears pricking at the back of my eyes. I'm going to lose him, aren't I? I became a burden, and now he's trying to let me down nicely. Is this it? Did I become too much?

" The facts that you're asking me what happened is what happened, Az." He said; I looked at him with confusion.

" You deserve better, and I'm going to try and be better for us." He said. What the hell is he talking about.

" I don't get what you mean, Dallas, better how... was this about that night a few weeks ago?" I questioned. He sighed and bit his lip, hanging his head.

" You said we weren't going to mention that night again, that it didn't happen." He said, picking up the bucket and heading to the bathroom. I walked behind him, trying to get an answer.

" I'm trying to believe it didn't happen, but with you acting like this, it's hard not to think about it," I said

" What do you even mean, acting like what?"

"Like your guilty of something, did you cheat on me or something recent?" I asked, getting frustrated.

" Why would you even go there? I would never cheat on you; I'm just trying to be a better boyfriend. Is that so hard to believe? " He said, sounding despondent. I stopped in my tracks, feeling like crap.

" I didn't cheat on you, and nothing recent happened. Am I sorry about that night and will forever feel guilt for it? Yes, but am I trying to move from it and grow our relationship into a healthy symbiotic one? yes." He said. I sighed and tried to relax my mind.

" I'm sorry," I said, feeling like a crazy girlfriend.

" There's no need to apologize, and I can see how this sudden change can be misleading ." I nodded at his statement. He smiled and walked me over to the shower, making me sit on the bench that's attached to the wall. I watched as he removed my flats, rolled up my leggings, and placed my feet into the bucket.

" Is the stove still on?" I questioned, not knowing what else to say at that moment. He smiled and shook his head no.

" I turned it off and put everything in the oven, so they remain warm." He stated as he got up and walked over to the tub. He turned on the water and started pouring my favorite soap into the bath. I stared at this alien of a man, watching him move with grace as he lit my candles. After he was finished making my bath, he disappeared into our bedroom. I rested my head against the tiled shower. I tried to calm my racing mind. I tried to stop finding a reason for his actions and take his words as the truth and nothing but the truth.

" Finished ?" I heard and felt a tap on my leg; I slowly opened my eyes. I slid up against the wall. I have no idea when I fell asleep.

" How long was I out?" I questioned.

" Not long, maybe five minutes." He said; I nodded and pulled my feet from my bucket, smiling as I dumped it over and placed it outside the shower. I grasped his hand and followed as he led me to the tub. I lightly chuckled and went to pull my top off when Dallas stopped me. I gave him a quizzical look. He pulled my hands away from my shirt before lifting it off himself. I watched him intently as he moved behind me, his hands lightly moving over my skin. I took a deep breath as goosebumps trailed after his ghostly touch.

" Dall-"

" Shh, let me take care of you." He whispered, cutting off my words. I nodded and tilted my head when he kissed below my earlobe.

" You're. Going. To. Let. Me? " He questioned, trailing kissing from the base of my neck to my bra strap. He slowly removed the straps before making his way to unclip my brassiere. A slight moan left my lips as his slightly cold hands cupped my breast, making my nipples harden at the sudden change of temperature. He kissed my empty back trailing his way to the edge of my leggings; he bit the base of my bag, making me slightly jump and release a shudder. He removed his hands from my breast and slowly lowered my leggings and underwear. I stepped out of the garments waiting for him to tell me what to. I jumped when I felt a slight smack on my bottom; I turned around and came face to face with his handsomely sculpted Carmel tone faced. I pulled him into me and moaned as his plump, soft lips caressed mine. He bit my lip before pulling away; I followed his distancing lips, not wanting to leave them.

" Dinner is going to get cold." He stated. I rolled my eyes before pouting.

" That's why we have a microwave," I said with a smirk. He smiled and grabbed my shoulders, turning me around and slightly pushing me towards the tub. My shoulders drop, and I jutted out my lips to show my animated disapproval. He laughed at my actions, which in turn make me laugh as I made my way into my bath.

" I'm going to turn the oven back on so everything will be hot and ready when you're done." He said before laying a loving kiss on my forehead. I smiled and nodded, enjoying the feel of the bubbles embracing my tired and overworked body.

*****************

I pulled my hair from its confinements of my bun. I sighed while rubbing my finger through the roots of my hair, loosening whatever tensions were there. I quickly brushed it out, trying to remove the upturned curls at the tip of my hair. After getting most of it straight, I walked out of our bedroom and headed to our dining table. I smiled at the table; he had candles and rose petals decorating or normally drab black table cloth. I smiled as he looked up from his phone, watching me approach the table. Dallas quickly placed his phone down and got up from his seat. I giggled as his eyes kept running over my body. I purposely wore his favorite dress, which was a lace long-sleeved bodycon dress. Stopping at my mid-thigh with a black bralette and high-waisted skirt, leaving my upper stomach and cleavage exposed, sewn under the lace. It should take enough skin to pique your interest but modest enough to be worn publicly.

" Thank you," I said as he pulled out my chair. He nodded and kissed my cheek before moving back to his seat.

" You look-wow," He said, smiled, and responded with a thank you. I don't know why this specific dress gets him so riled up, but I enjoy his reactions the rare times I wear it.

" I'm excited to dig in," I said, slowly licking my lips, purposefully maintaining eye contact. He slowly raised his eyebrow and smirked, smiled, and gave him a wink before grabbing my fork to do just that. Halfway through dinner and light conversation, I started feeling mischievous again. I wonder how much I can push him before he breaks. I waited until he placed his fork in his mouth before slowly brushing my foot up his leg, traveling at snail's pace to my final destination. I smirked at his shocked face, his eyes going wide as he quickly removed the fork. I nonchalantly went back to eating as my feet kept rubbing him through his pants. He grabbed my foot; his breathing increased as he stared at me with nothing but lust in his eyes.

" You keep that up, and I'll be having you for the rest of my dinner, my dessert, and my midnight snack." He said as he caressed my leg. I looked him over before biting my lip.

" You promise?" I asked and smiled at his light chuckle. I shifted a bit in my seat, already turned on by the idea of what is stored for me.

" Come here." He said and tapped my leg, signaling I should move it. I dropped my leg and moved from my seat. I gracefully walked over to him, keeping enough distance between us; he pushed back his chair and reached his hand out for me. I pulled away slowly, teasing him just a little longer. He raised his eyebrow before sitting up and grabbing my hand firmly, pulling me towards him. His hands ran over my hips and down my thighs before ascending my legs and gripping my ass in his hands. I released a breathy moan and held his face in my hands, tracing his lips and cheeks.

I moved to straddle him, ensuring that my dress rode up to my lack of undergarments. He groaned at the image and pulled me into him, causing me to rub against him, the slight movement making me tingle. He squeezed my thighs before trapping my lips with his. I kissed him back with nothing but lust and want. I wanted him; I wanted him so bad. The images of our past sexual encounters and the ones to come race through my mind, making me feel lost in lust.

" I want you so bad." I moaned out against his lips before taking his bottom lip between my teeth then sucking to soothe it. His hands tighten on my ass at the action and lift me as he stood. I latched my legs around him, kissing my way to his ears. I released a soft moan, smiling as I felt a twitch from him against me. I'm going to enjoy tonight; I thought as we entered our bedroom.