Locking Down Love

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - Rose

"Fuck, yes!"

Ok, that reaction was a little more enthusiastic than I expected. Maybe he forgot to eat today?

"I know the feeling, I'm starving too." I say through the door and hurry to the kitchen already pulling up the phone number for my favorite pizza shop. I figure a few pizzas with a couple appetizers. Judging from his reaction, I'd say he's famished. Hopefully Kash is a pineapple on the pizza kind of guy, but just in case I order a meat lover's pizza as well.

I'm hanging up my phone when Kash walks out of the bathroom. I pause with my hand still half to my ear, ready to tell him about the array of foods I ordered, when I see he's only wearing a towel. Steam billowing around him, droplets of water glistening down his chest.

My plush purple towel sits low on his hips with his upper body left for my perusal. My eyes drift over the wash board abs I've seen on his prior films. Nope, definitely not photoshopped.

Kash clears his throat pulling me back to the present and out of my lust ridden fantasies. I do make a mental note to somehow steal that towel to sleep with. Not weird at all...

"Uh, yeah," I stammer now looking at the floor. "Food should be here in forty-five minutes. Hope you like pizza."

"Love it." I look back at him and see the hint of a smile playing at his lips. He must see my flushed face because he apologizes. "Sorry for," he gestures to his mostly naked body, "this. I forgot my bag on the spare bed."

"No worries." I squeak out and try to hold his eyes to show him I'm unaffected. "I don't care, do that all you want."

God, shut up Rose.

"I'll keep that in mind." He chuckles. "Feel free to take the same courtesy."

My eyes bulge watching him walk into my spare bedroom. Did he just tell me to walk around in a towel sometime? Was that what the Brit's call cheeky banter? I've been binge watching seasons of Love Island UK and find myself jealous whenever they mention it. It's apparently there way of flirting. It sounds like so much fun.

Now I'm wishing I said something back to keep him in front of me with his body on display. Man, I've seen a lot of juice heads on sets, some killer body's. Kash is leaps and bounds ahead of them all. He isn't bulky, but he isn't scrawny either. I'm sounding like Goldie Locks over here, because he's the perfect freaking size.

"Where do you want me to put the towel?" Kash steps out of the room wearing just a pair of sweats, towel in one hand, tee shirt in the other.

"I'll take it." I hold my hand and he hands it off. "Laundry bin is in my bedroom."

I enter my bedroom across the hall from the spare and notice him follow me inside. Thankfully I made my bed this morning and picked up a bit. I don't like clutter much and generally keep my apartment clean unless I'm super busy on a new movie set.

"You and my sister have identical taste. I feel like I'm back home." Kash walks all the way in my room and sits on the bed. "She'd love it."

"Is she older or younger?" I ask.

"Older. Married with a couple kids."

"So your Uncle Kash? I bet they love you." I prod wanting to know more than what the tabloids spill.

"Yeah, when they get to see me. I've been so busy it's hard for me to get home often. Now with mom in the hospital and my flight days away..." He lets his thought hang in the universe.

I didn't know his mom was in the hospital. That explains why he's been a little grouchy and why he was so upset he couldn't get a flight right away.

"Everything alright?" I walk over and sit next to him on my bed. My body is hyper aware how close together we are. If I moved my leg a few inches it would be touching his.

"Not really." He runs his hand over his tired face and takes a deep breath. "She's not doing well. She tested positive for Covid and she's had a rough go of it."

"I'm so sorry. That must be so difficult. Have you tried other airlines? I could call my dad and get him to fire up his private jet for you. He wouldn't mind." I'm hoping I sound more thoughtful than pretentious.

"The problem is the unusually late snow storm that's hit Massachusetts. No one's flying there for a bit." He turns and looks into my eyes. I'm captivated, it's like he's showing me the real Kash. "You're really sweet, you know that? You offer me your home, then a solution to fly me home. Rose, you're a rare commodity in this life."

I know he's right. Most people are only here for themselves. Using who they can to move on in their career. Sleeping around strategically to get the next big part. I learned early on I didn't want to be like that. Being around movie sets my whole life I've seen my fair share of users and abusers. Some to my dad, some to me, some to my friends. You have to have thick skin and a good judge of character to make it here.

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing Rose."

Kash lifts his hand and cradles the side of my face. His eyes wander from my lips to my eyes and I find myself doing the same. In this moment, in this room, it's just me and him. No PA's, no interruptions, no excuses.

We may have gotten off to a rocky start the first day we met, but through our makeup sessions and through today, I've seen glimpses of the real Kash Kerrick.

I will for him to do it. Kiss me Kash.