Good news! Evan’s fever is down and he’s able to understand questions – A
That’s great. So he’s off the vent? – B
Not yet, but they hope soon – A
He’s awake? On the vent? – B
My brows furrow as I try to understand what she’s saying. I’d always assumed those who were on a ventilator were kept sedated, so this is news to me to hear that Evan’s alert while still being intubated.
She said he can respond by blinking, so that must be the case. I don’t know much about the specifics. – A
Okay. I was just wondering. Still, it sounds like good news. – B
Yeah, her post is def hopeful. – A
Good. Thanks for keeping me in the loop. – B
Of course – A
“Hey, babe,” Xander says, coming in the door right as I toss my phone on the coffee table.
He goes straight to the sink and washes his hands for an extended period of time before taking off his mask and tossing it in the special box I have near the front door. He’s already kicked his shoes off outside, and he pulls his sweater over his head and tosses it in the box with the mask.
I whistle as he strips down to his white undershirt and jeans. He winks and adds an extra strut in his step as he makes his way past me, heading directly for the shower. Even though he only works around the vineyard, he still has minimal contact with two off-site workers, Frank and Donald, so we take all the necessary precautions to keep us all safe.
I go to the kitchen and turn on the oven before opening the fridge and pulling out a boxed pizza. Then I place it on a sheet pan and pop it inside the stove. Next, I move to the game shelf and pull down the checkerboard. Not the most exciting game, but Xander and I tend to find a way to make everything fun.
“Something smells good,” Xander says, coming from the hall wearing nothing but a pair of PJ pants. “Oh,” he muses, his eyes twinkling. “Someone wants to play, I see.”
My thirsty eyes gobble him up. “Maybe.” I jump from the sofa and head to the kitchen, taking the barely cooked pizza from the oven. Who cares if the crust isn’t quite brown enough? “I thought we could make it interesting,” I say, bringing a platter with the pizza and two cans of coke. “Every time I take one of your pieces, I also get to take a piece of your clothes.”
“Strip checkers?” he asks, chuckling. “And what about when I take your pieces?”
“Same.” I lay the tray of pizza on the table and grab a pillow from the sofa to sit on the floor on the other side of the coffee table.
“Obviously I’m at an unfair advantage,” he says, motioning to his bare chest. “Only one item of clothes for me is hardly fair.”
I lick my lips at the thought of there being nothing beneath his PJs. “Maybe we should just skip the game altogether?”
He smirks, lifting a sinful brow. “Well, you are a sore loser.”
My jaw falls open. “Oh, it’s on now!” I reach over and make my first move, a double jump since that’s allowed.
Xander’s teasing eyes remain on me as he leans forward and pushes his black circle only one space forward. “How much longer before you flip the board and jump me?”
I want to scream at yell and tell him there’s no way I’d do that. That I’m going to kick his ass and strip him bare with my mad checker skills. But it isn’t true. I’m barely hanging on by a thread.
Screw the pizza.
Screw the game.
I want naked Xander more.