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We walked over thick brownish-orange shag to the two-seater red plaid couch I’d recently covered in a soft grey slipcover to improve the look of things.
“You didn’t need to get me a gift.” The weight of it was heavy, almost with an expectation of what it all meant.
“I wanted to. That’s the joy of giving a gift.” His gaze fell to the package in my hands. “What are you waiting for? Open it.”
“Okay.”
I tore the paper and stared at the cardboard box. It was a picture frame. Feeling there was more to it than just that, I opened the box and pulled out the black metal crisscross frame. The frame itself was lovely, but it was the picture in the middle that stole my breath. It was of the two of us, taken with his phone. I remember obliging him with the photo, but that was it. However, as I stared at the less-than-flattering version of myself, looking grey and green, and the megawatt grin on Landon’s face, I noticed something behind us.
“Is that?” I touched the whale with my finger.
“Yes, that’s a grey whale.”
“It’s bobbing.”
“Spy hopping, yes.”
That was cool. He’d never mentioned anything about the whale photo bombing us, or maybe I’d been too scared to have really looked or to have heard him.
“Thank you. It’s really sweet.” I held it to my chest for a moment, before pulling it away to stare at it once more. My first framed picture of me… with anyone.
“You like?”
“I do.” A genuine smile stretched out my lips. “It’s a day I’ll never forget.”
“And now you have photographic proof of conquering your fears.”
“Not sure I conquered it, but sure.” I rose and cleared a space on my bookshelf, setting it up beside a stack of second-hand cozy mysteries. “There. It’s perfect.”
Never in a million years did I think I’d be the girl who’d proudly display a photo with a guy, and yet here I was staring at it, knowing it was the best addition to my living room yet.
Internally, I shook the thoughts away. Yes, I had feelings, but they were a swirl ofyes, I think I want thisandno, I think he could better – much better.It was a strange feeling. Did everyone have such doubts and apprehensions at the start of their – well, whatever this was?
“Listen, Landon, we need to talk.” A painful sigh fell out with my words as I sat back on the couch.
He paled slightly but didn’t move from his spot.
“I’m going to be upfront with you because I feel as if I’ve been leading you on.” I crossed my legs.
“You haven’t.”
“But maybe, I have.”
Watching his face morph from easy-going one moment to a look that screamed like he was bracing himself for some really bad news was hard to see. How awful was it that I was about to do the latter?
“I’m not a relationship kind of person. It’s just not how I was raised, and to be honest, I don’t know the first thing about being in a proper one. We didn’t have emotional attachments to material possessions.” I inhaled, watching as questions flicker behind his gaze. They outweighed the weight of his sigh. “Or to people.”
“Are you a Jedi or something?”
“I don’t know what that is. Is that a religion?”
He stared like he wasn’t sure if I was serious or not. “Not in…” His perfect nose scrunched. “Really?”
I shook my head. “I had a different upbringing than most.”
“I’m starting to see that.” He rubbed my leg as the vee between his brows deepened into a crevasse. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t try to be together, right? It can’t be that hard. I’m already drawn to you and have been for a long while. It just took some courage to speak up and ask you out.”
I swallowed, unsure of what trying a relationship even meant. And wait? He’d been after me for a while? That little tidbit of information made my heart soar. I’d never been someone who was sought after, at least not like that. This was all so… new. Scary, and exciting, and totally unexpected.
