She swallowed her mouthful of food and shook her head. “No, I just… I mean I like it, I just… I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone other than Molly call me a pet name before. Cleo’s a pretty short and sweet name…”
“It’s how we started. It’s something that’s ‘just us,’ y’know? I like how it makes your cheeks go pink.” He stroked his thumb across the apple of her cheek. Leaning closer to nip at her ear lobe, he enjoyed the small shiver that rippled through her. “Are you a competitive person, Lizzy?” He kissed her neck just below her ear.
She licked her lips, nodding, and wiped her fingers on the napkin draped over her thigh before jabbing a finger into his chest. “Yeah, I am. And I can’t wait to kick your ass.”
Chapter 20
Cleo
Cleo dipped the scrunched up napkin into the iced water and dabbed it on the buffalo sauce on Linc’s shirt. He chuckled, eyes lighting up with amusement. “You know this is it now, right?”
She frowned. “What is?”
“This happens at every meal. Without fail, something lands on my shirt. If you start mopping me up now, you’re going to have to do it forever.”
Forever.
Her heart juddered. Did he just say forever?
He barely knew her. He had to be joking but she couldn’t bring herself to meet his stare and find out. She hadn’t ever given much thought to being with someoneforever.
School preoccupied most of her thoughts, and when she allowed herself to daydream about the future she was always alone. Sure, she had the same binder of wedding designs that every other little girl dreamed of, but she hadn’t picturedtheguy standing next to her.
Surprisingly, the idea of a long-term thing with Linc didn’t traumatize her.
“Forever’s a very long time, Lincoln. Let’s try getting through this semester first, yeah?”
His smile was genuine and warm. “Sure, but I can already tell you, a semester won’t be enough.”
The wet napkin rested on her thigh, seeping through the fabric. “Awfully deep conversation for a first date, wouldn’t you say, Mr. Darcy?”
A server came to clear plates and presented Linc with the check. She fought to pay her way but he didn’t relent. “I guess I don’t feel like this is a first date, Miss Bennet. We’ve been talking for a while now. We’ve had virtual dates. I know you. I know I want to be with you.”
The server took the check away, leaving them to finish their drinks. She pulled a leg up on the bench of the booth and tucked her left foot against her right thigh, creating space between them as though it would help her think straight. She wasn’t usually one to be affected by proximity to a boy, but heat crept across her chest and up her neck and she was suddenly parched.
“What do you know about me?”
“I know you’re a Sagittarius, birthday’s November 24th. Favorite color: red. Favorite food: caldo del res. Favorite drink: tea. Favorite snack: Sour Patch Kids. You’re right handed and have a very peculiar obsession with stationery. You have the biggest collection of notebooks, a bunch of that tape stuff…” He clicked his fingers and scrunched his face up.
“Washi tape?”
“Yes! You have more washi tape and journals and planners and pens than I’ve ever seen. Like there could be a stationery apocalypse someday and you might need to provide the entire universe with supplies lest they perish. But they are ‘too good to use’ so you just stare at them with lust in your eyes rather than cracking one open to write in it.” He picked up her hand and laced their fingers together.
“You love cats, not dogs, you like to cook, but can’t bake for shit.Pride and Prejudiceis your favorite book. There’s onlyoneMr. Darcy – on pain of death – and it’s Colin Firth. You secretly love romantic fantasy books and your favorite author is Clare Sager. I can see why. Vice is a badass. I know you write stories that you think suck. Your mom is a history professor at the U, your dad’s a dentist, and you’re an only child. You told me once you’re an enneagram one-wing-two, but I have no idea what that is, only that enneagram is a hard word to say, so you better be giving me bonus points for that shit.”
Her brain raced as quickly as her thumping heart, trying to process everything he’d said. Warmth spread through her as she held up a hand. “Wait… you… readVice?”
He opened his mouth, sucked in a dramatic deep breath after talking so fast, snapped it shut, and nodded. “Was I not supposed to? I got curious. You’re so…”
She steeled her spine and clenched her teeth, readying herself for whatever derogatory thing was about to come out of his mouth.
“Serious? Guarded? When you said you read romantic fantasy it piqued my interest. What could draw this mysterious and scholastic woman out of her thoughts and into a realm of magic and fae? I wasn’t at all surprised to find the kick-ass pirate queen. Though let’s be honest, Barnacle is totes my favorite character.”
Her breathing returned to normal. “I feel like I’m being punked right now.”
“Iknowthings about you Lizzy, and I know you. What’s more, you not onlyknowthat I know you, but you know me too.”
“That’s a lot of knowing.”
