I might have hadone drink too many tonight. In my defense, Aspen just kept refilling my glass. How was I supposed to say no to him? He’s my best friend!
Oh my gods, I have a best friend. When the fuck did that happen?
I turn in my seat, staring over at Kei as he drives. He looks over at me, reaching over and setting a hand on my thigh. I shiver at the simple touch, my chest bursting with affection.
“Baby?”
Kei raises his brow at me. “Yes?”
“Can we get ice cream? Pretty please withsugaon top?”
Kei snorts but turns on his blinker to make a left turn in the direction of the ice cream shop. I smile as I continue to stare at him.
Kei is so handsome. I just want to grab his face and smoosh it between my hands while squealing loudly. Cuteness aggression is real and I have it towards this man.
“Hey, Kei?” Kei hums softly. “I really like Aspen. Did you know he’s my best friend? I’ve never had a best friend before. Not even before Stevey. Isn’t that crazy?”
“I like Aspen too,” he says back, squeezing my thigh. “You’re kinda chatty when you’re drunk. Did you know that?”
“Am not,” I say with a pout. My head swims but I focus on Kei as best as I can. “You’re cute. I wanna squish your face.”
“Thank you,” he says with a chuckle. “I think you’re cute too.”
“Don’t say that! My boyfriend would be jealous.”
“Would he?”
I tilt my head to the side. “Wait, no! He would be fine with it. He says I’m my own person. I get to make decisions all on my own. No more asking for permission! My boyfriend is the best. I’m like super in love with him butdon’ttell him that or it’ll go straight to his head. His head is big enough as it is, thank you very much! He’s way better than Stevey. Have you ever met Stevey?”
Kei makes a little noise at the back of his throat. “I’ve never met Stevey. He sounds like a jackass.”
“He was,” I say seriously, nodding my head. I curl up in my seat, turning fully in Kei’s direction. “He said he was going tomate with me. I dropped out of college and moved in with him when he asked. I had to quit my job too. He promised he would take care of me. I was completely dependent on him and then one day, he threw me away like I was garbage. Turns out, I wasn’t his only partner.”
Kei growls, his hands so tight against my thigh it almost hurts. It’s comforting to know someone cares enough to get mad on my behalf.
“Shiloh,” Kei says once he’s parked the car. He turns towards me, holding my face in his hands. “You don’t have to talk about this right now, okay? I’m glad you told me, but let’s just focus on the two of us tonight.”
“Okay,” I say softly, leaning into his touch. I close my eyes, warmth surging through my body.
“I care about you so much,” Kei says, barely above a whisper. His words wash over me. “I want you to be your own person. I want you to be independent. I want you to have everything. You don’t need anyone to take care of you, but I want to be the one to lift you up and help out however I can. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”
I open my eyes, staring into Kei’s pretty eyes. I smile. “Tell me that in the morning, okay?”
“Okay,” he says, leaning forward and kissing my lips.
I sigh into the kiss. I’ve never felt better. I have a best friend! I have a boyfriend! Nothing could top this.
“Ready to get some ice cream?”
Okay, maybe one thing could top this.
Kei and I get ourselves some ice cream before getting back into his car and driving to my apartment. Kei got himself mint chocolate chip while I got cookie swirl. I can’t stop smiling as we make our way through town.
“Baby?”
“Yes, Shiloh?”
“We should stop for pepperoni pizza. I know that’s your favorite.”
