"And?"
"I used to draw. When I was younger. I fancied myself an artist." I shook my head. "That was a long time ago."
Kim studied me with those dark eyes. Like she was seeing something she hadn't expected.
"Okay," she said. "One more thing."
"What?"
"Nicknames." The word came out slightly strangled. "Couples have nicknames for each other. If your family expects us to be in love, we need..."
She trailed off, clearly uncomfortable. Her cheeks were pink. She wasn't meeting my eyes. I, on the other hand, was having the time of my life.
"You're right. We need pet names." I wiggled my eyebrows.
"Right." She cleared her throat. "So. What should I call you?"
"Hm." I pretended to think. "How about 'stud muffin'?"
Her eyes flew to my face. "Absolutely not."
"'Love nugget'?"
"No."
"'Snookums'? 'Honey bunches'? 'My little…'"
"Xavier." Her voice was strangled. "Be serious."
"I am being serious." I was grinning now, couldn't help it. "This is important. We need to establish our romantic vocabulary. How about 'darling'? That's classic."
"Fine. Darling." She said it like it tasted bad.
"And I'll call you..." I let the pause stretch out, watching her squirm. "'Angel.' No, wait. 'Princess.' No, that's too?—"
"Just pick something normal."
"'Sweetheart'?" I suggested.
She nodded stiffly. "Fine. Sweetheart."
"Say it."
"What?"
"Say it. Call me darling. I want to hear how it sounds."
Her jaw tightened. Her cheeks flushed darker. For a moment, I thought she might actually throw something at me.
"Darling," she said flatly.
"That was terrible. You sounded like you were reading a tax form. Try again. With feeling."
"Xavier…"
"Come on, sweetheart." I leaned back, enjoying myself immensely. "We need to practice."
She took a breath. Closed her eyes. When she opened them, something had shifted. Her expression softened. Her voice dropped into something almost tender.
