“No, but I’ll walk you to your car,” he responded.
“You know you don’t have to.”
“I know, but I want to,” he said, and I felt a flutter in my stomach. There was no more threat from Braden, so he didn’t need to do it for safety, so the fact that he wanted to gave me a self-esteem boost.
“What are you doing next weekend?” he asked as we made it to my car. “Will you have dinner with me Sunday night?”
Oh my God, it was happening!
Quick, say yes before he changes his mind or you say something stupid again.
“Yes, I’d love to.”
Nailed it.
“Great.” He smiled at me as though my response meant he’d won some big prize. “Is six p.m. okay to pick you up?”
I was just about to respond that six was a great time, when I suddenly remembered what Sunday was.
“Oh, shoot. I forgot I have plans with my parents on Sunday, and it’s kind of a big deal.” Not letting this opportunity go away, I was quick to offer a solution.
“What about Saturday night instead?” I asked him, hoping he didn’t have anything else planned.
“Saturday is great.” He smiled even bigger. “I was afraid Saturday might not work for you since you have to work at the bakery, but we can do later if you want. Around seven?”
I wanted more time with him, not less, so I negotiated a better time. “Actually, six would be better.”
It wasn’t, because that would only give me one hour to get ready, but I wanted to maximize our date, so I would make it work.
“Then I’ll see you at six,” he said and then stared at me for a few seconds.
I thought he might kiss me—certainly hoped he would—but he remained still.
“I’m looking forward to it.” I smiled at him, hoping my enthusiasm would help teeter him over the edge if he was debating whether to kiss me or not.
Just as I was about to give up hope, he leaned in and put his hand behind my head, his fingers sifting through my hair as his lips touched mine.
A shiver ran down my spine, and my muscles turned to jelly. I put my hands on his chest to stabilize myself as I tasted the salty goodness—left by his French fries, no doubt. Before I could run my lips along his to get a better taste, he pulled back, ruining my planned exploration of his mouth.
I opened my eyes and blinked, staring into his gorgeous eyes for a few moments in order to catch my breath.
“I liked that,” I whispered to him, causing his lip to twitch.
“I liked it also,sötnos.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, staring up at him.
He may have pulled his lips off of mine, but his hand was still gently curved around the back of my neck. He gave it a bit of a squeeze before leaning down to kiss my forehead.
“It means sweetheart.”
Oh, wow.
Sweetheart.
My insides instantly melted, my brain turned to mush, and I was pretty sure the cheesiest smile appeared on my face.
“I’ll see you Saturday at six.” He pulled away and walked three spaces over to his car.
