“Oh, I almost forgot. I have a surprise for you.”
He pulls the blanket off his body and then disappears into the kitchen.
“What kind of surprise?” I ask with a shaky voice.
His head pokes out from around the wall. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, fine. Good.”
His whole body comes into view, and he crosses his arms.
“Natalie Miller.”
“I’m good. I swear. It’s just … I’ve missed hanging out like this,” I say. “The past few weeks have ... I’ve been really happy.” It’s not a lie per se, but it’s very clearly not what I was thinking at this moment or even what’s close to being on my mind.
“Yeah, me too.” He smirks and disappears again.
Which is good because I clearly need the time to get my shit together.
He’s. Your. Best. Friend.
I hear the freezer door open and then a cupboard slam shut, followed by the rattle of the silverware drawer. Then, Tobias walks toward me with a rare smile, one that I usually see only when he’s talking to Grandma Betty, and it’s one of my favorites from him.
He returns with two mugs with handles and two spoons. A pint of ice cream sits perfectly in each one.
“What is that?” I perk up on the couch and try to peek.
“Ice cream in a mug,” he says as if it’s the simplest thing in the world.
“Oh my god. I’ve seen this online but never thought to try it.”
“Me too, but I knew you’d love it, so I packed them just in case before we left, and here we are.”
“Just in case we needed ice cream?”
He laughs.
“Or in case we had time to just ourselves. We have both been busy with our jobs and writing, so I was hoping we would get a downtime moment like this. Just us.”
“Just us,” I repeat. “I like that.”
There is no one like Tobias. This much is true. What if I just give in and the tension I feel between us goes away? Everything goes back to how it was but better because I get to kiss him and touch him all I want.
What if it could be good?
“But what if you ruin it?”
“What?” Tobias asks.
“Huh?”
“What if you ruin what?”
Oh, shit. Did I say that part out loud?
“Nothing. What?”
He lets out the biggest groan and sets his ice cream down. I do the same.
