Page 34 of Perfect Chaos

Her cheeks pinken into a deep blush. Her eyes begin to sparkle with excitement. “It’s actually a dark mafia romance. It’s a little different because the main female character is the mafia boss.”

“It sounds interesting. How far into the book are you?”

“Um, about halfway i think.”

A smile stretches across my face.

Her eyebrows scrunch in confusion. “What’s funny?”

Nothing. I just love how happy you look when you talk about books.”

She turns away from me bashfully. “Oh.”

“I got you something by the way.”

“Really? What is it?” Her voices an octave higher than normal.

She is bouncing with excitement when I pull the box of assorted pastries from behind my back. “I stopped by the bakery we used to always go to and ordered one of everything.”

She lets out a scoff, “You're lying.”

I shake my head as I flip the lid open to show it to her. She stares in disbelief. “Oh my god, you're amazing.” She rises to her toes, planting a swift kiss to my cheek. “Thank you.”

“Of course, I figured these would cheer you up. I know how much you love them.”

“They are perfect.” She opens her mouth again like she is going to say something but shakes her head, dismissing whatever was on her mind. I don’t want to give her the time to lock herself away inside of her own head.

“How about you eat a few while you get dressed? We can stay home if you would prefer that but I have a few things planned I would love to do with you.”

She pauses mid-bite, thinking it over. “Sounds fun, let's do it.” Her words sound funny and jumbled around the food but she is adorable. She quickly finishes two desserts before scrambling to the closet to get ready.

“You don’t have to move so quickly, Chaos. We aren't in any rush.”

“I’m just excited!”

Ten minutes later, she emerges from the closet, out of breath, in a completely different outfit. She is wearing a red-and-black skater skirt with a red tank top. Either she can read my mind or she just so happened to pick the perfect outfit for what I have planned for tonight. Either way, I'm not complaining.

“Ready?”

“Yep. Are you gonna tell me where we are going?”

“Nope. It’s a surprise. You will have to wait to see. Now, let’s go.”

With a suck of her teeth and an eye roll, she stomps down the hall towards the door. I snake her butt playfully. “Will you ever learn you lesson about rolling your eyes?”

She looks at me over her shoulder with a wicked smile. “ Not when i usually enjoy the punishment.”

I can’t help but laugh at her antics. Patience has never been something she was good at; surprises fall into that category. We have three hours to kill and I have a few ideas up my sleeve. Instead of asking her what car she wants to take today, I grab both keys and wait to see which car she walks to first. I trail behind her, not at all surprised that she heads toward the Supra. Unlocking it, I open the passenger door for her to help her inside. The first stop on my plans is only a five-minute drive away. I want to start the day with getting real food in her; she is going to need it.

“A taco truck!” She squeals the words as I put the car into park. She flings the door, scrambling out of her seat before I even have time to turn the car off. Delicious food has always been her weakness; she won't get hungry if it's not something that piques her interest.

A smile breaks out across my face as I get out and walk to where she is enthusiastically rambling her order to the lady in the truck, her hands animatedly moving with her words. I love seeing her so carefree. She is a sight to behold; her energy is contagious; it makes me so damn happy just being around her. I add my food to the order, then pay for everything.

The food comes out quickly. Maizyn has three to-go boxes compared to my one, but I wouldn’t expect anything less. We talk about everything and nothing while we eat. Every so often, she pauses, furrows her brows, then continues like it didn’t happen. Every time she gets lost in thought, I expect her to ask me whatever is on her mind. It’s killing me not to know what is running through her head. I wish she would just ask me something, hell, anything really. There is so much going unsaid between us. It’s not a conversation I want to force her to have, at least not yet. The same process repeats itself. Before I know it, an hour has passed, and all the food we ordered is finally finished.

I collect all of our trash, throwing it into the dumpster before helping her from the bench and grabbing her hand. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I have another place I want to take you to.”

“Are we on some date you didn’t tell me about?”