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My heart leaps into my throat. God, I’ve wanted him to say these things for so long. To make sure I’m not dreaming or misheard, I ask for clarity.
“Me? Really?”
He shrugs, then takes a deep breath. “Harlow, we spend a lot of time together, but this isn’t easy for me to say. I’ve been thinking a lot and need to tell you some things. Since I met you, my life—”
Ting, ting.
Ugh!
“One second,” I say, panicked, and rush to silence my phone. On the screen, another text.
Evan: Remember this? Found it in an old box.
Evan: Picture of a small bookend statue.
It’s a pair of crocodiles in love, a male and female. Evan gave it to me on our first date. I thought it was so sweet and cute.
Evan: We were so young.
It was only three years ago, but I get his point.
Quickly, I turn off the notifications and set my phone down. When I look up, Killian is setting down his own phone, then gives me a death stare from under his brow.
“Sorry, sorry. I turned it off. What were you saying?”
He doesn’t skip a beat.
“I like a girl I can trust.”
“Oh.”
The air thickens.
“I’ve been cheated on before,” he adds.
I nod slowly. “That’s terrible.”
Just then, our food is served, but the tension doesn’t ease.
I take a leap of faith.
“I won’t cheat on you, Killian. I want you to know that.”
It’s a bold statement. We haven’t talked about exclusivity. It’s literally a first date.
“Uh, I mean, if we were together. I would never cheat on you.”
His shoulders loosen but he still seems guarded.
We continue talking. It’s easy, but he avoids going back to that moment, which is really disappointing. I bring it up once. Then twice.
“It was nothing,” he assures, completely unfazed. “How’s school?”
I frown and shrug. “I have to pay next semester’s tuition by Friday. Other than that, things are going well. I got an A on my last two tests.”
I leave out the part that I only have half the money for tuition. Maybe I should sell the car. I could get a cheaper model and have plenty left over.
“Good job on the tests,” he says with sincerity.
