Page 28 of Only Be Mine

My breath caught. That hit too close to places I didn’t let people touch.

I swallowed. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know enough,” he said quietly. “I know you act like you don’t care, but you care about everything. I know you keep moving so you don’t have to sit still with your thoughts. I know you’ve been watching the door since you got here.”

I went still, because he was right.

And because no one had ever seen me like that and stayed gentle about it.

“I’m not trying to trap you,” he added, voice low. “I’m not asking you for a promise. I’m just asking if you want to keep seeing me.”

My pulse tripped.

My brain scrambled for an exit.

One night. A little fun. Simple.

But the way he looked at me made “simple” feel like a cheap substitute for something real.

“I don’t know,” I whispered, because the truth was terrifying.

John nodded like that was an acceptable answer. Like uncertainty wasn’t rejection.

“I can work with that,” he said.

I blinked. “Work with that?”

He smiled. “Yeah. I can be patient.”

The word scraped against my ribs like it didn’t belong in my life. And then, without thinking, I said the most reckless thing I could possibly say. “What do you want from me, John?”

He didn’t even flinch. He leaned back slightly, eyes steady. “I want to take you out.”

I just stared at him.

“Like… dinner,” he clarified, amused. “A real date. If you’ll let me.”

A laugh escaped me, breathy and disbelieving. “You’re asking me on a date.”

“Yes.”

“In this day and age,” I said.

His grin widened. “Wild concept, I know.”

I took a sip of my drink to buy myself some time, but my hands shook a little.

“I don’t do dates,” I said.

John’s gaze softened again. “Then don’t call it a date.”

“What do I call it?”

He tilted his head. “Call it… me wanting to spend time with you on purpose.”

My chest tightened. He wanted to spend time with me. Not because we bumped into each other. Not because a dog tackled me. Not because the universe decided.

But because he wanted to.