Page 84 of Finding My Charming

“I’m beginning to realize there are very few things I wouldn’t do for you.”

I could feel my face heat at his words, and I prayed he wouldn’t notice.

“I haven’t asked you those random questions just for fun. I wanted to get to know you. The real you.”

I looked at him, confused.

“You’re great at putting on a front. I was hoping that by catching you off guard, I’d be able to catch glimpses of the real Elise.”

“And? Did you?”

“Yeah. I think I did. I learned that you’re practical and responsible, but you’re also funny and spontaneous. I know that your first impression of me was not a good one, but you changed your mind pretty fast.”

I rolled my eyes at his cocky smile. “You’re not as bad as I first thought.”

He laughed and collected our trash before jumping to his feet. Before I could say a word, he was walking away toward the closest trash bin. He returned with a more relaxed expression.

“Did you guys just talk about school?” He was changing the topic.

“No, we talked about my sisters and fashion. Lots of trying on clothes, and her telling me what looked good and what didn’t and why.”

He smirked. “Sounds awful.”

“You’re a guy, so of course you have to say that.”

“That’s because shopping is the worst activity on earth. I’m pretty sure I’d rather get my wisdom teeth pulled again than spend the day at the mall.” He shuddered, making me break out in laughter.

When I calmed down, I debated telling him about our other major discussion. He knew I’d been on dates with someone else, but he’d never really brought it up.

“She gave me plenty of good advice besides just shopping.”

“Like?”

This was it. I took a small breath and put on a smile. “Love, relationships, dealing with men, that sort of thing.”

That seemed to pique his interest, but he barely gave it away. “What advice did your grandma have for you on that? Tell you not to date until you’re thirty?”

I laughed and shook my head. “No actually. She was encouraging me to get over my fears and go after the guy.”

He was now staring at his hands in his lap, so I couldn’t see his face well enough to guess what he was thinking.

“And is that what you’re going to do?”

“I want to, but I’m not very good at being brave.”

“Elise, any guy you are interested in would be the luckiest guy on earth. He should know that, but if he didn’t, I’m sure it wouldn’t take long for him to come around.”

“But what if I didn’t know him really well?”

“You don’t need to know every detail about someone to have real feelings for them.”

“I doubt he’s thought about me as anything other than a friend.”

“Then he’s an idiot.”

I laughed at Dallin’s bluntness, and he finally turned slightly and looked at me. “I’m serious. Any guy you decide is worthy of your heart but doesn’t realize it is a complete idiot.”

“You really think so?”