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“How are you not famous all over the world yet? I mean, who do I need to speak to? Is there an art manager somewhere? Give me their number.”
Laughter flies out of me, and I quickly blink away the tears in my eyes. Closing the distance between us, I walk up next to him and look down at my paintings with him. I’m usually the person most critical of my own work and sometimes hate everything I do. But glancing up at Ryan’s face as he stares down in awe at my pieces makes them my favorite things I’ve ever done.
“I’m really sorry, Danica,” Ryan speaks quietly after a few minutes, my heart fluttering in my chest when he says my name again and with the sincerity in his voice.
I turn my head away from my paintings again to find him looking at me, and I bump my shoulder against his. “I know. You already apologized the other night,” I remind him.
The corner of his mouth tips up, along with his eyebrows. “You actually remember something from the other night?”
Closing my eyes with a groan, I bring one of my hands up and drop my face into it. “I remember every. Stupid. Second,” I mutter. “For the record, I don’t drink like that—ever.Those women are insane. If you could just not make eye contact with me for the next five to seven business days, that would be great.”
Ryan laughs, and the sound warms up everything inside me that froze as soon as we started talking about this.
“Only on business days? So Saturdays are a go for you telling me I smellyumand stripping in the living room? Got it.” Ryan chuckles, throwing my words back at me from the night we were texting during his first autocorrect fail. “Can’twaitfor Saturday then!”
Is he… flirting with me?
The next words out of his mouth are so quiet I barely hear them.
“And if your pants happen to come off as well, that would be wonderful.”
Slowly pulling my hand away from my face, I find Ryan looking at me with his mouth dropped open.
“Did I say that last part out loud?” he whispers.
I just nod, not knowing if I want to laugh or rip my pants off right now.
“I didn’t mean that. Okay, fine, I did,” he quickly amends, a smile on my face starting to grow when his cheeks get red as he continues to ramble. “I don’t like keeping secrets, so you should probably also know I looked when you took your sweatshirt off, but it was only for like, five seconds. Fine, it was more like twenty, but you’rereallypretty and super hot, and I couldn’t help it, but I covered my eyes as soon as I remembered how to breathe and use my arms again. Can I ask you something?”
The speed in which he changes subjects afterthatstartling admission makes my head spin, but I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face right now if I tried.
“Oh, please do.” I nod. “I can’t wait to hear what’s going to come out of your mouthnext.”
He rolls his eyes at my teasing, but he laughs right along with me. And then he suddenly gets quiet and nervous again, running one of his hands through his hair. “Go on a date with me.”
I can’t help it. I gasp.
“I meantwill you. I mean, can you…? I mean… please?”
“Yes,” I immediately reply without hesitation, my heart racing for a new reason.
“What?” Ryan looks at me in shock, like he never expected me to say yes, and I just laugh.
“Yes, I will. Yes, I can. And yes, please.”
I barely finish getting the words out when I gasp again, as Ryan quickly wraps his arms around me and pulls me against him. My arms come up around his shoulders, and he just… hugs me. He squeezes me so tight that my toes almost come off the ground, and as much as I’d like him to just slam me against the wall and finally kiss me again, this is really nice too.
“I’m glad you’re not mad at me anymore,” he whispers, as I rest my chin on his shoulder. “And I really am sorry. For being a jerk and letting your brother get in my head, and for your family not being able to see how fearless, and talented, and truly amazing you are. I see it. I don’t know if that means anything, butIsee it. I seeyou. And I really like everything I see. Can you forgive me?”
I have to swallow past the lump in my throat as I just nod against his shoulder, while tears cloud my vision.
“It was really lonely in the house without you. Please don’t sleep out here again tonight. I don’t like it.”
Curse this man and his sweet words, making me get emotional like a wuss!
“I’m getting paint all over you,” I complain, even as I tighten my arms around him, and he starts to gently rock us from side to side.
“Don’t care. I just want to enjoy this hug.”
He’s so sweet I can’t handle it. Broken pieces of conversation from Sip and Bitch flash through my mind, particularly the part about Emily and Ryan having shitty, boring sex.
Knowing they were probably right about me having to be the more aggressive one with how shy he can be, I shake my head, push these intrusive thoughts out of my mind, and just think about the fact that he actually asked me on a date.
“Want to put together that Lego aquarium after dinner?” I ask as we finally break apart from the hug.
Ryan quickly grabs my hand and starts dragging me across the garage, making me laugh with his exuberance as he throws his other fist in the air as we go.
“Woohoo! She’s back!”
I quickly remind myself that one woman’s yuck is another woman’s yum. No matter how reserved or timid Ryan might be when it comes to making a move, everything about his personality shoutsyum-yumand just makes me even happier that things are normal between us again. And has me very much looking forward to our date.
