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She smiled. “It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it? All these…”
“Emotions.” I finished her sentence.
“There’s too many,” she grumbled. “Do you want to know what I did today? All day long, I would call my current patient by the name of the patient I had before them. Like I was just lost in my own thought as I cleaned the same set of teeth all day. That's what it felt like. Jamie had to stop me at one point when I asked her to help me measure… She shook her head and told me in my office we had already measured that patient. I couldn’t remember what I had done because my mind was focused on you all day long.”
She was talking so fast. Her hands got involved with her explaining things, and her expression that was calm and sweet when I first got in turned into a flustered mess. And she was adorable. I pursed my lips so I could keep my laughter in.
“And you are going to laugh at me over it,” she said once she noticed my expression.
I let out a laugh and shook my head. “It’s just…”
“Crazy. I know.”
“I was going to say cute,” I added. “It’s cute and adorable, and it’s exactly how I felt last night.”
She slumped her shoulders. “I wanted to call you so many times today, but I knew you were at work. I knew we would have to talk it through and figure out exactly what we were.”
“I almost called you last night but opted to call Clay instead.”
She caught my gaze. “And what did he say?”
I shook my head. “Nothing of importance. Here’s what I want…” I cupped her face in my hands, locking eyes. She grabbed my wrists and waited. “I want you. I think I’ve always wanted you. I just didn't know how to tell you. Eventually, I got so caught up in the friendship that I was afraid of anything more. But now…seeing you here…” I sighed. “Madeline, I want to try.”
She pursed her lips then finally said, “I want to try too.”
I smiled, pulling her closer to give her a simple kiss.
She let out a breath and leaned her forehead on my chest, only to swing it back up again when she heard the boiling water hit the glass countertop. I stepped away and let her jump from the counter.
“Let’s eat first,” I said, coming up behind her and resting my lips on her shoulder. She leaned into me, allowing me to slip my arms around her waist. “We can talk more during dinner.”
Chapter Seventeen
-Madeline-
Milo was the easiest man to talk to. Hands down. He made it so easy to express that I was nervous, that deep down, I was scared. With him, all topics were on the table, any and all feelings could be shared.
When I hadn't heard from him, I knew he was going to be rundown and overwhelmed. He would most likely go home, pop in a microwave dinner, and plop himself in front of his television. He would sit and attempt to not fall asleep until his goodnight call to Holly, and then he would start his nighttime routine. Milo’s job was stressful, and even though he tried to keep conversation around it light, I knew it took a toll on him.
So when the thought hit me to go make him dinner, I didn’t even have to think twice about it. I grabbed my car keys and Niko’s leash, and out the door we went. When I got to his apartment, I was just happy to see pasta and mostly everything needed for my mom’s sauce recipe. A loaf of Italian Bread sat on top of his fridge, so I cut it and made garlic bread. I may not be the top chef in the kitchen, but I can at least make sure Milo ate well.
The entire time I was cooking, I thought about Milo, much like I had the entire day. I wasn’t kidding when I told him my mind was so out of focus during my patients that Jamie had to pull me aside and tell me to pull my shit together. That was when I told her we had kissed and that it was emotionally and physically impossible to pull my shit together.
Theshitwas even more strewn about as I cooked dinner in his apartment. I had made a complete mess of his counters. I dug through all his cabinets to find all the ingredients I would need, his trash can sitting in the middle of the kitchen so I could toss things easily and Niko roaming and sniffing around like he had never been in here before.
Would Milo be happy I was here?
Would Milo even like my mom’s sauce?That’s a dumb question to ask, Madeline. You know he does…
Would Milo want to kiss me again?
When all the questions started racking up in my brain, so did all the doubt. I had feelings for Milo, feelings I wasn’t quite sure what to do with yet. He was always my friend, my go-to person for when I needed someone. What if we kept doing this dating thing, and then eventually, we would find that the spark was just a one-time thing meant to be kept at a distance rather than close up like we were trying? What if I lost him? Lost us?
I had tears welling up in my eyes at the thought when I heard the key enter the lock and Niko move toward the door. I told myself to pull it together and just go with the moment. It was when he lifted me and kissed me, wrapping his hands around my back and pulling me closer when all my doubts vanished, as if they were being blown away by the wind from the coast.
He was happy I was here.
Hedidwant to kiss me again.
