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“Okay, all right,” I say. “But I’ve got us next time.”
She agrees, and then we make a joint decision to wait to start a movie until the pizza arrives.
After the order is placed, we put away our phones, and she shares with me, “I’m so happy you like mushrooms. Arden hates them, so growing up, and even now if we order pizza, I can never, ever get them.”
“You don’t have to worry about that with me,” I reply. “I love ’em.” And then teasing, I look over at her and deadpan, “I guess you could say I’m a real ‘fungi.’”
“Oh, God.” She rolls her eyes, but she’s chuckling too. “You did not just say that.”
Shit, I’m turning into a true nerd around her.
But I don’t even care, as my corny line made her laugh.
Shrugging, I admit, “Yeah, I totally did.”
She shakes her head, then sits up straighter.
Running her hands down her jean-clad thighs, she says, “So, while we’re waiting for the pizza, tell me more about you.”
I nod. “Okay. What do you want to know?”
“Hmm…” She thinks it over, then says, “Let’s start with the basics. Like, where did you grow up, and do you have any siblings?”
“Those are easy enough. I grew up in a little suburb just outside Minneapolis, Minnesota. And as for siblings, I don’t have any.”
“Lucky you,” she snorts. “Bet you could always get mushrooms on your pizza if you wanted to.”
I laugh. “Yeah, I guess I could have.”
Sighing, she says, “Since Arden is your friend, I think you know my answers to those questions.”
“Yeah, I do,” I admit. “You grew up in Toronto, and Arden, the mushroom hater, is your only sibling.”
“Yep, you got it.”
I decide to get a little personal and ask, “What about boyfriends? There’s no guy pining away for you back in Chicago, is there?”
I kind of know there’s not, but I’m curious to learn if there’s ever been anyone she’s been in love with.
Scoffing, she says, “Nils, I wasn’t even in Chicago long enough to meet the freaking mailman, let alone someone to date. But prior to that…” She blows out a breath. “As an undergrad, there were a couple of guys over the years who I was involved with. Nothing ever got super serious, though. I was always too busy with school and work. No one wants to be, like, your third priority, you know?”
“That’s true,” I agree. “I think that’s why I haven’t settled down. There have been a couple of serious girlfriends over the years for me, but those relationships always fizzled out. Hockey is my primary focus, and they just weren’t okay with that.”
She nods. “I totally understand. I know once I decide what I want to do school-wise and career-wise, I’ll be putting everything I have back into those things.” She sighs softly as she glances over at me. “Guess we definitely need partners who can understand that, huh?”
I catch her gaze and hold it. “Yeah, I think we do.”
Silence descends, but it’s a comfortable one as we share something with our eyes. Like, maybe we’re a lot alike. And maybe we’re the type of people we’ve both been looking for.
And maybe, just maybe—
Riiinnnggg!
Huffing, Ellie looks away. “That must be the pizza,” she murmurs dejectedly.
“I’m sure it is.” I stand as I let out a sigh. “I’ll go get it.”
The fucking doorbell has broken whatever spell we were falling under.
