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When I didn’t respond and merely looked at her shining face while I waited for her to let me down, Hanna finally pulled herself together and mumbled, “Fine.”
The next thing I knew, I was back on the ground and standing beside her. “You’re something else,” I told her.
“I was just trying to have some fun and make it fair,” she reasoned. “Your upper body is… well, it’s just that your muscles are… let’s just say that you’re a lot stronger than me.”
I tipped my chin up and out to the side. “What were you were going to say about my upper body?” I asked.
Heat hit her cheeks, and the flush that crept over her skin reminded me that there was still a woman who had some insecurity about being around me. With time, I hoped that would improve.
The two of us removed the harnesses from our bodies and began making our way back to the registration house, where she kept them. On the way there, Hanna asked, “So, what did you think?”
“About rock climbing?” I retorted.
“Yeah. Was it a good workout?”
I considered her question for a moment before I answered honestly. “It’s not nearly as intense as the workout I’d put in at home in my gym, but it was certainly more of a workout than I’d anticipated. That said, I can promise that I’ve never had a workout that was ever that fun.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
We made it to the door of the house, and I reached out to open it for her. After she walked inside and I followed her in, she offered, “You’re more than welcome to come and climb any time you’d like to have a little fun. Goodness knows I’d benefit from putting in a bit more practice.”
Hanna and I put away the harnesses, and for a brief moment, the two of us stood there in complete silence. It didn’t feel awkward or tense, which I thought was a really good thing.
In fact, I thought it was so promising that I decided it would be perfect to take advantage of it. So, I said, “I’ve had a lot of fun with you, Hanna.”
“Yeah, I’ll never look at rock climbing the same,” she replied.
After letting out a laugh, I said, “I wasn’t exactly referring to just the rock climbing, sweetness. I meant that I’ve had a lot of fun with you since I got here last night for the movie. I’ve enjoyed all of my time with you.”
“Oh,” she murmured. “I’ve had a lot of fun with you, too.”
“Enough to want to give it a shot?” I asked.
Her brows pulled together. “To give what a shot?”
God, I hoped this wasn’t going to be a mistake. “I’d really like for us to try this out between us, and I’d like to take you out on a real date.”
“Try this out?” she repeated.
I was relatively certain that I already knew what her answer was going to be, but I didn’t want to make any assumptions, so I asked, “You aren’t seeing anyone, are you?”
She shook her head. “I was making out on the couch with you last night, Leo. I think that answers that question. Unless… you aren’t seeing anyone and making out with me, are you?”
“I am not seeing anyone,” I assured her.
“I’m not seeing anyone, either,” she confirmed.
I smiled, probably a little too confidently, and pressed, “Would you like to start seeing someone?”
“Would that someone be you?” she wondered.
“If you want it to be,” I said.
For several long seconds that felt like minutes, Hanna’s eyes searched my face. I’d felt rather confident when I’d decided to broach this subject, but suddenly, that confidence was wavering.
Finally, Hanna put me out of my misery and rasped, “I’d really like that, Leo.”
