Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
“That looks so cute, Joshy.” Sophia beams at me. “There’s no way for her not to be in love with you after that.”
I rub the back of my neck. “You think she’ll like it?”
“It’s still kitten we’re talking about. Does she even like stuff?” Clay teases, and I elbow him in the ribs.
“Ouch. Okay, okay, she’ll definitely not hate it, and that must be good enough,” he laughs, rubbing his side.
Sophia has sent Carolina on a little scavenger hunt to gather some things they don’t need so we can set up everything in the office area of the lab. We pushed the desks to the back of the room and arranged a small folding table with two chairs. Then, I added a tablecloth to make it look nicer.
I placed a bowl of chocolate fondue in the middle of the table, the chocolate kept warm and fluid by a candle beneath it.
Around the bowl are strawberries, bananas, and marshmallows to dip into the chocolate.
On another corner of the table, I placed a cooler with ice cubes to keep the alcohol-free sweet sparkling wine I bought nice and cold.
As soft music plays in the background, I know I did the best I could with the circumstances. We only have the time we usually have to eat something in the cafeteria before we both have to work again. But I’m determined to make the most of it.
“Let’s go, she’s going to come back any minute now,” Sophia tells Clay, ushering him out of the lab.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.” Clay winks at me.
I stand there, my nerves getting the best of me as I wait for her.
My pulse is racing. I want this to work out so badly.
No, I need it to work out. I can’t stop thinking about her.
The last time I felt so infatuated was back in high school, but that was just a silly crush.
This time, with her, there’s something more.
She has the potential to be my everything.
The door opens, and in walks Carolina, looking absolutely stunning.
She’s focused on the stuff she’s carrying, but her hair is styled in soft waves, and she’s wearing a bit more makeup than usual.
Her lips are a pretty dark red shade that I’d love to kiss.
She’s wearing her usual black clothes, but the buttons on her shirt are open just enough to show a bit of cleavage.
“You were right, Mr. Donovan is a total jerk,” she comments, only looking up when I laugh. She seems to be searching for Sophia, but then her eyes land on the table I set up.
“Wow,” she says as she puts everything on the lab bench and walks over to me.
“Hey,” I smile at her, and when she’s close enough, I take her hand and pull her in to give her a hug. She twitches lightly. “I’m so happy you could make it to our first date,” I say into her hair, which smells like apples.
“Of course, I made sure I was on time. I wasn’t just stumbling into it,” she jokes.
I kiss her head and let go, walking over to the table and pulling out a chair for her. “Please, have a seat.”
She sits, looking over everything with a smile. I’m still not used to seeing anything other than her blasé expression. “This looks so beautiful,” she says.
“No, you’re the one looking beautiful,” I say, inwardly cringing at that lame line.
Walking over to my chair, I trip over the cloth and end up on my knees.
“Fuck, are you okay?” she asks, ready to get up.
But I just laugh it off and turn myself to kneel in front of her. “I told you I don’t mind kneeling in front of you.” I grin before I get up, quickly sitting in my chair, my cheeks heating with a blush.
Why am I so unsmooth?
My nerves are getting to me like never before.
“How are you? How was your day?” I ask, hoping she’ll fill the silence for a moment so I can calm my racing heartbeat.
“I’m okay, thanks,” she says, smiling and fidgeting with her hands, pulling down the sleeve of her Henley. “H-How are you?”
“I’m good, thank you. Really happy you could make it,” I say, realizing I’ve already said that.
I curse myself internally. What is wrong with me?
She chuckles a little at my repetition.
“You mentioned you like chocolate, so I figured chocolate fondue couldn’t go wrong. Have you ever tried it?” I ask as I take out the sparkling wine from the ice, filling both our glasses before handing one to her.
“No, but I’m excited to,” she says, clinking her glass with mine. She takes a sip but then sets her glass down again.
The silence at the table is loud, and the tension builds, becoming uneasy.
Come on, do something, you idiot. She’s not going to go out with you again if this date is going to be nothing but uncomfortable.
“Why does this feel so awkward?” I ask with a smile, hoping to break the ice.
“I don’t know, maybe because I’m trying too hard to be nice and behave nicely so you’ll like me.” She shrugs, avoiding eye contact.
“Fuck that,” I say, reaching over to grab the side of her chair and pulling it close to my side. At first, her eyes widen in surprise, but then she smiles, looking up at me with her golden eyes. I can even see dark brown speckles in them. “I don’t want nice. I want you,” I state.
Her laughter fills the air, and my stomach flutters with delight at the sound. “Gee, thanks,” she replies with a playful tone.
“You’re welcome,” I say, grinning back.
“So, how does this fondue thing work?” she asks, pointing at the chocolate pot.
“You skewer a piece of fruit or whatever you want on this little fork and then just dip it into the chocolate,” I explain while showing her.
She picks up a strawberry, mimicking my actions. But instead of putting it in her mouth with the fork, she takes the strawberry with her fingers before she slides it between her full lips, letting out a soft moan of delight. I have to move my hips to rearrange my instant hard-on.
“Delicious,” she says, opening her eyes and catching me staring at her.
“I bet you are,” I murmur.
“So, you said you wanted to get to know each other better. Tell me about yourself,” she says while dunking a marshmallow, apparently missing my comment.
“Well, uhhh…” I stammer, trying to think of something interesting to say.
“Here,” she says, holding a half-covered marshmallow between her fingers and bringing it to my lips.
I open my mouth, taking the whole marshmallow and her fingers in. She freezes, looking at my mouth still around her fingers, and her gaze shoots up to meet my eyes. A blush creeps up her cheeks as she pulls her hand away.
“Thank you,” I say, preparing a marshmallow to dunk myself.
“Well, there’s not much to say. I have a sister, as you know.
” I grin at her, and she rolls her eyes.
“We grew up in the Bronx. Our parents came to America when Sophia was a baby, and I wasn’t even a dirty thought yet.
” She chokes on air for a moment before huffing a laugh.
“We lived in a neighborhood with Clay and Xander, and we became best friends pretty quickly.”
I take the marshmallow I just dipped between my fingers, just as she did, and hold it to her lips. “Open,” I say softly, and she does.
I feed her the marshmallow, but some chocolate sticks to her lip, so I gently swipe it away with my thumb before bringing it to my mouth to lick it off. I notice Carolina’s eyes follow the movement, and they become hooded.
She clears her throat before asking, “I didn’t see your parents on Sunday. Did I miss them?”
“No, they went back to Korea when I turned eighteen,” I share.
“They worked hard to come to America, but my mother missed her home and culture too much. Sophia and I have only known this place as our home, so we decided to stay. They bought us the house and returned to Korea.” She scrunches up her face.
“What?” I ask, reaching for her hand and placing it on my knee.
“I don’t want to overstep,” she says.
I chuckle. “You love to overstep.”
“Not when I could hurt your feelings,” she admits.
“Tell me,” I encourage, gently stroking the back of her hand.
“You were eighteen, and Sophia was what? Twenty-one? Leaving you here was pretty selfish, even if they bought you that house,” she says.
I smile. “You’re the first one to see it that way.
Everyone else always told me how lucky we were to have that house and no one to complain about house parties and stuff,” I reply.
She huffs in response. “It did hurt my feelings a lot when they just up and left. It felt like their culture was more important to them than their kids.” I bring the back of her hand to my lips and kiss it.
“I didn’t visit them for a few years because of that.
But I’m over it now. We fly over to see them once a year.
The beginning was tough, but now I’m glad they live over there.
They used to be very strict, and I mean very.
They controlled nearly everything, from our clothes to what we ate.
In Korea, parents have a lot of say. I think I’d still be a virgin if they hadn’t left,” I joke, trying to lighten the mood.
She freezes for a second, but then she takes another marshmallow with her free hand and brings it to my lips. This time, I bite half of it. “Is that why you’re so into sweets?” She grins at me.
“Huh…” I furrow my brows. “I never thought about it like that, but it’s possible.”
She finishes the marshmallow and teases, “You mean probable.”
Lifting her chin with my finger, I make her look up at me, moving closer and into her personal space.
“Smart-ass,” I accuse, locking eyes with her.
Her breath hitches, and she licks her lips.
I’m tempted to kiss her right here and now, to feel those soft lips, but I chicken out and settle for a kiss on the tip of her nose. Then I lean back, letting go of her.
“Tell me something about you?” I direct, changing the direction of the conversation.
“You already know more than is good for me,” she says, avoiding my gaze.
“Then tell me something I don’t know. Tell me something no one else knows,” I say.
Her eyes fall to the cooler with the ice cubes, and she reaches over to take a small one out. “I love to suck on ice cubes,” she says before popping it into her mouth.
I smirk at her. “Suck on ice cubes?”
She nods. “You know that feeling when you’re exhausted and hot, or your head won’t stop racing with thoughts, or even when you’re just overwhelmed? Sucking on ice cubes makes everything better. It calms everything down. It’s like time freezes for a moment, giving you a little break.”
“I’ll have to try it sometime,” I say, gently placing a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Do you only like to suck on ice, or do you skate on it too?”
“What do you mean?” she asks, furrowing her brows.
“The guys, Sophia, and I have planned to go ice-skating this Sunday in Central Park. We do it every year at the beginning of December to ring in Christmas time,” I say.
“I don’t know how to skate. I’ve never done it before,” she shares.
“I’d love to show you. I promise I won’t let you fall,” I say with a smile.
“I’d love to come, but I heard it’s expensive and—”
“Did you enjoy our date today, Carolina?” I ask, cupping her cheek.
“Very much,” she whispers.
“Would you go on another one with me?” I ask, and she nods. “Then let me take you out for ice-skating this Sunday. For our third date, you can decide what we do, and I’ll let you pay if you want to.” I smile smugly.
“Who’s the smart-ass now?” she jests, giving me a playful glare.
“So, is that a yes?” I ask.
“Yes, I would love to go ice-skating with you, Josh,” she answers, a smile spreading across her face.