Chapter 64
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
The next morning, neither of us says anything about last night. Even though it threw my world upside down. I need more of her. More… everything. Now that I’ve seen what makes her happy, I want to do it for the rest of forever.
Raven trusted me with a boundary last night, and my chest feels tight.
I feel honored. I want her to know I’ll guard that boundary with my life.
Even if it means I never get to share a room with her.
Which hurts like a bitch, but that hurt doesn’t even compare with the feeling of making Raven feel safe.
Earning and keeping her trust will be my highest honor.
But at the same time, I’m scared. I don’t want to hurt her. But that doesn’t mean I won’t. I’m human, and I probably will at some point. Raven doesn’t need promises. She needs action.
So when she comes into the kitchen for breakfast, I motion at a bowl of yogurt and berries I’ve prepped for her.
She moves to it, staying in the kitchen.
We’ve taken to eating in here. I’m not sure what the smell is, and sometimes it’s worse, but it’s definitely bad in the dining room and living room.
I cracked a window, but I heard Raven’s teeth clattering and immediately shut it.
She hasn’t gained enough weight for that yet.
I’m going to get a professional cleaner to come in, but in the meantime, we’ll eat in the kitchen.
“Sleep well?” I ask.
Raven makes an ‘mhmm’ sound, the spoon clinking in the bowl.
I swallow, nerves filling me.
I’m going to ask Raven on a date. Another date. A real date. And this time, I won’t chicken out, and I’ll actually call it what it is. And even as I think it, my mouth dries up.
Oh god. I can’t do this. My heart races like I’m about to get in a fight.
“Raven?”
“Hmmm?”
“Go out with me?” The words rush out of me, and I clear my throat. “I mean, will you? Tonight. On a date.”
The clinking stops.
Oh my god. I feel sick to my stomach. Why the hell did I go so aggressively? First thing in the morning, and I couldn’t even let her wake up.
I almost offer to pay her.
I’m opening my mouth when she says, “Uh… shouldn’t I be asking?”
I freeze. “What?”
“I mean, I’ll be driving. So technically, I’d be the one taking you on a date.” The bowl scrapes across the counter.
Oh my god. She’s not turning me down. She’s making a joke. Relief hits me so hard that I think I’m going to pass out.
Then, there’s a laugh from the hall, and I stiffen. It’s Axel.
“Shut up, Axel.” Suddenly, Raven is there in front of me, patting my arm. “Of course, I’ll take you on a date. Where to, princess?”
“Tom’s Steakhouse.” My brain hasn’t caught up with my mouth because it’s taking me a whole two extra seconds to realize that she said yes. She said yes.
I catch a snicker, and then Raven brushes past me, and I sense her leaving the kitchen. There’s a muffled ‘ow’ from my brother, and then her footsteps disappear down the hall.
Yes. She said yes.
Elation pulses through me like helium, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to lift off the ground. I don’t think I’ll ever come down.
It takes me some time to realize that Axel hasn’t moved. He’s still standing there, and then, with a flicker of movement, he’s gone.