Chapter 34 - Olivia
A iden surprised Olivia by cooking her dinner while she finished getting ready for the farmers market. Although her fridge was teeming with vegetables, he didn’t have a lot to work with in the way of protein. He’d managed to dig out some meatballs from her freezer and make a veggie and meatball spaghetti with garlic toast. She approved, especially because she was starving after the long day in the field, not to mention the other exercise they'd gotten that afternoon.
After several large bites of delicious food, she looked up to see Aiden watching her.
“I have a question for you,” he said, sounding serious.
She made eye contact, pausing mid-chew.
He cleared his throat. “Do you ever wish we’d gotten together in high school?”
She finished chewing, using the time to consider. “I’m not sure. I guess I like the idea of knowing more of you than I do today, but I also think we weren’t fully cooked yet. We still had a lot of living that needed to happen on separate coasts.”
He nodded.
“But,” she added, feeling vulnerable, “I’m grateful we somehow found our way back here for another chance. It seems kind of crazy when you think about it—that the timing would work out for us to move back to Minnesota and for both of us to be single.”
“Yeah, I’ve thought about that, too, and I feel lucky because being around you makes me happy. But I’m still kind of annoyed at my younger self for not making a point of knowing you sooner.”
She melted at his words. She was doing a shit job of guarding her heart as well as she’d intended. His serious gaze made her feel like he wasn’t saying something.
Her gaze narrowed. “What? What are you thinking?”
“Nothing. Just that you’re pretty.”
She shook her head smiling, totally smitten. “Such a charmer, this one. You’re not bad yourself, but don’t let it go to your head.”
He laughed and squeezed her hand.