CHAPTER 35 – CASPIAN
I’m betting my entire stupid heart on this.
Antonio has glared, scowled, hissed. Avoided me, insulted me, rejected me.
But he’s here now. I let him glower, let him pretend he isn’t blushing down to his throat.
Let him claim that he’s here for the literary atmosphere. All that matters is that he’s here.
He’s so fucking brave.
He doesn’t grab my phone like I half-expected. He takes the pencil instead. Scowling, he bends over the Sudoku and writes with quick, decisive strokes.
His hands tremble a little. He wants this. He’s terrified of wanting it.
I’m going to be so fucking worthy of him trusting me.
When he slides the paper toward me, his fingers brush mine for a fraction of a second. Desire flares through me.
“Sudoku just got a lot more interesting,” I say, pocketing the grid.
His breath hitches.
He doesn’t look at me. His shoulders draw in, pride and nerves colliding, and I want to kiss him so badly it makes my head spin.
Instead, I stay right where I am.
I see him.
The courage it took to show up.
The defenses he wears like armor.
The quiet tremor beneath all that fire.
He’s so damn beautiful.
“I’m going to ask you out,” I say. “Properly. Soon.”
He looks up, and the heat in his eyes makes my pulse trip.
“I figured as much,” he mutters.
My gaze drops to his mouth. The thought that I might get to kiss him someday fills me with a joy so sharp it almost hurts. His lips part when he notices what I’m looking at. I need to leave before I do something he’s not ready for.
Outside, in the sunlit street, I exhale. Antonio came here. He made that choice. Took that step. Now, I’m going to make sure he won’t regret it.