Chapter Twenty-One #2
Hm. Maybe I should direct Sebastian her way. He’s not basic and they both seem to like a challenge. We reach my Jeep, and I file that thought away for later. I open the door for Grace. Once she’s inside, I walk around to the driver’s side and get behind the wheel.
Before long, we’re at Milo’s, and I hold Grace’s hand as we step inside.
Thursday night is a party night—well, any night of the week is pretty much becoming a party night—and the place is packed.
Tonight the TV screens are filled with college football games, along with baseball.
Servers hurry by with glasses of beers and trays filled with baskets of food, and tables are wiped down quickly as soon as anyone leaves.
The music is loud, and the atmosphere is fun.
I move behind Grace, putting my hands on the tops of her shoulders as we wait for a table to open up. I can feel the heat of her body through the thin fabric of her dress, and I know that if I were to touch her skin, it would be soft beneath my fingertips.
She turns around and smiles up at me, and once again, that warm, happy feeling spreads through my body.
“There! I’m grabbing it!” Sofia says. She darts off, rushing through the tables to a booth on the other side of the bar where a group of people has just stood up, ready to leave.
“How did she even see that?” Nolan asks
“It’s one of her superpowers. Sofia can always find a table in a packed place,” Grace says. She leads the way. Nolan slides in next to Sofia, Grace slips into the other side, and I take a seat next to her.
And the first thing I do is drape my arm across the back of the booth. Grace looks up at me, a soft smile on her face, and I feel one forming on my own, too.
“Welcome to Milo’s,” the server says, setting down four plastic-coated menus in front of us. “What can I get you to drink?”
“I’ll have a Coke,” Sofia says. “Can I have lemon with it?”
“Of course,” the server says. She turns to Grace. “And what would you like?”
“A Diet Coke, please.”
“I’ll have a water,” I say.
The server looks at Nolan. “I’ll have a Corona,” he says, reaching for his wallet. He shows his ID, and she nods.
“I’ll be right back,” she says.
“I wish I could have a dirty soda,” Sofia says wistfully.
“What’s a dirty soda?” Nolan asks.
“You’ve never heard of them?” she asks, looking surprised.
“No.”
“You’re completely missing out!” she says excitedly. “It’s soda with added flavorings and cream.”
Nolan falls into conversation with Sofia, and I turn to Grace, playfully picking up the ends of her ponytail and twisting the silky strands of hair around my fingers. “I like the ponytail,” I say.
I see a slight blush color the tops of her cheeks. “Thank you.”
I lightly trace my index finger over the pin. “This is nice.”
Grace’s face brightens. “Yeah? You like it?”
“I do.”
“It’s one of my grandma’s pins. She used to wear it on her blazer lapel. But I thought I could repurpose it as a ponytail cover.”
“See? You’re meant to write fashion. That’s clever.”
She beams at me. Giving her a little compliment is all I need to do to get this reward of seeing her smile.
I realize I’m slipping into dangerous territory again, so I shift the subject. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving. They served pizza, and it wasn’t good. Then McCall’s buddy sat down with us and all I could smell was thick cologne and I couldn’t eat.”
“That bad?”
“Yes. And his cologne wasn’t nice, like yours. You always smell so good, like woodsy and ci—” she abruptly stops speaking and looks embarrassed.
She notices my cologne.
I take a chance and glide my fingertips to the nape of her neck. The second I do it, I feel goose bumps break out across her skin. I dip my head next to hers, so I can speak directly into her ear. “I’m glad you like it,” I murmur.
She pulls back so she can look at me. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
I continue moving my fingers up and down the nape of her neck, and she does nothing but smile back at me, her blue eyes shining. I feel so sucked in at this moment, it’s hard to breathe. I’m falling for her, but none of this is real.
I should remind myself of this. Pull away, touch her only when we need to put on a show. Spend less time with her. But the idea of doing any of these things makes me feel physically sick.
Which scares the hell out of me.
Our server returns with our drinks. Grace and I fall into conversation with Nolan and Sofia, and I put these dangerous thoughts aside. We order some food, and I notice Grace begins to yawn after we’ve finished eating.
She’s tired, I think. And she has to be up tomorrow at five thirty for the first practice of the day. I think about the hours she puts in at the pool, how early she gets up, and I feel protective of her. She needs to be in bed.
“Gracie, are you tired? Do you want to go home?” I ask, squeezing her hand.
“I’m so sorry, but I’m really, really tired,” she says apologetically. “Is that okay? I can get an Uber if you want to stay.”
“No, I’ll take you home,” I say firmly.
Grace looks across the table to Sofia. “I’m going back to the house. I have swim practice in the morning. Do you want to come with us or stay?”
“I’ll go,” Sofia says.
Good, I think. If Sofia is there, I have a reason to kiss Grace goodbye to sell our relationship, as any good boyfriend would do.
“Nolan?” I ask.
“Let’s head out. I need to study a bit for a quiz I have tomorrow.”
I pick up the tab for the table, and before long, we’re pulling up to Phi Mu Phi.
We all get out of the car, Nolan jumping into the shotgun seat now that Grace has vacated it.
Sofia moves a bit up the sidewalk, and I pull Grace into my arms. “Thanks for hanging out tonight,” I say, staring down at her.
“You made Thursday night a lot more interesting.”
Her pink lips curve up into a soft smile. “It was fun.”
I give her a hug and brush my lips to her ear again, smelling that unique sweet scent that lingers on her hair. “I’m going to sell it with a kiss on the lips, okay?”
“Yes,” she murmurs back.
I put my hand under her chin and tilt her face toward mine. Then I lower my head and brush my lips against hers, letting them linger for a moment before breaking the kiss. “Good night,” I say.
She bites her lip. “Good night.”
I wait and watch both her and Sofia navigate the steps to the house, and Grace waves as soon as the front door is open. I wave back, then get behind the wheel.
“I’ve been lying to myself,” Nolan says, sounding contemplative.
“About what?”
“What I want. I’m not Sebby or Austin. I just can’t hook up and move on to the next girl. I need to date.”
I nod. I can see that. When he had Sarah, that was the happiest I’ve ever seen him. He did some drunk hookups a few times after they broke up, but the next day, he wore regret like a blanket. It’s not for him.
It’s not for you anymore, either, my heart whispers.
Shit.
“Hey, Grace forgot her rose,” Nolan says, picking up the flower off the floorboard. I glance over at the rose he’s holding in his hand and scowl.
Then I feel a smile form on my mouth. I’ll be damned if the last rose Gracie gets is from that dickhead Ryan. Nope. That won’t do. I’m going to take care of this when I get home.
Grace is going to get the kind of flowers she deserves.
And they’re going to be from me.