Chapter 13 #2
At the same time, Abby had brought me a dessert fit for a queen, and I silently took back all the mean things I’d ever thought about her. Bringing me sweets made her a far better roommate than I’d ever been. I promised myself I’d be better.
When Abby finished explaining, Dane thanked her politely. She started to walk away, then turned back and looked directly at me with the most innocent expression I’d ever seen on her face.
“Enjoy, lovebirds,” she said, and disappeared into the kitchen in a fit of giggles.
Oh, I was so going to kick her ass. This tiramisu better blow my tits off.
“That’s your roommate,” Dane said. It wasn’t a question.
I looked at him, startled. “How did you know?”
He smiled and shook his head. “When I went to Norma to sort out the insurance stuff, she said there was an issue with one of your claims. They were confused about whether you still worked for me since you wrote sous chef on the urgent care information.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling numb.
“Bronchitis sounds pretty serious. And yet, you never missed a day or had so much as a sniffle.”
I felt the blood rush from my face straight to my toes. My crime had come back to haunt me. And right before I tasted the tiramisu.
“I’ll pay it back!” I blurted out.
“It’s been handled,” he said, a slight smile on his face. “But no more of that, please. I can’t have my girlfriend behind bars. The long distance thing never works.”
I grimaced. “Look, I was just trying to help a friend.”
He chuckled and picked up his fork. “That’s why I’m not mad about it. No explanations necessary.”
I was too embarrassed to eat, but Dane pushed the dessert place closer to me. “Dig in before it gets cold.”
“It’s already cold.”
“All the more reason to hurry.”
It tasted as divine as it looked, and I silently thanked Abby. The dessert was worth whatever teasing might be coming my way.
As we ate it, Dane told me about growing up in New York and learning to navigate the subway system when his family first arrived. I told him about Wyoming and how different the silence of the country was from the noise of the city.
“Do you miss it?” he asked.
“Sometimes. But I’ve always been attracted to the fast pace of the city. I needed to come see it for myself.”
He looked at me, nodding. “And how are you liking it so far?”
I looked down at his lips and then forced myself to meet his gaze. “Every day, I’m happier that I came out here. No one can say it’s been boring.”
His phone buzzed on the table. He glanced at it, frowned, and silenced the call. I’d never seen him do that before.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“It’s Sean. One of my childhood friends. We were supposed to play pickup hockey tonight at an outdoor rink in Central Park, but I canceled for this.” He set the phone facedown. “Now they’re giving me grief about it. Probably want to get drinks so I can cover the tab, like usual.”
“So you do have friends?”
He smirked. “A few.”
“I thought you were only friends with Keith. Maybe Lucas.”
He gave me a look that was somewhere between amused and offended. “Do I really seem that antisocial to you?”
“You literally told me you don’t like people.”
“I don’t like most people. There’s a difference.
” He leaned back in his chair, and I realized he looked more relaxed, almost like he was a normal guy.
“Sean and I go back to middle school. There’s a group of us—maybe five or six guys—who still get together when we can.
We’re all busy, all over the place with our lives, but we try to play hockey once a month.
Or at least grab a beer and pretend we’re going to play hockey. ”
“That’s actually really sweet.”
“Sweet?” He frowned.
“You maintain friendships from when you were twelve. That’s commitment.”
Dane shrugged. “Or stubbornness.”
“Same thing, really.”
The check came and then we were standing. Our date was over and I was truly bummed. I liked getting to know the other side of the man. Normally, Dane was so closed off, so it was a nice change to see him open up to me.
The drive back to my apartment was quiet, both of us wrapped in our own thoughts. When he pulled up in front of my building, I started to thank him for dinner, but he spoke first.
“Do you have ice skates?”
I blinked. “What?”
“Ice skates. Do you own a pair?”
“Yeah, actually. From back home. I brought them with me because I thought maybe I’d get to use them in Central Park or something, but I haven’t yet.”
He nodded, like I’d confirmed something he’d been thinking about. “Lucas’s ideas for this scheme include restaurants and coffee shops. Safe, easy to photograph, very traditional dating.”
“Okay?” I wasn’t sure where he was going with this.
“But if we’re going to make our relationship look real—if we’re going to spend the next few weeks pretending to date—we might as well do something we actually enjoy.” He looked at me, and the sparkle in his eyes made my breath catch. “What do you think?”
“I think that sounds really nice,” I told him.
“Good. We’ll figure something out.”
“We’ll figure skate something out,” I corrected.
He sighed and rolled his eyes, but I saw the smile on his lips. “Have a good night, Ina.”
“You too.”
I climbed out of the car and watched him drive away, then stood on the sidewalk long after he’d driven away.
Why was that date so good? Why did none of this feel fake for me?
I headed upstairs and wondered what it would be like to actually date Dane. And then my mind drifted to the perks that would come with dating him, like cuddling on his couch and feeling those strong arms around me, holding me.
Oh, I was so going to have some amazing dreams.