Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
Danika
After convincing Arden that I’m not going to drop dead while he’s working his shift, I spend much of Sunday studying for my midterms. I really need to meet with my study group but leaving the warmth of the apartment today just doesn’t seem possible for me.
So, instead, I curl up with my books and my blanket on the couch and throw an episode of Gilmore Girls on in the background.
I get ensconced in the show, because of course I do, and it’s the scene where Luke and Lorelai go on their first official date and Luke tells her he’s “all in”.
I have no idea why but something about it reminds me of Arden.
He’s been so good to me lately, even before we started hooking up.
He’s not treating me like a little sister or an annoyance.
He’s treating me like an equal, or even more, like a significant other.
Maybe his feelings for me are stronger than he’s letting on.
There are reasons you’re not pursuing him.
That damn devil.
Yes, there are reasons but he also hasn’t shown any indication of anger lately.
He’s not acting at all like my father, in fact, he’s acting the opposite.
Taking care of me last night the way he did was something my father would never have done.
He more than likely would’ve caused the hurt, not helped fix it.
I need to think about this. Maybe I should see where Arden and I really stand as a couple.
If we went on a real date, really acted like a couple, I might be able to see if this is something real or if it’s just a hook up situation.
It might also show me how he really acts as a romantic partner in a relationship and if he’s nothing like my father, then maybe we’re onto something.
I ponder the idea while turning pages in my biology textbook. I need to focus on this work, though, or else Arden will be fake dating an ex-med student. Four hours later, I’m elbow deep in microcirculation and capillary exchange, and just about ready to shoot myself, when Arden walks in the door.
“Hey, Ard. How was work?”
“Do you know what mushroom coffee is?”
“Um, no.”
He shrugs off his jacket and shoes. “Yeah, me either. You should’ve seen the look on this girl’s face when I told her we didn’t have it. I might as well have kicked her puppy.” He comes over and sits down on the coffee table across from the couch. Close but not too close. Not close enough.
“How are you feeling? How’s your head and wrist?”
I close the books and move them off my lap. “Both are good. I took a few aspirin and rewrapped the wrist but I think I’m set for a speedy recovery.”
Arden smiles before standing up to walk to the kitchen. “You wanna order something for dinner? We really should get groceries one of these days.”
Here goes nothing.
“I think we should go out. To dinner. Together.”
Slowly, Arden closes the fridge and turns around to face me.
“Are you asking me–”
“On a date? Yes.”
Test number one, how is this man going to react to being asked out by a woman.
He blinks a few times, seeming to glitch out. He opens his mouth, closes it, opens it, closes it.
“Arden?”
“Yes.”
“Is that a yes to the date or a–”
“Yes, just yes. Let’s go to dinner. Just,” he comes around the counter, looking at his watch. “I need like an hour to, um, study in my room and then I’ll be ready to go. Does seven work?”
“Yeah, that’s fine. Do you want help? I’m about to take a break from my own studies.”
“No, no. You relax. Do something non-school related.” His phone starts to ring as he heads into his room. He looks at the screen and shuffles a little bit faster. “I’ll see you at seven.” He closes the door and I’m thrust into silence.
Well. That was weird.
Looking at my phone, I see it’s half past five pm so I’ve got an hour and a half to chill until he’s ready to go.
I guess he passed the test but…something was off about that response.
Still, I find myself smiling when I think about his reaction.
His surprise and joy was adorable. I head to my room to get ready to scroll on my phone for a while before I get up and get ready.
What does one wear when they’re going on a date with their best-friends-brother-slash-friends-with-benefits-fake-boyfriend-slash-roommate?
We decide to walk to the Irish bar on the edge of campus. I threw around a few different ideas but I really was craving a burger, fries and a beer so, pub it is. Arden seemed happy to go wherever I wanted, so that’s a plus.
“Can I ask you a question?” Arden asks as we are seated at a table near the bar.
“Shoot.”
“What prompted you to ask me on a date tonight?”
Damnit. Was hoping he wouldn’t ask me that.
“Well, we had a really good time at the escape room so I figured it would be a good time to go out to dinner…” I trail off, knowing my response is a total cop out and hoping he doesn’t call me on it. Arden only nods, letting me off easy this time. Phew.
Quietly, we glance over the menu and within minutes, we’ve ordered two burgers—mine with extra onions—and two beers. The waiter comes back with the beer quietly and Arden raises his to cheers mine.
“Cheers,” he says.
“To what? You have to cheers to something.”
“Fine,” Arden thinks for a minute and then smiles. “To good times.”
I roll my eyes but can’t contain my grin. “To good times.” Our glasses go to connect but Arden looks at the cups and I immediately pull mine away.
“What?”
“You have to look me in the eyes when we clink the glasses!”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s bad luck. If you don’t look into the other person’s eyes, then it's seven years of bad sex.”
Arden hits me with a heavy glance. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope,” I move my glass out again. “Well?”
Arden rolls his eyes before opening them very widely, staring at me very intensely. I meet his insane gaze with my own, and we tap our glasses together without breaking eye contact. It’s only when I nod and sip the drink that he looks away.
“You’re insane, you know that?”
“You love it,” I reply unthinkingly. And then I pause.
I didn’t just imply that he loves me. That is insane.
Quick, change the subject! “So, got any shifts at the cafe this week?” I ask and thankfully the waiter comes to drop our food and hopefully mask the embarrassment I’m having for asking such a stupid question.
But, of course, Arden doesn’t let me down that easily. “Yes, brat. I have shifts this week. My usual shifts.”
“Oh, that’s…good.” I stuff a fry in my mouth to shut myself up but they’re insanely hot so I end up having to take very deep, loud breaths to cool my mouth off.
Boy, if I really cared about impressing Arden on this date, I’d be really embarrassed but watching him crack the biggest smile at my discomfort reminds me that he’s the same boy I grew up with who made fun of me when I cut my own bangs in freshman year of high school. He’s seen much worse from me.
“What about you? Got anything special going on?” He makes a show of blowing on a french fry before putting it in his mouth and I roll my eyes.
“Nope, nothing special. Just classes and labs and keeping myself alive, the usual.”
He nods and we eat in comfortable silence for a few more minutes. It’s not that much different from when we eat together on the couch at home. Or study together. Or just hang out together. It’s all…nice. In a surprising way.
“What are you thinking about over there?” Arden asks me as he finishes the last bite of his burger. I still have half of mine left and if history is anything to go by, he’ll be finishing it off later on tonight.
“Oh nothing. Just what movie we should watch when we get home.”
He smiles and I know without a shadow of a doubt it’s because I said home. But it is. Our home, that we have together. That we cook in and clean in and hang out in. And have sex in. And pretend we don’t have feelings for each other in.
I shake those thoughts from my head, not wanting to ruin the good mood.
“I’m picking the movie,” Arden says as the waiter appears with a to-go box and the check, which Arden pays without even looking at it. Or without even giving me a chance to even pretend like I was going to offer.
“Why do you get to pick?”
“Because you picked last time,” he says as I pack up my leftover burger and fries. “In fact, you pick every time.”
“So, we should just go with that we know, then, right? Don’t want to go changing too much at once.”
We stand and go to leave but Arden tucks me into his side as we walk out the door, his arm feeling way too good draped over my shoulders. “Whatever you say, brat.”