10. Old School Country
Old School Country
Changing in record time, I threw on some comfy sweat shorts and my favorite oversized Fall Out Boy tee. It was from their From Under The Cork Tree era, and was well-loved and worn in. I brushed my teeth, ran a cotton round with some micellar water over my face, and quickly clipped my hair back.
I ran around the kitchen and living room like a madwoman, making sure it was as spotless as I could get it.
My mind was running a million miles a minute, trying to make sure everything looked good.
Do I leave the curtains open? What about candles?
Will he care if I light them? What if he doesn’t like the smell? Why was I overthinking this?
“Fucking hell, Allie, get a grip bitch.” Stopping in the middle of the living room, I closed my eyes, counted back from ten, and took some deep breaths.
Once I calmed my racing heart and mind, I lit some candles and fluffed the cushions on the couch.
Again. Possibly a third time too, just for good measure.
By the time I got done, Spencer had texted me that he was on the way.
The room was bathed in buttery light as I spun and took one final glance to make sure everything looked good.
The walls of the living room were a vibrant green, and plants hung from the ceiling or were scattered around in pots.
I had also accumulated some of my grandparents’ old decor—like some of my granny’s needlework projects or their paintings—once they passed, and it added an old-country charm to the space that made it feel cozy.
It helped me always feel close to them too.
“Alright, Dolly, we need to have a serious conversation, okay?” I knelt down.
“And I need you to be on your best behavior and maybe don’t act crazy.
Can we do it? I’ll give you all the treats if you can do that for me.
” She just stared at me like I was crazy—which, yes, I was sitting on the floor talking to my dog, so maybe I was.
Fifteen minutes went by before I caught the glint of the sun hitting his car as he pulled into my driveway.
A few moments later, I heard a knock at the front door, which of course made Dolly start barking.
“Please, girl, best behavior.” I pleaded with her as I opened the door and was greeted by two delicious sights. Spencer, in jeans, and an iced coffee in hand.
“Hey there, sweetheart. I stopped and got us a pick-me-up before coming over,” he said as he shook the cups, making the ice rattle and some droplets of condensation fall off the cup.
I usually wasn’t into the whole pet name thing, but I was very much here for him calling me sweetheart. No one had given me a nickname before either. The way he said it so endearingly set off butterflies in my stomach.
“Those look amazing, thank you. You didn’t have to do that, though. Here come on in.” He stepped in, and I shut the door behind him. Looking at the label, I saw it was an iced white chocolate mocha with caramel drizzle. “How did you know what my iced coffee order was?”
“Well, I may or may not have looked over some of your posts and saw you had shared it, so hopefully it’s still the same,” he answered quietly, and I could see a blush start to spread over his cheeks, which was the cutest thing.
The butterflies really took flight, knowing he made sure to get something he knew I liked.
I swallowed down the lump in my throat and tried to tame the emotions that wanted to bubble up at something so small.
“So you cyber-stalked me, huh? Maybe Em was right, and we do have a potential issue.” My tone was light as I teased back because I liked seeing him a little flustered.
“You’re gonna stand there and tell me that you two didn’t do the same thing to me once you knew mine?
” He shot right back at me. I didn’t say anything because damn it, he was right.
We looked over any socials he had for anything we could find, which wasn’t much.
Seems he was more successful in his research.
“That’s what I thought. Now, why don’t you stop being a smart ass and take the coffee, hmm?
” I didn’t know what to do with someone who could take the sass I dealt and dish it back to me.
Rolling my eyes, I reached out to take the coffee from his outstretched hand.
As I grabbed the cup, the tips of our fingers brushed against one another, causing a shiver to skate down my spine, and goosebumps to break out along my arm.
“Thank you for the coffee. I was just thinking how I wish I had some from Brewed Stories. I don’t go out often for coffee, but they’re my favorite.” I took a huge sip and almost let out a very unlady like moan. Damn, that was good.
Dolly stopped barking fairly quickly and was currently trying to roll around his feet to get attention.
I took another long swig of the sweet iced coffee and watched him with my best girl.
Liking dogs was always going to be a non-negotiable for me with finding a partner.
Men came and went, but Dolly would be forever.
She was my baby, and I loved getting to do everything I could with her.
Eventually, I wanted to get a second dog too.
“Oh, there’s my favorite girl, come here,” he crooned to Dolly and started giving her belly rubs and scratching behind her ears when she sat up. Why was I suddenly jealous of my own dog?
“I know it’s still early in the afternoon, so I figured maybe we could watch some TV together and chat?
I guess I didn’t think this through before I asked you over.
” Impulsive decisions weren’t something I made a habit of ever doing.
Everything needed to be carefully thought out and planned.
Times narrowed down, locations picked, all t’s crossed, and i’s dotted ahead of time.
So I’m not sure what possessed me when my mouth moved faster than my brain and asked him to come over.
At this point, I was convinced Emma had a voodoo doll of me, and she was the one controlling these reckless decisions.
“That sounds good to me, whatever you wanna do, I’m down.” He stood up and stepped closer to me, reaching with his free hand to my face and cupping my cheek. He slowly leaned in, giving me time to pull away or say no. Those ocean eyes searched mine as he did.
I should pull away and say no. I shouldn’t let him kiss me again, but I couldn’t find it in me to be responsible right now.
When I didn’t, he kissed me gently and rubbed his thumb against my cheek.
He smiled against my lips and pulled back to look into my eyes, still wearing the biggest grin. God, he was so cute.
I led him into the living room and let him get settled while I grabbed the remotes from the mantel.
Dolly had already gotten on the couch in her usual spot and was curled up into her croissant form.
I set my coffee down on the table and was trying to figure out if I should sit next to him, or if I should sit further away. My heart raced, and my fingers tingled.
Finally deciding to sit between him and Dolly, I folded a leg under me and started to get comfy.
Except I was too anxious and couldn’t find a comfortable way to place my long limbs.
I stood up to try another position, and I must’ve been cursed in a past life because my foot got stuck in the couch, which in turn sent me tumbling sideways.
It slipped free as I tipped over, further throwing off my balance, and next thing I knew, I was grabbing the back of the couch so I didn’t fall completely on my ass and make a damn fool of myself.
Closing my eyes and taking several deep breaths, the couch shifted underneath me. Only it wasn’t the couch shifting. It was Spencer, and I was basically straddling him.
“Oh my god, I am so sorry. Am I hurting you?” Squirming, I tried to get up without grinding on the poor man.
“Sweetheart, you’re not going to hurt me, not even a little bit, but if you keep moving like that, I’m going to need some ice for other reasons.” He reached up, gently cradling my face in his hands.
I searched his face for any signs of him lying or saying what he was to make me feel better, but either he was a damn good liar with a damn good poker face, or he truly meant what he said.
His eyes seemed so open, so sincere, that no part of me doubted him.
I had never been made to feel like I could be held or lifted in any way, so this was new ground for me.
I swallowed twice, my throat dry, before I could speak.
“I’m sorry, I’m really nervous. You make me really nervous,” I sheepishly admitted and looked away from him.
“It’s okay, so am I.” I couldn’t help but giggle because I couldn’t think of a single time I had this effect on anyone.
I leaned down again, closer to him, and rolled my hips back slightly.
He let out a strangled sound and closed his eyes.
“I’m trying to be a gentleman here, Allie, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to rip these off you. ”
“Okay, okay, I’ll stop torturing you. Let me get up.” I scooted back to try to stand, but he made this garbled growl and gripped my legs tighter.
“This is doing the opposite and only making it worse.” His eyes fluttered open and were dark as he looked at me like he wanted to devour me. I swallowed before trying to stand again, being mindful of not accidentally grinding on him or tripping and falling again.
Slow. I wanted to go slow too. Get a grip here, Allie.
I can’t believe I just did that. Jesus Christ. Honestly, yes, I could, because I had the worst luck, I swear. Play it cool, we’re adults after all. He’s already sitting there normally with his hands in his lap.