Chapter fifteen #3
He huffs a laugh. “That makes two of us. I was sure I’d have to do a lot more to convince you to give me a chance. I might have to call you in the morning to reassure me that I didn’t dream this.”
My mind is so loud, filled with surprise and questions and giddiness and anxiety. I don’t know where to start combing through all the emotions.
Adrian stares at me, his eyes bouncing all over my face, my hair, my eyes—like he’s finally free to look at me without having to hide it.
I tentatively ask, “You’ve really liked me for a long time already?”
He blows a breath through his lips. “I tried to deny the shift in my feelings at first. But I’ve been in open, tortured awareness of them since last fall.”
My eyes widen, and Adrian places one hand on my cheek, his thumb grazing the side of my face. “Those gorgeous eyes,” he murmurs under his breath, more to himself than to me.
I remind myself why I should not kiss him yet.
My voice is taut from the effort of restraint when I ask, “So, what happens now?”
He grins—that classic Adrian grin that’s so familiar—as he answers, “I told you. Now, I woo you.”
I burst out laughing. “What century are you from, menso?” My brow furrows, and I ask, “Wait, should I stop calling you menso now? Maybe I shouldn’t be calling my boyfriend an idiot.
” I tug my hands from Adrian’s grasp and clap them to my burning cheeks.
“Oh my gosh. I didn’t mean to say that. I’m sorry.
I shouldn’t be calling you my boyfriend when we haven’t—”
My panic is cut off by the firm pressure of Adrian’s hand against the small of my back, pulling me against him.
“You are making it very difficult to not kiss you, cielo.” I exhale a breath loaded with relief and embarrassment, and Adrian continues.
“You’d better call me your boyfriend. And you’d better keep calling me menso.
I like you having a nickname for only me—not to mention the fact that I am an idiot sometimes.
An idiot who wasted months we could have had together already. ”
I give him a teasing smirk as I say, “Stop calling my boyfriend an idiot. Only I get to do that.”
A thought bursts into my consciousness, dragging my lips down. “Oh, man. I have to talk to Griffin.”
Adrian gives a sheepish grimace. “Uh, that’s been taken care of already. Well, you should still talk to him to give him your side. But he’s the reason I was sitting outside your door tonight.”
Pushing against Adrian’s chest, I exclaim, “What? What does that mean?”
He explains Griffin’s text asking him to dinner, followed by the confrontation over the picture of us dancing. I think my cheeks are the approximate shade of holly berries by the time Adrian finishes the story. “Do you think the entire crowd noticed our . . . our . . . noticed us?” I stammer.
Adrian’s eyes dance as he pulls me closer again and says, “I hope they did. I know Marcia did. I hope everyone could tell that my heart is spoken for. And I hope every man on the planet knows to stay away from you. I might send the photo to a magazine myself to make sure guys get the message.”
Shaking my head, I can’t help but smile. “Welp. I guess I should probably text Griffin tonight to let him know that the attraction wasn’t one-sided.”
“It was the floral suit jacket that finally did it for you, wasn’t it? I was looking good that night,” Adrian teases, and I smack his arm. “But hideous in comparison to you in that dress.”
The molten-chocolate look returns to his eyes, and I press up onto my tiptoes, weaving my fingers through his curls again. I whisper in his ear, “Just so you know, I’m dying to kiss you too.” His muscles tense, and I add with a mischievous tone, “But I won’t.”
I press a light kiss to his cheek, savoring the sensation of his skin against my lips, the catch of breath in his chest. As much as I want to extend this night into forever, he needs sleep before the game tomorrow.
And I need space before I forget to take things slow.
I drop back to my heels. “Now get out of here before I accidentally kiss you before I’ve been properly wooed. ”
“Just you wait,” Adrian says with playful yearning. He places a hand on the doorknob and pulls the door open. Before he leaves, he turns back to wink at me. “You won’t be waiting long, though.”
I stand in the doorway and watch him walk the length of the galley deck to the staircase. I listen to the quick cadence of his steps down the stairs. His retreating figure glances around and crosses the parking lot to his black truck that I didn’t notice before.
I don’t look away until he turns back and sees me still standing here, until he raises his fingers to his lips and sends a kiss my direction. I don’t close the door until his truck pulls out of the parking lot, out of sight down the street.
When I finally lock the door, I lean against it and sink to the floor.
I’m afraid I’ll have to report to Alice tomorrow that I did very little resting tonight.
But I can tell her I know exactly what I’m going to do.
I’m going to be with Adrian.
And I’m not going to mess it up.