place in town. We laughed, and he listened to me go on and on about my books.
He asked, "What were you reading during training? You looked like you were in anguish."
I blushed as I remembered not only being busted but also the effect he had on me when our eyes first locked together. "Well," I started, "it's a love triangle, and whenever there's a triangle, there's angst. And that's where I was at—Angst Central. It was intense. I haven't been able to read lately, so I don't know what happens, and it's driving me nuts."
I couldn't help it. I loved talking about my books. I had to laugh. When I talked about all my different books, I got excited. I didn't go into the tiny detail of my fictional boyfriend love affairs. It was our first date after all.
He sat there, looking at me intently.
With the way I talked about my books, most people thought I was nuts. I wondered if he'd want to see me again.
Then, he laughed. It wasn't a loud laugh, but I couldn't tell what it meant.
I was still a little neurotic from my attempted intervention. "Are you laughing at me?" I asked defensively.
He smiled. "No, not at you."
"Are you sure? Because it sounds like you're laughing at me," I accused, narrowing my eyes.
"I promise you that I'm not laughing at you," he assured with a smile.
I pouted. "Hmmm, I'm not convinced."
"Now, don't get that way. Please. I just loved watching you talk about your book. You looked so happy and excited. Your face lit up, and you looked so adorable," he said in a very sincere voice with soft eyes.
I gave him a shy smile. I liked how I felt when he looked at me and said those things.
Wanting to change the subject, I thought about how I owed it to Macy to do a little recon work. "So, have you and Chris been friends for long?" Dangling a crinkled fry in my hand, I noticed his eyes were watching me as I put it in my mouth. This could be fun.
"For as long as I can remember. Do you really want to talk about Chris?"
I batted my eyelashes as I sipped on my diet soda. "Birds of a feather flock together."
"That's not accurate. That would be more Chris and my brother, Wyatt. See, Chris and I actually started off as arch-enemies, probably like the things written in those books you love so much." His eyes sparkled as his lips curled into a delicious smile.
"Now you have to tell me the story. Did it involve a love triangle?"
"It was brutal. We were both madly in love with the same woman." His eyes shifted as he sat back in his seat.
I felt a twinge of jealousy. "Go on," I encouraged. "You can't say that and then leave me hanging." I was literally on the edge of my seat, staring into his eyes.
"We were five years old. My mom was his kindergarten teacher. Now, you have to understand that my brother, Wyatt, is a mama's boy, but I was always her little man. Imagine my horror when Chris, along with nine other little boys in the class, fell in love with her golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes." He shook his head and tightened his lips into a straight line.
I'd never been more attracted to a man in my life. "Well, what happened?" I prompted him, waving my hands for more.
"At the playground, Chris would hang around my mom like a lovesick puppy. It was pathetic. Even at that age, he flirted. He told her how pretty she was, and he always needed to hold her hand in line. It drove me nuts. My mom reassured me of her unconditional and undying love, but the thought of Chris giving her little gifts irked the crap out of me. He was teetering on a fine line, and then he crossed it."
"The suspense is killing me. Tell me what happened."
"He came up to me on the playground one day and told me that he was going to marry my mom when he got older." He laced his fingers together and stretched his arms.
I'd never seen this side of a man, and I found it to be the most heartwarming experience.
"So, I punched him in the face and put an end to that nonsense." He shrugged his shoulders. "We've been best friends ever since."
I
He asked, "What were you reading during training? You looked like you were in anguish."
I blushed as I remembered not only being busted but also the effect he had on me when our eyes first locked together. "Well," I started, "it's a love triangle, and whenever there's a triangle, there's angst. And that's where I was at—Angst Central. It was intense. I haven't been able to read lately, so I don't know what happens, and it's driving me nuts."
I couldn't help it. I loved talking about my books. I had to laugh. When I talked about all my different books, I got excited. I didn't go into the tiny detail of my fictional boyfriend love affairs. It was our first date after all.
He sat there, looking at me intently.
With the way I talked about my books, most people thought I was nuts. I wondered if he'd want to see me again.
Then, he laughed. It wasn't a loud laugh, but I couldn't tell what it meant.
I was still a little neurotic from my attempted intervention. "Are you laughing at me?" I asked defensively.
He smiled. "No, not at you."
"Are you sure? Because it sounds like you're laughing at me," I accused, narrowing my eyes.
"I promise you that I'm not laughing at you," he assured with a smile.
I pouted. "Hmmm, I'm not convinced."
"Now, don't get that way. Please. I just loved watching you talk about your book. You looked so happy and excited. Your face lit up, and you looked so adorable," he said in a very sincere voice with soft eyes.
I gave him a shy smile. I liked how I felt when he looked at me and said those things.
Wanting to change the subject, I thought about how I owed it to Macy to do a little recon work. "So, have you and Chris been friends for long?" Dangling a crinkled fry in my hand, I noticed his eyes were watching me as I put it in my mouth. This could be fun.
"For as long as I can remember. Do you really want to talk about Chris?"
I batted my eyelashes as I sipped on my diet soda. "Birds of a feather flock together."
"That's not accurate. That would be more Chris and my brother, Wyatt. See, Chris and I actually started off as arch-enemies, probably like the things written in those books you love so much." His eyes sparkled as his lips curled into a delicious smile.
"Now you have to tell me the story. Did it involve a love triangle?"
"It was brutal. We were both madly in love with the same woman." His eyes shifted as he sat back in his seat.
I felt a twinge of jealousy. "Go on," I encouraged. "You can't say that and then leave me hanging." I was literally on the edge of my seat, staring into his eyes.
"We were five years old. My mom was his kindergarten teacher. Now, you have to understand that my brother, Wyatt, is a mama's boy, but I was always her little man. Imagine my horror when Chris, along with nine other little boys in the class, fell in love with her golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes." He shook his head and tightened his lips into a straight line.
I'd never been more attracted to a man in my life. "Well, what happened?" I prompted him, waving my hands for more.
"At the playground, Chris would hang around my mom like a lovesick puppy. It was pathetic. Even at that age, he flirted. He told her how pretty she was, and he always needed to hold her hand in line. It drove me nuts. My mom reassured me of her unconditional and undying love, but the thought of Chris giving her little gifts irked the crap out of me. He was teetering on a fine line, and then he crossed it."
"The suspense is killing me. Tell me what happened."
"He came up to me on the playground one day and told me that he was going to marry my mom when he got older." He laced his fingers together and stretched his arms.
I'd never seen this side of a man, and I found it to be the most heartwarming experience.
"So, I punched him in the face and put an end to that nonsense." He shrugged his shoulders. "We've been best friends ever since."
I
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