I want to take this relationship as far as she’ll allow it. So, for now, I need to keep it to myself. I still have three days until I have to give Noah my answer, and I plan on using all three of them to find out if June is ready for this relationship or not.
Walking into the house, I’m surprised to find her sitting at the table, still wrapped up in her fuzzy blanket, feet curled up in her chair, eating a bowl of cereal. She sees me step inside, and the spoon freezes in her mouth. Her gaze dips down and takes in my sweaty appearance and then darts back up to my face. She finishes chewing with a secret smile.
“Good morning,” I say cautiously as I approach her. She doesn’t respond, just holds that small grin on her face. “Are you about to dive into a freak out and completely regret everything that happened last night?”
She slowly shakes her head no. It gives me courage to get closer. I stop just behind her and lean down to kiss the side of her neck. She makes a soft mmmmm sound that makes my stomach dip.
“So, I’ve decided when and where I want our first date to be,” I say against the warm skin of her neck.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Chicago.”
June pulls away, taking away my access to her neck, so she can look me in the eyes. “Chicago? Why?”
I take a seat at the table, facing her. “Because I have something special planned that can only happen there. If I only get one date, I intend on making it count.”
June looks oddly thoughtful. She’s hiding something behind those green eyes, and I want to know what it is. But I also know that she’s not the kind of girl to spill her secrets. It’s going to take time to get them all out of her, so I let it be.
“Please? I also want to show you where I live and the restaurant I’ve been working in.” I’m basically trying to throw sprinkles on top of a broccoli sundae, hoping to make it look more appealing.
June moves her lips from side to side as she contemplates it. I’m holding my breath. “Okay,” she finally says, and then a big smile cracks over her lips, and she brings another bite of cereal to her mouth. “Actually, I was going to say yes from the beginning. I just like watching you sweat.” She side-eyes my torso and arms.
“Is that right?” I ask like the cocky devil I am.
Just to mess with her a little, I reach for the bottom hem of my shirt and lift my brow.
“Ryyyannn.” She says my name like she does when she wants me to behave. It only eggs me on.
I start lifting my shirt. “Is it hot in here or what?”
“Stop it! Ryan, don’t.” She covers her eyes dramatically with her blanket. “I’m just an innocent young woman.” But she’s chuckling.
“Okay, fine!” I say, sounding deeply disappointed. “You can look now. I was just kidding.”
June pulls down the blanket and finds me shirtless with a big ol’ grin. Her mouth falls open, and she gasps. But her eyes do not shut, nor do they come back up to my face. “Ryan Henderson!”
She grabs her glass of water and tosses it on me to really teach me a lesson. Water goes everywhere. I, however, don’t flinch because I just went on a run, and the cool water feels amazing.
June stands up abruptly and stomps into the kitchen, mumbling something about making it worse and then brings back a towel. I offer to let her dry me off, to which she takes the towel and pops me with it.
The rest of the morning goes on like this, with June and me doing what we do best: teasing and flirting. I end up prying her soggy cereal out of her hands and dumping it down the drain so I can make her a proper breakfast. We both eat and talk over our second cups of coffee, and June tells me little tidbits of her life that I’ve missed out on over the last decade. I do the same.
But I notice anytime my topic veers into the realm of work, she freezes up, so I avoid the conversation of work like the plague. Instead of talking about my job, she learns about the hot dog vendor I swear makes a better meal than any gourmet dish I’ve ever had, and I tell her