I glance down at my plate and push my fruit around. "That's really sweet. But, we don't even know if this is going to work. I'd rather not get my hopes up about having a nice family."
"Asia, I didn't get into this to get divorced. Did you?"
I snap my head up with defiance. "No. That's the last thing I want."
"Good, 'cause I don't know how, but we're going to make this fuckin' thing work."
My insides tremble at the possibility of what he's saying. Maybe this really can work. Maybe, somehow, I really will get through the next six months of this and end up with a husband and a great family.
"Is that your real name?" he asks suddenly. "Asia?"
"It is. Is Talon yours?"
"Yup. We all have unique names in my family. That's what you get when your mom is a romance author and your dad's a musician."
"I really like all the names," I admit. "I always thought they were stage names."
He grabs an e-cig out of his cigarette pack and starts to puff on it. "Nope. They're on our birth certificates that way."
"Did you quit smoking while you were downstairs?" I tease, gesturing to the electronic cigarette.
Letting out a laugh, he pushes his empty plate a few inches away. "No, I just don't want to set the smoke alarm off. I am trying to quit, though. My brother used these, so I'm giving them a try." He blows vapor to his left and then fixes his eyes on me intently. "So, the million-dollar question. Sex. You've made it clear you're not a slut, and I like that, actually."
My stomach does a small flip and a flush of heat comes over me. "I wish I could say the same about you. It seems like you have quite the reputation."
He smirks. "Guilty as charged, jelly bean. Sorry."
I brace myself to ask my next question. "Are you able to be faithful?"
The tip of his e-cig glows blue while he takes a long drag off of it. "I think so," he finally says, with a hint of uncertainty.
"You think?" I repeat. "You have to be sure. I can't be married to a cheater."
"Is it cheating if we're not having sex?" he teases, tilting his head to the side.
I glare at him and push my own plate off to the side, my appetite suddenly gone. "Yes, Talon. It is."
"Take it easy, I'm just kidding. I'm sure I won't cheat on you. I've gone a month without it so far, so that's a record for me."