face. “I could’ve come up and got you, promised your parents that I’m going to take good care of you tonight—” The look she gave me stopped me dead in my rambling tracks.
“Maybe that’s what I was trying to avoid,” Bree whispered.
Was that…was she meeting my sarcasm with some of her own? The more I spent time with her, the more I got to know her. And, therefore, the more I realized she did have a personality under her quietness. I really did like her, a hell of a lot.
After I let out a chuckle, I said, “Last chance to back out, otherwise you’re going to spend all night with me.”
Her brows lifted. “All night?”
Ah, uh, right. That probably sounded a little wrong. “You know what I mean.” Before I could make any more of a fool of myself, I backed the car up and drove off.
Bree was silent as she turned her head, gazing out of the window, watching the scenery pass us by. She fiddled with her hands on her lap, something she did often. I stole as many glances as I could without getting us into an accident, never able to stare at her quite enough.
She wasn’t the stereotypical beauty, but I was enraptured in her all the same. Even that pink hair had grown on me—though I did think it had faded somewhat over these last few weeks. It wasn’t nearly as blinding as it was when I’d first started talking to her. Even in that big hoodie, she was small. She had the stature of a kid, though she was anything but a child.
She was a woman. A woman who clearly didn’t think much of herself, and I hated that. I hated that she thought nothing of herself. If there was something I could do for her, if I could make her feel better about herself, make her feel alive, that’s what I wanted to do. What I needed to do. This girl…I had to show her how important she was to me.
“So,” I said, breaking the silence of the car ride and causing those green eyes to dart to me, “what do you want for dinner? I figured we’d get something delivered, unless you really want me to cook—then we’ll have to swing by the grocery store. I should warn you, I’m not very good with the oven, but—”
“We can order in,” Bree said, stopping me from rambling.
“Any thoughts on what you want?” When she said nothing else, I went on, “Chinese, Italian, Subway, McDonald’s, Chipotle…” I literally named every restaurant and fast food place in the area that I knew delivered, but she made no moves to tell me what she was in the mood for, so apparently the choice would be up to me.
Bree murmured, “I’ve never had Chipotle before.”
My heart nearly stopped at that. “Well, then it’s settled. We’re getting Chipotle.” Such a travesty. Chipotle got me through my high school years, and many awkward dates before this one with Bree.
This…this wasn’t going to be awkward, though. I really liked this girl, more than I liked anyone else before. I would do everything in my power to make sure this date was anything but awkward.
When I pulled into the parking lot of my apartment building, I whipped out my phone and placed the order. I had to go through the list of things Bree could get, though she was tight-lipped about what she wanted, so I pretty much had to guess what she would like in her bowl. Evening had already fallen; the daylight hours grew shorter with every passing day. I was not looking forward to the time jump, when it’d be even darker earlier in the day.
We went in shortly after, and I let Bree step into my apartment first. She was slow to walk in, taking in the immediate space. The kitchen sat on the right, while the living room area was directly on the left, a hall resting between them, where the bathroom and bedroom were. None of the rooms were overly large, but it served its purpose, and it was pretty cheap to rent. I purposefully chose one not directly beside campus, figuring the rent would be lower the further away you went from SCC.
I hung my jacket on the back of the door, offering to take Bree’s. She looked uneasy at first, but after a moment, she wriggled herself out of her hoodie and handed it to me. I hung it beside mine, tossing a