“That’s my favorite.”
“I know.” I pass her a plate of chicken alfredo.
She stares at it, her brow furrowed. She’s probably wondering how I figured it out or if I just got lucky.
“I asked Ellie.”
Her eyes snap to mine. It’s not a big deal. Just had to get her number from Travis.
I don’t like going out much, but I still wanted her to experience Valentine’s Day. She drops down at the kitchen table, and I grab my chicken parm and join her.
She reaches across the table and strokes my hand. “Thank you for dinner, but you really didn’t have to do all this.” I start to tell her she’s welcome, but then she says, “I mean, it’s not like you’re my boyfriend.”
I sigh, pulling my hand away to pick up my fork. “I can still do something nice for you,” I say, trying to hide the frustration in my voice.
She flinches. I know she doesn’t like me spending money on her, but too fucking bad. Her eyes flit over my face, and her worries couldn’t be any louder if she screamed them. I didn’t do this for any other reason than I wanted to.
“Whatever you’re thinking, stop,” I say sternly. Her guilty smile tells me I was right.
She finally starts eating, and I watch with an amused grin as she shimmies in her seat when the food hits her tongue.
Worth every fucking penny.
28
OLIVIA
Penn is staring at me.He seems more relaxed now that I’ve nearly cleared my plate. The tension from minutes ago is mostly forgotten. I didn’t mean to upset him with the boyfriend comment—I meant it as a joke. I felt bad that he spent so much money on dinner when I’m not even putting out. I’m not privy to his financial situation, but I can’t imagine the band is raking in a ton of cash. Then I wondered if he had expectations because of dinner and the fact that it’s Valentine’s Day, but I should’ve known better. He’s not like that. He saw the concern all over my face and straight up called me out. Somehow, he knows me so well, yet I feel like I barely know anything about him.
An idea pops into my head to rectify that. “Let’s play a game.”
“What kind of game?” He takes a drink of water.
I watch with fascination as his Adam’s apple bobs, muscles in his throat working. Ugh. Why is something as simple as swallowing water so sexy when he does it?
“Five questions. You know, like twenty questions, onlyshorter. We can ask each other anything and have to answer honestly.”
He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “Okay.”
“I’ll go first,” I say. “When did you know you wanted to be in a band?”
He already told me about getting his first guitar, but I want to know the moment he knew what he wanted to do with his life. I always admire people who knew exactly what their passion was and follow it. Meanwhile, it feels like I’m blowing in the wind most days.
“As long as I can remember. It was just a dream then, but when I was about fourteen, I started putting all of my time and energy into it. I spent every single minute I could playing and writing, trying to get better. When Travis and I started playing together, I knew I didn’t want to do anything else.”
“It’s so cool that you get to do what you love with your best friends.”
He smiles, a genuine one that makes my insides tingle. “My turn. Favorite color?”
I laugh, not expecting him to ask something so basic. Plus, I’m pretty sure he knows the answer by now. “Pink.”
He nods to himself like he was just checking to make sure.
“What kind of music inspired you? Was there a certain person or band you looked up to?” That’s technically two questions, but he doesn’t call me out.
“I like all kinds of music. Growing up, my parents listened to a lot of oldies, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, shit like that. So, I appreciate those, but ska is my favorite. It’s what made me want to start a band, and some of the bands that inspired me…Distorted Penguins, Less Than Jake, and The Offspring. If I had to choose.”
I nod, making a mental note to ask Ellie what ska is laterand look up those bands. I don’t want him to think I’m completely lame for not knowing.
