No. And you know why.
VAL
You could let yourself love him.
IVY
Love?
VAL
Sure. Maybe not today, but eventually, yes. Love.
IVY
You know why I can’t.
VAL
You could be missing something that would outshine everything you think is good.
IVY
I can’t talk now. He’ll be here any minute, and I need to get dressed.
VAL
Just think about it. Or don’t. ;)
IVY
Goodbye,Val.
I haven’t told her how my emotions have been all over the place. How this very morning, I kissed him all over (apart from his lips, obviously) while he sat on the bed we’d shared for the night. Val doesn’t need to know everything. I swipe mascara onto my lashes and pull on my dress only to find I can’t reach the zipper. I twist, turn, bend and do all manner of things to close it, because this will not turn into one of those will-you-zip-me-up situations.
Nope. I couldn’t handle it. And, thankfully, I won’t have to, because I got it!
I’m back in the bathroom, putting in my new earrings when there’s a knock on my door. I open it and find Alex standing there in a charcoal-gray suit, his white shirt unbuttoned just the right amount—and wow I might pass out.
He steps into the room, letting the door fall closed behind him as his eyes bounce around my form—taking in the dress, my hair, my face—before lingering on the line of my neck. He steps forward and runs his hands down the sides of my neck, and across my collarbones before he nuzzles just below my ear, the earring caught somewhere between us.
“You are so beautiful, darling,” he whispers, then kisses mesoftly on the neck. He backs up a bit, leaving his hands on my mostly bare shoulders. “I hope that wasn’t too much. I—”
“It wasn’t,” I breathe, once again riding the rollercoaster of emotions he brings out in me.
“Good.” Alex uses his index finger to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Ready?”
In this moment, I feel shockingly ready for anything.
For dinner, we end up back at The Lanes at averyelegant restaurant. Alex, or I suppose his assistant, has arranged for us to have a table in the corner, out of the way.
Alex cuts into his steak and spears a bite along with a green bean—as he has done with every bite he has taken since we finished our appetizer of truffle and parmesan chips.
“Why do you always eat a green bean with your steak?”
“There’s something about the flavor of these green beans that I don’t like. I found that I don’t notice it when I eat them together.”
“You could ask for another side.”
