A small part of me wishes we were really on a date.
I like Tilly.
I like her a lot.
She’s easy, light, and so full of bubbly energy, I want to surround myself with her and never let go.
I hadn’t realized I was still holding her hand. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world. We hadn’t taken our eyes off each other as our bodies were connected, sitting across the table from each other. This was, in fact, the closest thing I’d had to a date in years.
“Roger says I need to move on and stop living my life in the past.”
“He sounds a lot like Daphne and my mother.”
“He means well. They all do. I have to be honest with you.” She glances down. “Your mother has talked to me about you.”
My body tenses, and I don’t know how I feel about that. It’s everything I’d expect of her. She has balls of steel and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. “I’m sorry.” It’s the only thing I can say. I hate that Tilly felt put on the spot.
“Don’t be.” She peers up, looking me straight in the eyes. “That’s not the part I wanted to be honest about.”
“Oh.” My eyebrows rise.
“The day we met, with the mixer on the floor, I know I came on really strong, or you could say, a bit crazy.”
“It was adorable.”
She blushes. “I had made a vow to Roger that I wouldn’t be so closed off with the next man who turned my head.”
I swallow hard, knowing I was that guy. The one who turned her head.
“I hadn’t found any man interesting or truly attractive until you walked into my kitchen with your big muscles and handsome face. You were the first man who made me feel like I wanted more. Like I was ready to move on with my life.”
“Really?” I ask, taken aback but also intrigued.
“Yes.” She bites her lip. “I feel like a fool telling you this, but in the name of transparency, I want to be honest with you.”
I run my finger across the underside of her wrist. “To be honest, I haven’t had another woman spark my interest as much as you have in the last few days. You’re charming, beautiful, and a little bit of a firecracker. So, in the name of transparency, as you say, I like you a lot, and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that.”
Tilly beams. “I’m okay with that.”
“Me too.” My heart’s racing, so I’d say a part of me is more alive than I have been in years. “I think we should be friends, and if something more comes of it, so be it. We can’t rush these things, especially with our history, no matter how badly our friends and family want us to.”
“So, is this officially a date?” She looks at me with so much hope in her eyes.
“Yes,” I tell her because, for the first time in forever, I can say the words without the knot forming in my stomach. “It’s a date.”
“Pepperoni well done,” the waitress says as she stands beside our table with the pie in her hand.
I don’t look up or pull away.
I don’t want to.
“Oh, sorry.” Tilly slides her hand back, breaking our contact. “Smell that,” she says as the waitress sets the pizza in the middle of the table. “That’s what you call heaven.”
While I love my pizza, I could think of so many other things that would top my list of heavenly smells. Tilly’s scent would be one of them. Marissa always wore Chanel No 5, but Tilly smells like the sweetest confection.
“I would’ve thought cupcakes were your favorite food.”
She shakes her head as she pulls the first slice onto her plate. “Nope. I love them, but I’m all about the pizza.”
