“Nor did I hear from you Sunday. And when we came into work on Monday, nothing but a ‘Good Morning’ and a kiss on the head, with the same thing repeated on Tuesday and today.” I turned towards Tessa to try to bring her into this. “Can you see why I would be hurt and then confused, because I have no idea why he thinks he has the right to say he isn’t mad when I’m the one who waited all weekend, only to see him on Monday acting like nothing was wrong at all.”
I huffed and slumped into the couch. “You said you were going to get with me later on Saturday night, so I thought you were making the plans.” Greg tried to put his reason into the conversation now. “I waited in my apartment all weekend long. I lit a fire on the porch to see if you might come out and then slept on the couch just waiting in case you didn’t want to text and wanted to knock on the door instead.”
“I slept on the couch all weekend waiting for you, I didn’t even go into my bedroom once.” I turned towards Greg, tears brimming in my eyes at the realization that we both had been stupid. I could have messaged him or he could have messaged me, and all this heartache would have been avoided. “I was afraid if I went in there I wouldn’t hear you if you knocked on the door.”
“Doll…” Greg admonished me and picked himself up from the couch and made his way towards me, lifting me without effort and sat down, planting me in his lap. “You told me specifically on Saturday that you would talk to me later. I just thought you were the one wanting to take control of it.”
“I assumed you were the one setting everything up since you brought it up first.” I sank into his arms and let him make everything better. It was like Tessa wasn’t even in the room anymore.
“And I assumed you…” The regret in his eyes matched that in my heart.
“Ask each other out now.” Tessa’s voice filled my ears, but I had no idea what she meant.
“What?” I half-turned in Greg’s lap to look at her.
“Lilly, you ask Greg out, and then Greg, you ask Lilly out. No confusion. No implications. Right here, right now, in the moment.” I turned back towards Greg, and his arms tightened around me. I stared into his eyes trying to find the words to say to him, to ask this man that I loved out on a first date. I didn’t know how because even though Tessa was telling us to ask each other out, the second I landed in Greg’s lap, I knew we would be going on a date in the immediate future.
“Greg,” My voice was shaky and I coughed to try to hide how scared I was right now. “Will you go on a date with me—”
“Tonight.” Tessa finished my sentence for me.
Greg didn’t return the question to ask me, but made a remark to Tessa about her proposal. “Family dinner is tonight. I can’t.”
“It happens tonight.” Tessa was stern in her answer to Greg, indicating that she wasn’t even considering the idea of us going out tomorrow night instead. “When we leave this up to you two it seems that something always goes wrong. You both need to learn trust and the only way to do that is if you two work at it. So, it happens tonight.”
His eyes moved from Tessa and back to me. He took in a deep breath that brought my body closer to his, if that was even possible.
“Lilly,” He took an arm from around me and pushed a large lock of hair behind my ear, one I hadn’t realized was blocking his view of my face. “Will you do me the honor of going on a date with me tonight?”
I smiled at his question, unable to hide how excited I was to hear the words coming from his lips.
“Yes.” I laughed.
“And you, Greg?” Tessa probed to have Greg answer my question.
He looked me dead in the eyes and I swear I could see them turn dark, just like they did right before he kissed me, in the exact moment the answer came from his mouth.
“Yes.”
