“Then why are you apologizing?”
“I didn’t ask you if you wanted to date me and go to Lucca’s engagement party. I didn’t even tell you there would be a party. I never ran any of this by you.”
“That’s ok. I figured you mentioned the party and stuff in the moment. I could tell something was happening and whatever it was, you would say anything so that Enzo didn’t win. I didn’t want Enzo to get the upper hand either.”
Dante’s heart squeezed so hard it could have burst. She didn’t want to date him or go to the engagement party. He would have to tell them. Did she want to keep seeing him until the agreement was up, or was she done?
“I can tell them you don’t want to go.”
“Yeah.” She looked out the window. “I think I want to go home. I guess you can drop my stuff off tomorrow at the club. If it’s ok you can have Ed bring my money down.”
Wow, she didn’t want to see him anymore. Not even to get her money. “So I guess you want to get out of our agreement.”
“I guess. We can keep going if you want. I thought you were done with me.”
“Done with you. No.” The band around his heart loosened. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding. “I want to be with you. Like in a full-blown relationship.” He held his breath. He was putting it all on the line and she could reject him at any moment.
“Then why did you apologize for saying it?”
He reached across the console for her hand. “Because I didn’t give you the choice to say if you wanted to do it, to be with me or not. I always want to give you a choice, and I’m sorry I took it away from you.”
She turned to face him. “It’s ok.” She cupped his face with one hand. “It was too much to hope for. I want what we have together to be real too. Two consenting adults who enjoy being together and are exclusive.”
That was a weird way to put it. “Good. Then it’s official. We’re a couple. Let’s seal it with a kiss.”
Dante leaned over, and Madison met him halfway. He deepened the kiss and then pulled her across the console and onto his lap where he could have better access to her. He wouldn’t have stopped if it hadn’t of been for the knock on his window that broke into his fog.
He looked out the window to see Lucca and Gabe stood there.
“I guess this is for real.” Lucca leaned down.
“As a heartbeat.”
“Congratulations, man. Way to lock a good lady down.”
“Thanks, man. We’re going to head home. See you guys later.”
During the time he was talking to them, Madison crawled out of his lap and sat back in the passenger seat. He could feel the embarrassment flowing off of her in waves from being caught making out. It was cute and why he couldn’t get enough of her.
****
Madison was light as a bubble. She was afraid she would pop. Her and Dante were an official couple. She wanted to pinch herself, but instead she pinched him.
“Ouch. What was that for?”
“I wanted to see if you were here with me or if it was a dream.”
Dante rubbed his arm where she pinched him. “I think you’re supposed to pinch yourself.”
“I know, but if you were a dream you would disappear when I tried to pinch you. Even if I’m dreaming, I’m still there. It seems silly to pinch myself.”
She could tell Dante wanted to argue, but he could find no fault in her logic.
“See. I did the right thing.”
“You could have tried to test it out some other way.” He pulled her close. “Like a kiss.”
She leaned into him. “Yes, but I would have been sad if I had tried to kiss you and you dissipated.”
