I cringe. “I don’t think you should put ride and mother in the same sentence, Alex. That’s weird.”
She slaps my shoulder. “Matt made a funny,” she yells out toward Scott and Dwayne, who both smirk as the waiter comes over with a giant platter and places it between us.
“One Chocolate Surprise. Your coffees will be out shortly,” he says, and I dip my chin in thanks.
Alex looks at the plate, grinning like the Cheshire cat. I look down and take it all in, not really knowing what it all is, but it looks incredible. There seems to be a chocolate tart, a mousse, an ice cream, and a thing that looks a lot like dirt on the plate, with a whole bunch of cute flower-looking shit. It looks pretty and inviting. Alex does not hesitate to pick up her spoon and digs straight into the tart, taking a bite.
I sit back and let her enjoy it. Alex wanted this dessert, and even though I’m still hungry from having practically no dinner, I want to watch her enjoy the chocolate. The spoon hits her lips, and she takes it in slowly, her eyes close, and she sinks into her chair as she begins to devour the mouthful she’s taken. Alexlets out a delightful moan, and my body instinctively shudders at the sexual undertones coming from her. Swallowing hard as I watch, I shuffle slightly in my seat while my muscles clench from apprehension… tension…arousal?
Fuck! I have no idea what’s happening right now.
All I know is that watching her enjoy the chocolate is so immensely pleasing, and moaning like that is not something I thought would affect me, but it has, and I shift uncomfortably in my seat. When she swallows, it doesn’t help my reaction at all, and then she slowly opens her eyes. I know I should look away, but my focus is on her mouth.
“Oh… my… God, Matt, youhaveto try this,” she says, scooping her spoon into the tart and then shoving it right in my face.
I’m a little shocked that she’s offering me food from her spoon, but we’re friends, and friends can eat from the same spoon,right?
“Eat it,” she says, pushing the spoon to my lips and making me laugh. So I open my mouth and let her spoon slip inside. I taste the tart and now understand why she was moaning. It’s delicious, velvety, and smooth—a perfect balance of bitter and sweet.
“Jesus, that’s amazing,” I murmur with my mouth still half full.
She nods, taking the spoon I just had in my mouth and putting it in hers, licking off the extras.
I glance over at Dwayne and Scott, who are smirking with their eyebrows raised, and suddenly, I’m questioning everything.
Alex and I are just friends. But this? This doesn’t feel like something friends do. The casual intimacy of it throws me off-balance.Does she even realize what she’s doing to me? Or am I reading too much into it?
I drag my eyes back to her, watching as she savors the dessert, completely unbothered. Meanwhile, I’m sitting here, my mind spinning, wondering if I’m the only one overthinking this.
I clear my throat, grab my spoon, and dig in alongside her. “Hey, Alex…” She glances over, one brow raised. “Thanks for having dessert with me.”
She points her spoon at me. “Hey, feed me Taco Bell and chocolate, and I’ll have every meal with you. We can make it our thing.”
“Cool. So, Mexican and chocolate. That’s our thing now.”
She gasps dramatically. “We have a thing! Look at us!”
“Yep. Official thing status achieved… technically,” I add, “Mexican was already kinda our thing. I mean… Taco Bell, your cooking, those breakfast burritos… we’ve been in a committed Tex-Mex relationship for a while.”
She laughs, the sound like fucking heaven to my ears. “True. We had a thing before we even knew we had a thing.”
I grin. “How many times do you think we can say ‘thing’ before it stops sounding like a word?”
“Ain’t nothing but a thing,” she says, snapping her fingers and laughing. Then she leans forward. “Okay… so what’s the plan for the rest of the night?”
I shrug just as the waiter drops our coffees at the table. “Movie night? Back at yours?”
She nods, seemingly satisfied with this plan. “Perfect. But first, we destroy this chocolate.” She scoops a spoonful of mousse, slides it into her mouth, then moans—loudly.
When the spoon leaves her lips empty, I nearly forget how to breathe.
Sweet baby Jesus.
Chapter Fourteen
MATT
After the disaster dates and shared dessert the other night, Alex and I went back to her apartment and ended up watching Netflix. Well, at least until we both fell asleep, cuddled up on her sofa.
