“What’s your favorite flower?”
Fuck.This was torture.
Somehow, he got through the meal, doing his best to give Yasmine some kind of answer for everything.But the further they got into the questions, the more he felt off-kilter.
He asked for the check and a box, and Yasmine frowned again as she noticed his mostly full plate.
“Was it bad?”she asked in a low voice, presumably so none of the workers would hear her.
“No, I just wasn’t very hungry.Plus, I want to make sure I still have room for the bakery.”The truth was, his stomach had started feeling queasy over the questions and had gotten worse with each one she’d asked.He wasn’t sure he’d be able to eat anything once they got to the bakery, either.
“Right.”She smiled again, but it looked forced.“So.Tonight.Is there anything specific I should wear?Or prepare for?”
“Ah, no.Wear whatever you want.I figured we’d start with basics and see how that goes.”
“That makes sense.”
Was she disappointed?Her expression hadn’t changed, but Mason was getting the sense he’d disappointed her.Again.
Shifting in his seat, he tried not to let his discomfort show.They were engaged.There were things they were going to have to work through.Everything had moved very quickly thanks to it being arranged.They were still getting to know each other.
That’s all.
The server came, and Mason paid for their meals, quickly boxing his up.His stomach still felt tight and uncomfortable.As did the rest of him.Getting to his feet, he rolled his head around, trying to loosen the muscles in his neck and shoulders.
Heading to the door, he was going to try to hold Yasmine’s hand, but she was walking too far ahead of him.He settled for holding onto his leftovers, which at least gave him something to do with his hands as they left the restaurant.Once they were outside, she had one gloved hand tucked into her pocket while the other held the strap of her shoulder bag where she’d stored her tablet.It was too big for Mason to call it a purse.
“The day is turning out nice,” she said, turning her face up to the sky as they walked down the street.The House of Starrett, where they’d had lunch, wasn’t too far from Audrey’s bakery, thankfully.The air was nippy, but not so cold that they’d be miserable walking.
“It is,” he agreed, happy to have an easy answer.The tension in his stomach eased a little now that they were away from the restaurant and past all the wedding talk.“I think we’ve got a few good weekends left before it gets too cold to enjoy walking.”
“I can’t say I ever reallyenjoywalking, but I do like the nice weather,” she joked with a little smile.
“Oh, I love going for long walks on the weekends.Around the city, maybe doing some hiking on trails.I’ll probably be doing that tomorrow during the day, trying to get in the good weather before it’s gone.You could come with me—you might like walking better with someone.”
“Not really.”She shook her head.“I’ve done the group thing before; it doesn’t make a difference other than making me feel bad if I can’t keep up.Besides, I have a yoga class tomorrow afternoon.I was thinking about stopping by the bakery at some point, just to support Audrey on her grand opening day as well as today.”
“Oh, me, too.The whole team is planning on going in the morning.”
“I was going to go after my class,” Yasmine replied hesitantly, and he got the sense she didn’t want to tell him no right after rejecting his invitation to go hiking, but that she also didn’t want to go in the morning.
“Okay, well, it’s probably good to spread it out some.Keep her busy all day.”Mason smiled.Yasmine really was a thoughtful person.He liked her.They were good together.If he made a list of everything he wanted in a life partner, she would check all the boxes.That’s why he’d agreed to this arrangement in the first place.
Was it weird that physical chemistry hadn’t been one of his boxes?
Maybe.But in his defense, until he’d met Audrey, it hadn’t played that big a part in any of his relationships.
Though there had always been a little spark previously.More than he and Yasmine had.But those relationships had all come about naturally, not through his parents.It made sense that this one was different.
“What do you do on weekends once you can’t go hiking?”Yasmine asked as they turned onto the street for the bakery.Mason could see the pink-striped awning immediately, despite the distance.It was a good way of standing out from the buildings and other businesses around it.
“Hang out with friends, watch movies… sometimes I read.Or take a class.I do winter hikes too, when I start feeling too cooped up.What about you?”
“Friends, of course.And my yoga class.I also have a belly dance class that I’m starting soon.I prefer reading or listening to podcasts over television or movies.I usually like to do my podcasts or audiobooks while I’m doing something else, like cleaning or my laundry.”
“Ah, I can’t really do the audio stuff.It’s kind of in one ear, out the other.”Mason shrugged sheepishly.“I need something visual to hold my attention.”
They’d reached the bakery, and it was clear they were not the first ones to arrive.The inside of the small space already had quite a few people milling around within it.Mason pulled the door open for Yasmine to enter in front of him.Despite stepping back in order to do so, he was immediately hit with a warm blast of air, scented with cinnamon, chocolate, and that soft smell that always came with anything freshly baked.
