“Oh wow!” Candi’s head swivels as she looks out the window at the spectacle around us. "Wehaveto take our picture in the cupid cut out!” She lets out a giggle as I manage to find a parking spot.
“Seriously?”
“Yes! We have to take our pictures anyway for SAC or whatever, right? This will be fun.” Her whole face lights up and I don’t think I could deny her anything right now.
Reaching for the handle, I open the door. “Alright,” I say with a sigh, “c’mon.”
Chapter Ten
Candi
To say I’m a complete wreck is an understatement.
Polly worked some sort of magic and made me look like I came straight from a set on the CW. She scoured through my closet full of comfy hoodies and sweaters and somehow managed to find tight black jeans with artfully placed distressed areas that I didn’t even know I owned, most likely thanks to my mother. Polly then threw a fit when I didn’t own any blouses deemed date appropriate and quickly tossed this red one at me and shoved me out the door.
I feel a bit out of place. One, going on a date is a complete anomaly to me. Two, Polly has me in heels, a measly two-inch heel on a boot, but a heel is a heel and my feet are already killing me and we’ve barely gone anywhere. Three, Jaxon is too gorgeous for words, which is why I’ve found it almost impossible to speak since he picked me up.
The one thing that has me excited is seeing the giant cut-outs of cupid shooting his arrow. My dorky self is super excited to stick my head through the hole with Jaxon. It also will get the awkward feeling of having to take a picture with your date out of the way for the photo SAC wants. This will be fun and low-pressure which is exactly what I need right now.
Jaxon doesn’t open my door for me, but I wasn’t expecting him to. I wait for him by the trunk of the car and I get the opportunity to watch him. His hair is styled and not covered byhis normal baseball cap, his blue eyes are clear and bright. He’s wearing a white button-down and blue jeans, casual but still date appropriate. There never fails to be butterflies in my stomach when I look at him, even more so now since I know that I will be spending the evening with him.
I can see that he really doesn’t want to take this picture and that makes me that much more excited to do it. He can tell I’m happy about it, my grin starting to spread across my cheeks, and he rolls his eyes and offers up a hand to walk me across the street.
Panic slides down my spine, my mind once again overthinking.What if my hands are sweaty? There’s no way he will like me if my hands are sweaty. I’m sure it’s just a kind gesture, nothing more than another moment of “uncharacteristic chivalry” from him. That’s got to be it. There’s no way that he would want to hold hands with me. He’s just being nice.
Of course, all of this takes place within the span of a nanosecond, and I carefully place my hand in his. His palm is rough and warm and large. His giant hand seems to swallow mine in his grasp and for once in my life, I feel dainty.
At this moment, I’m not a completely average girl with average features and averageeverything. I’m the girl that is holding Jaxon’s hand and it feels like I’m finallymore. More special, more attractive.
He holds my hand the entire way across the street, carefully maneuvering us between the parked cars lining the sidewalk. Once my foot reaches the cracked pavement, I don’t know what to do about my hand still in his. Do I let it go? Does he want to hold my hand?
What do I do?
Not wanting to be the girl that holds the guy’s hands too long and makes it weird, I quickly loosen my grip and slide my handout of his. Jaxon’s fingers flex the slightest bit when he realizes what I’ve done, but I’m busy walking towards cupid and his lady trying to run from what I just felt.
What is it about Jaxon that makes me feel so…so…unsettled?
Being an introvert with social anxiety, it takes me longer than the average person to warm up to others. Especially when that person is a ridiculously attractive guy whom I’m on a date with, has endured me throwing a book in his face, and witnessed me outwardly enjoying my music in what has to be one of my most embarrassing moments.
There’s a small line to get pictures taken, so my ‘running’ is at an end. Jaxon settles beside me, shaking his head and chuckling as he slides his hands into his pockets. There are couples walking hand in hand around the square, taking pictures in front of the giant glitter hearts, and generally exuding love and romance.
“What is it about this cupid that has you so excited?” Jaxon leans in and nudges my shoulder, drawing my attention back from the wandering crowd to the man standing beside me.
Well, here goes nothing. “I could ask you why youaren’texcited about this cupid. There’s so much potential here.” Gesturing to the line before us, which is slowly getting closer and closer to the cupid in question. “It’ll be fun.” Trying to be as playful as he is, I nudge his shoulder back.
“If this is you admitting that you want to be cupid, I won’t stop you. I don’t mind being shot by cupid, especially one that looks like you.” Those blue eyes of his sparkle down at me, the corner of his mouth pulled up in a smirk.
What. The. Hell.
He’s got to be playing with me, right? Once again, a blush creeps down my neck and I’m suddenly sweating. Or at least I feel like I’m sweating with how hot my nerves are making me.
“So you’re saying you’ve always wanted to wear a red dress? I’m happy to be helping this dream of yours come true.” I domy best to ignore his gaze, looking anywhere but at his face.Oh wow, look at that blade of grass stuck to my boot. How interesting.
Jaxon lets out a deep laugh, one that breaks my concentration on the riveting blade of grass on my boot and draws my eyes back to him. One of his hands is resting on his stomach as he bowls over with laughter. “You’re definitely making my dream come true.”
With nothing to say to that except to chuckle, I watch him compose himself. Thankfully, it's only another couple of minutes before it’s our turn, and Jaxon goes directly to the woman’s side, squatting low to fit his head in the slot. I let out a true laugh at that and Jaxon immediately turns to watch me take my place inside cupid’s face cut out. I don’t have time to overthink every aspect of that interaction because the guy holding Jaxon’s phone starts the countdown. “Three, two, one, cheese!”
Once our picture is taken, Jaxon reaches for his phone and leans in close, pulling up the pictures in the phone to show me. I can’t help but lean into him in order to see the screen and his cologne hits me, making me momentarily lose all thought at how good he smells.
