“Riles, I waited ages for you to give me a chance.”
“You asked me out this morning.”
“I’ve been holding myself back way longer than that. I’ve liked you for a long time.”
A strange expression crosses her face. I can’t interpret it, so I hold her closer to me.
“How long has it been for you?” I ask.
“What do you mean?”
I choose my words carefully since we’re not officially ‘together’ yet. “When did you start seeing me as more than Chris’s best friend?”
“Oh, you know, probably the same time as you did,” she says lightly.
“For me, it was that day at the fair.”
“Wow. That’s… yeah, that’s a long time.”
“I could have waited even longer for you, but I’m glad I don’t have to,” I admit, chuckling.
We near the cars parked on the grassy embankment close to Chance and—soon to be April’s—house.
“I’m so disappointed we both drove,” Riley mumbles, turning her face into my chest and groaning. “I don’t want to say goodbye yet.”
Me either.
I slow down. “Now that I think about it, my car has been giving me some trouble lately.”
“What trouble?” Riley straightens and her eyes get intense. “Are you hearing any strange sounds? Describe them. Actually, give me your keys and I’ll pop the hood.”
“Is this the perks of dating a mechanic? I never have to worry about my car breaking down?”
“One of many perks.”
“Oh?” I lower my tone. “What other perks are there?”
“Pass the inspection and you’ll see.”
I laugh. “How about I drive you home tonight and you can do some more inspecting?”
“Why do I get the feeling that if I hand you my keys, we’ll be driving all night long?”
“Or maybe I’ll find somewhere nice and quiet to park and we won’t do much driving at all.”
“Mm. What happened to ‘you have to wake up early tomorrow’?”
“You wanted a guy who’s willing to sacrifice. I’ll sacrifice sleep if it means hanging out with you.”
“Noted.”
“Anything to pass the inspection.”
She chuckles, looking so beautiful when she smiles that I press a kiss to her forehead. “You have the best smile, Riles.”
Her cheeks turn pink. “Yours isn’t so bad to look at either.”
“What if I lose some teeth in the rink?”
