He’d be an incredible kisser. I knew it.Oh my god it’s Callum!What was I doing?
“You’re moving around a lot over there, and I can pretty much hear your mind whirring with questions. You can ask me anything. I’ve never lied to you, you know that.” He reached over and squeezed my knee.
Heat blasted up my thigh to my core, then up my chest. I breathed deep, suddenly aware of the roughness of his pads of his fingers. He’d touched my knee before, but everything was elevated. The scent of his cologne, the mint from his gum, the way he dug his fingers into my leg.
It seemed intimate. He touched me like I was delicate, and that sent a flutter of butterflies deep in my gut.
“I’m confused.”
“Mm, okay, about what?” He glanced at me, a small smile teasing his lips.
Damn, he looked so good. He’d styled his hair and shaved, and his jawline was sculpted like a freaking Greek god’s. My pulse sped up the more I stared at him. I turned up the air-conditioning a notch.
He removed his hand from me as he turned left, and I could breathe a little easier. His touch overwhelmed me, and I liked my thoughts nice and in order, not messy.
“We’re going on a date.”
“Yup.”
“Just… like that?”
“Yup.”
“But, why?” I gripped the door handle, leaning onto the door a bit to provide an extra inch of space between us. I stared out the window, my thoughts clearing out. “We’ve never been close to this before, and I’m not your type at all. You like?—"
“If you’re about to say something negative about yourself, I will refute every comment, so watch it.”
“What? No. I’m not.” I blushed at the intensity of his voice. “I mean, you’re not my type either. This seems?—”
“How the fuck am I not your type?”
“Seriously?” I laughed. “You’re joking with me.”
“I am absolutely not joking.” His tone was short, curt. He pulled into a parking lot and turned off the car, leaning back in the chair and staring at me. He narrowed his eyes as he said, “I know what makes you smile and how to get you to laugh and how to help you when you cry. I know what your favorite snacks are and when you need a back rub if it’s that time of the month. Iknow when your leg is hurting or your arm and how to push you when you’re stubborn. How is that not your type?”
“Because you’re… you? And… I’m me?”
A flash of hurt crossed his face before he pressed his lips together. I’d upset him. My stomach twisted with guilt, and I hated knowing I did that. A deep wrinkle formed between his eyebrows as he exhaled. “I should’ve asked this instead. What is your preferred type? When you envision yourself with someone, what are they like?”
“Callum.” I swallowed, the uncomfortable feeling in my chest forming again. How could I hurt him? It was wild to even imagine. “You’ve never expressed interest in me once. We’ve known each other since we were five. I’m glad to get dinner with you to reconnect, and if you call this a date, then great. I still…do we even trust each other again?”
“I trust you with my life.” His gaze moved to my mouth before he flashed a grin. “Let me get your door. We can continue talking during ourdate.”
My stomach somersaulted.
I barely undid my seatbelt before he opened the door for me, his usual smirk back on his face. Gone was the frustration from five seconds ago, replaced with his confident, playful grin that showcased his dimples. This was the guy I was used to. Not… yeah, not the other one. The flirty, charming version flustered me. That version had me thinking things that were not reality. Like kissing him or what it’d feel like to be one of his girls, one of his hookups. That version made me think of all the times I saw him pick up girls and kiss them senseless, and I’d wanted to know what it’d feel like to be them. I’d thought about it a few times, briefly, years ago, but all those suppressed feelings slammed to the front of my mind.
“My mom took me here when she visited last year. You’ll see what I mean when I tell you it reminds me of you.” He didn’ttake my hand, but he walked close enough that our arms kept brushing against each other.
Each slight touch had me sweating. Thank goodness I’d worn black. It was like he was intentionally trying to touch me just enough to get me heated but then backed away. I wasn’t equipped for this. He was too overwhelming when I needed time to analyze whatever this was. I wanted to weigh the pros and cons before letting a touch turn into more. When I was stressed, my brain hyper-analyzed everything, and that happened now. Had I shoved my attraction for Callum deep-deep down all these years to not get hurt or rejected? I wasn’t sure if he’d ever feel that way, so him showing even a little had me on edge.
“This place looks really nice.” I eyed the brick columns and plants placed everywhere. Green leaves covered the walls, circling around them and onto the ground. They traveled inside too.
Ivy.
It was all ivy.
“See what I mean?” He put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into the crook. He smelled like cedarwood and mint, and my mouth watered when I breathed him in deep. “I know my actions don’t match my words, but there were signs of you everywhere. You never really left me. It might seem like it, and maybe I left your life for a bit, but you were always with me.”
