His face is tight, his jaw ticking with…irritation.
But when he turns to me, everything changes, the most dazzling smile lighting up his face.
“You were jealous.”
“W-what?” I stutter as my pulse quickens.
“When you put your arm around me and called me baby. You were jealous.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mumble before stuffing my mouth with more waffle and ice cream.
“Oh, really?” he teases. “So, what would you say if I said she gave me her number and asked me to call her?”
“What?” I shriek as he produces a napkin with pretty pink scrawl on it.
He chuckles, and it lights a fire under me.
“Call her. I don’t care.”
“Really?” he asks, his attention still zeroed in on me.
“Yep, really. In fact, why don’t you just go back and ask her out in person?”
His laughter gets louder. “You don’t mean that.”
“Don’t I? Go back and see if I care.” Another chuckle. “And while you’re at it, you can stop laughing at me.”
“Sorry, I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Both. You’re too cute.”
With his waffle still untouched, he turns to face me. I flinch when he reaches out and drags his thumb across my bottom lip before sucking the sauce he collected into his own mouth.
I watch his lips wrap around the digit, and fire shoots through my veins.
“I’m not going back for her. I’m not going to call her, either.”
“Why?” The question is out before I can stop it.
“One, because she was too young for me. And two, because I had no interest in her. If she didn’t slip her number into my order, I wouldn’t have even realized she was flirting with me. My head is too full of someone else to notice.”
Me. That’s me. Right?
“I know what I proposed isn’t…normal. And I know it benefits me way more than it does you in the long run. It’s selfishand unfair, and I’m manipulating a situation for my own gain, but I need you to know that if you agree, I’m all in.
“I won’t see anyone else. I won’t disrespect you. I’ll give you everything you want in return?—”
“Ask me to marry you?”
His eyebrows shoot so high, I’m surprised they don’t take up permanent residence in his hair. “What?”
I blink, unable to believe I just blurted it out like that. This was not how I envisioned this conversation going.
“What?” I echo, unable to summon up any other words.
“You…” He swallows thickly before dragging his fingers through his hair. “You just asked me to ask you to marry me.” As he says the words, he shakes his head, his brows pinched tightly together.
