Sounds about right. Piper did insert a winking emoji that I didn’t tell April about.
“Ah well, we are now in no rush or anything.” I pull April flush since I feel like I can let go tonight without restrictions.
“Or anything,” April barely echoes in a whisper.
It makes me scoff, as I like where her mind goes. “Having a good time despite being stuck with me?”
“Actually, this is kind of fun. Thank you for insisting I be your plus-one against my will.” She clicks the inside of her cheek with her tongue.
“I brought you flowers,” I remind her.
“You did, and you paid an exorbitant amount for the private chef at the Dizzy Duck for one night in the auction. I may soften my stance on you if you let me be your plus-one for that so I can assess if it’s a good menu.”
I twirl her around. “I think you’ve already softened your stance on me.”
“Maybe true,” she replies point blank, and her honesty catches me off guard.
I bring her hand to rest against my chest, near my heart that has been prodding me lately. “You would want to go back to the Dizzy Duck with me?”
“It is a dangerous location, but I do what I must for good food and conversation.”
“So now I’m good at conversation too?” I tease her.
She playfully swats my chest. “Sometimes. Outside of Hadley and baseball, you’re still kind of a mystery to me.”
“Really? What do you want to know?”
“Hmm, what would you do if you didn’t play baseball?”
I try to suppress my grin. “I only know baseball, but I’m not blind that at any moment it could all end, so I guess in the back of my mind, I would want to invest in a hotel or something. I studied business in college.”
“Okay, I guess that’s straightforward. Can I ask something else?” She focuses on her finger playing with the button on my white shirt. I nod. “Why are you so… unapproachable to most?”
I chortle a laugh. “Wow. Are you asking why I’m grouchy? I’m not always. I just worked hard to get to where I am, I need to be focused. My parents didn’t have much, I wasn't handed a silver spoon, but now I can have it all. And besides, what went down with Hadley… I have every reason to keep people at bay.” A ping deep within my heart aches.
“I get it, and I’m not going to say sometimes we need to move on to new chapters and try again. I’ve seen people at their worst too.”
“Their loss.”
“I think so,” she agrees.
We dance in place, swaying, our eyes piercing in a locked gaze. Inside, I feel an internal battle; the fact I kept the video, yet I'm thankful I did, otherwise we wouldn’t be here.
“You don’t hate me, do you? Like really hate me because I kept the video?”
Her chin tips up as she breathes a long breath. “Detest isn’t hate. And… I don’t know. Is it strange that I’m not mad? Fine. I admit it. I’m not that mad. A little nervous the whole world may see it, but at least I can say it led me on an adventure, with an added bonus of benefitting from your kitchen.”
I debate what to say next but settle on simple. “I can live with that.” In the corner of my eye, I notice the floor clearing, and then it dawns on me that the music is fading. “We should probably head back.”
“Yeah, a good idea.”
I strip off my jacket to drape on her shoulders, and she gives me a peculiar look. “You gave me the standard of being on good behavior, remember? Plus, you must be freezing.”
“I think you wanted it that way.”
We begin to walk side by side, our arms grazing. “Why would that be, April?”
“Because you like when I suffer, despite whatever is going on in that head of yours, and I’m fairly confident that your mind is going wild.” She is sure of herself, and she isn’t far off.
