And he did.
Once we’d put enough distance between the store and me Cole lifted a box from the center console and offered it to me.
“Truffles? Lilian said we might need a snack on our way.”
I stared at the box for a second before I put it on my lap and opened it up.
There were a number of chocolate truffles inside and I wasted no time in trying one.
“Ooh that’s gorgeous,” I said.
“What is it?” Cole asked and instead of answering him, I put one in his mouth, catching a little of his lips and his saliva on my finger but I resisted licking it off even though it set my body on fire.
I took another bite before I turned to him.
“Salted caramel,” I said.
Cole nodded.
“But it’s a little spicy,” he added, then his eyes went wide. “Oh gosh! Put them down. Put them down now.”
“What? Why?” I picked up the box and held it away from me as if it was infected. “Is it not halal?”
“That’s not it,” Cole said and mumbled something under his breath. “It’s spicy.”
“Yeah, and?” I asked, staring at him.
“It’s spicy and salted caramel. Knowing Lilian it’s probably a fucking aphrodisiac or something.”
I grimaced, staring at him.
Would that besobad?
“I’m sure it’s not.”
Cole shook his head.
“Trust me. That woman is a sneaky witch.”
I shrugged and closed the box, but not before I ate another one for Cole’s benefit and I didn’t miss the way he glanced at me or the way he pressed his together.
Oh this trip was going to be fun.
He didn’t say anything more about the truffles and focused on getting us to our destination.
Fifteen minutes later, we made it to the ferry and ditched the car in the loading bay in favor of the boat’s cafeteria. By lunch time,we’d made it to our hotel in Boston, and we opted for a meal at the hotel restaurant so we didn’t have to wander the streets on an empty stomach.
After lunch, we dropped off our stuff in our rooms and went out to explore the city. Only a block or two away, we stumbled upon a winter festival inside an old warehouse.
“Should we check it out?” I asked, offering Cole my hand.
“Sure. Let’s go,” he answered and took my hand in his, and we walked inside.
It should have been weird, surreal, or awkward, navigating the rows of stalls and vendors holding hands and being all… couple-y, but it didn’t feel like any of those things. If anything, it was as if we’d been doing it for years.
The festival was quite the production with over a hundred stalls, a dedicated food market, and even two bars that were chock-full of people waiting for booze. We opted for the hot cocoa stand instead and caved in on a few eggnog and red velvet donuts.
“We should start making our way to the bookstore,” Cole said after a while.
