I press my nose against hers and tighten my hold on her chin before reluctantly releasing it. Only once I’m inhaling air that’s not full of her scent can I think properly. My head clears as I run my fingers through her hair and then press them into her back.
“Hot dogs, then,” I muse.
“You’re starting strong. If you’re not careful, I might catch a glimpse of all your cards before we make it to the second truck.”
“What makes you think I’ve got cards to play?”
“Do you think you’re the only one who knows things? You might be showing off with your phenomenal taste in date locations, but I can still read you like a book.” She winks before taking large steps toward the pale pink and blue food truck with the lit sign on the roof spelling Hot Mess Dogs.
It’s tucked between the mini-donut truck and one that I’ll be bringing her to next for lemonade. The plethora of picnic tables is spaced along the pavement between both sides of trucks, creating an alley for everyone to eat. In all the times that we’ve been here, we’ve always sat at the same table, and as I eye the empty ones, something hot sparks in my chest when I notice ours sitting vacant. The lack of people tonight is working out in my favour in more ways than one.
I follow Aubrey before settling at her side in front of the truck’s window. My sunglasses and hat are a weak-as-hell disguise, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the guy who owns this truck knows exactly who I am but has never mentioned it. If that’s the case, I owe him big time.
“Two poutine dogs with extra cheese. And I mean extra. Really load them up, man. I want them gooey,” I tell him. The snort-like noise Aubrey makes has me twisting her way with my brows lifted. “What?”
She shakes her head, that plump bottom lip of hers nestled between her teeth. Then, I feel her hand settle between my shoulder blades as she moves closer, watching as I tap my phone to the debit machine and pay.
As soon as the guy at the front moves to start preparing our hot dogs, Aubrey pushes up until her mouth grazes my jaw. My skin crackles, pulse jumping.
“I like watching you pay for me.”
My throat bobs. “I always pay for you.”
“This is different.”
“It’ll always be this way,” I say, lowering my voice so there’s no chance the cook can hear. “I know you don’t need anyone to take care of you, but that’s all I want to do.”
“Maybe I could let you do it every once in a while. As long as I get hot dogs and lemonade in return.”
I quirk a half smile and kiss her temple. “How did you know lemonade was next on my list?”
“Call it a hunch.”
“You’re cheating.”
“That’s you, actually. Taking me here when you know I love this place. You’re already miles ahead of any other guy who’s taken me out just from the venue alone.”
I shuffle us away from the window and over to the larger one, where the ledge for the food rests beneath it. “Does it bother you?”
“That you know all of my favourite places?”
“Yeah, and that I already know so much about you.”
She rolls that around in her head for a minute. “I don’t think so. Does it bother you that I know you just as well?”
“Not at all.”
“Maybe it worried me at first. When I kissed you. Before that, even,” she admits, her words sounding a bit tighter now. “But . . . once couples have been together for a long time, it’s normal for them to know just as much about each other as we do. They don’t break up because they don’t have anything to learn anymore. The only difference is we started as friends first.”
“Two poutine dogs!” the guy calls from the truck.
I glance over and see our food waiting on the ledge. As I reach over to grab both hot dogs, I ask her, “Is that what you see us as, Aubrey? A couple?”
“What?” Her cheeks burn a deeper shade of red now. “I meantifthat’s what happened. If things went well enough.”
My heart throbs as I try to hide a grin. There’s a white plastic table set up against the truck that’s loaded with an array of condiments, but I bypass them all, only snagging a few napkins before turning back to her. Some of the heat in her face has dulled, but she’s still watching me shyly, embarrassed.
“And what’s your gut telling you? Do things look like they’re heading that way between us?”
