“Does the smile mean you’re happy with the answer, or are you trying to figure a way out of dating me?”
“The smile says I was hoping that would be your answer. I can’t stop smiling, actually.” I laughed. Twisting my fingers through his hair, I pulled his lips to mine. We were both still smiling and our teeth hit when we tried to kiss. Looping my arms around his neck, I pulled my face from his, buried it in the curve of his neck, and breathed him in.
He kissed the side my temple. “Now that we have the logistics of our relationship figured out, where do you want to go?”
I pulled back and looked at him, shaking my head. “Oh no, it’s still your day to pick. This is an equal opportunity relationship.”
“How about the mall?”
“The mall.” I made a face. “I think you’re trying to get me to forget it’s your day to pick.”
“What? Guys can’t like the mall in your world?”
“You don’t,” I said, holding my breath against the pain building in my chest.
“Well, if you can like fishing, then I can like the mall. Besides, I’m thinking about the mall and then maybe the shops at the Waterway.” Chay looked at me, and his brows pulled down. “What’s the matter?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers. My head started to pound.
Chay. His car. A bicycle.
“Don’t back up,” I said.
Chay dropped his hands from the steering wheel and brushed the hair from my face. “Tell me when it’s safe,” he said quietly.
Three little boys on their bicycles rode behind his car. The boys were laughing and goofing off, doing all the things boys do. What they weren’t doing was watching for cars.
“Okay?” he asked, and I nodded. Chay put the car in reverse and slowly backed out of the driveway. “You know, you’re as good as having one of those back-up sensors,” he said with a chuckle.
I tried to give him a stern look, but failed and smiled. Reaching over, I pinched his side lightly. He laughed and brushed my hand away.
“Oh,” I raised my eyebrows, “you’re ticklish. That’s a good thing to know.”
We drove carefully up beside the boys riding their bikes, and Chay rolled down his window. “You guys start watchin’ for cars or you’re gonna get hurt.”
The boys looked over at Chay with wide eyes before turning their gaze back to the road. Like a flock of geese, they swerved their bikes to the left and into the bike path in synchronization.
***
I would’ve thought after spending the entire day with him the day before, we’d have run out of things to talk about, especially since before we knew each other, he never seemed to talk in more than monosyllabic answers. But it seemed the opposite was true. The more we talked, the more we found to talk about. It seemed Mr. Dark-and-Brooding was long gone.
We started our day at the mall, laughing our way through the shops, looking at ridiculously priced clothes and shoes. Chay was a good sport about tromping through the stores with me. Even though going was his suggestion, I wasn’t convinced he was all that interested in mall hopping, so I made it a quick visit. A few stops at the clearance racks, the bookstore, and the music store for Chay.
We were coming out of the music store when I tugged on the belt loop of Chay’s lower-than-legal jeans. “Hey. Isn’t that Jeff?”
He leaned in front of me to get a look, cupped his hands around his mouth, and yelled, “Jeff!” But Chay’s voice was swallowed by the sounds of the shoppers coming and going.
“Who’s he with?” I stood on my tiptoes to get a look.
“Trina? Is that her name?” Chay shrugged and looked at me. “Some blonde who’s not nearly as beautiful as you.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed the inside of my wrist.
I tilted my head and looked at him. “Huh. That one was just on the okay side. I’ve definitely heard better lines. You need to work on your game, Victor.” I patted his check and walked around him. He grabbed me from behind and tickled my side.
“Work on my game, huh?” He laughed.
“Yes,” I giggled. “Hold the cheesy stuff.”
“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Let’s go into Victoria’s Secret.” I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at the pink staining his high cheekbones. “Don’t you want to see what all the fuss is about?” He cleared his throat, sticking his fingers in his pockets. I wrapped a lock of his hair around my finger. “Aren’t you curious to know what the secret is?” I murmured.
His lips parted, and he wet them with his tongue. “Milayna…”
I took pity on him and pulled him past the store. “Okay, let’s get out of here.”
He blew out a breath and gave me a grin. “Hungry?”
We left the mall for an early lunch at a small café on the Waterway, an area next to the river full of art galleries, over-priced shops and street vendors, and every type of restaurant imaginable. We ate outside, watching the boats float lazily down the river.
“Let’s take a boat ride tonight,” Chay said.
“I’d love to take a boat ride! Why not after we eat?”