“Yeah, I remember. What about it?”
“Well, I came here that Saturday.” When I didn’t react, he continued. “After you sang that song, I knew you wanted me too, and I needed to talk to you about it. I got here as you were coming back from a jog, so I figured you were just getting cleaned up and ready to leave, but you never came back out.” He paused for a moment, taking in the realization sweeping over my face. A small blush crept over his cheeks. “The next day when I showed up here, I asked how it went as a test. I wanted to see if you’d tell me the truth, but you lied and said you’d gone. At that point, I pretty much knew there was no boyfriend. I just didn’t know why you were lying.”
“You were spying on me?” I clutched the jacket, bringing it tighter around myself as a shield.
“I swear it was innocent and I wasn’t spying. I was just desperate to show you he wasn’t worthy and convince you you’d be better off with me. I didn’t expect it wasn’t true, and I never planned to hide it from you. Please, don’t be mad.” He was cringing, waiting for my outburst.
“Blake, it’s been over a month!” I shouted, mortified he’d made a fool out of me. “Why didn’t you tell me when you came here the next day? And why did you keep acting like you didn’t know?” My voice was escalating and my scalp felt prickly and hot. Trust was a huge issue after everything I’d been through. I never thought he would mislead me in any way and it was like he just slipped a big, ugly feeling under my skin.
He raked a hand through his hair and began to pace. “I wanted to tell you, but I never found the right time. I didn’t want you to get mad or weirded out and stop talking to me. I have a hard enough time with you as it is. So I figured I’d wait until you opened up and told me. You obviously weren’t ready for me to know, and I didn’t want to push you. I don’t want you to feel pressured, and there must’ve been a reason you went to such lengths to keep it from me.” He stopped pacing and placed his arm against the large picture window.
I looked away and contemplated his words. What he said made sense and I had been the dishonest one here. I understood why he did it, and I shouldn’t hold it against him. If this was going to work, there’d have to be a give and take. I took a deep breath and continued through my admission, “I’ve never been on a real date, either.”
I looked back to Blake and this time got the reaction I was expecting. He dropped his arm and turned to face me, his eyebrows pulled together in the center, and he scrubbed the side of his jaw. “I’m sorry, did you just say you’ve never been on a date?”
“Yes.”
He blinked in shock. “You, Evangelina, the most gorgeous girl I’ve ever laid eyes on, have never been on a date?”
I straightened my spine. “Yes.”
“You’re gonna have to help me out with this one because I’m not following.”
I swallowed down the pain, the irregularity of my past, and the fact it always came back to haunt me. “Let’s just say, there’s a lot about me you don’t know. Stuff I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about yet. I want to give you the chance to know me a little better. I promise, I do. Just . . . one step at a time.”
“I know. I believe you.” He took a tentative step toward me. That one truth told him more than the few vague words I actually spoke, and I could tell it struck a nerve.
I went back to strangling the sleeve of his jacket as I watched his advance. My body quaked from the inside, nervousness and want warring within me. I felt light on my feet as he stood before me, looking down, flexing his jaw repeatedly. His hands were balled into tight fists at his sides but his eyes were different this time.
Knowing.
Understanding.
A flitter of nerves passed through my stomach, wondering if he was going to press the issue, looking for answers. He seemed to gauge the panic in my eyes, and his tension eased a bit. “So do I get to take you on your first date?” His mouth pulled at the corner.
I relaxed a little. “Maybe. If you’re a good boy.”
“Tsk, tsk. Come now. I’m always a good boy.”
“That’s true.” I slanted my head and pretended to study him. “But I just don’t know if you’re my type.”
His mouth dropped, and he stared at me wide-eyed.
“I’m kidding, don’t go getting all skittish on me.” I laughed, nudging his shoulder.
As he swayed back, he grabbed my wrist, staring into my eyes with warmth and want. “Do you have any idea how sexy you look right now in my jacket?”
“Sexy? I look homeless.” I laughed.