Page 86 of Enchanting the CEO

He kissed my forehead. "Right. Change of plans. My dinner is no compensation."

I looked up at him, inhaling deeply. His scent calmed my senses. Feeling the heat of his body grounded me. "What do you mean?"

"Clearly you need something to lift your mood, and my stir-fry won't cut it."

"You made stir-fry? I love it."

"Yeah, but as I remember—" He pressed a thumb against the corner of my mouth. "—it's not comfort food, is it?"

"No, it's not. But I’ll enjoy it anyway. You're not mad?" I asked him cautiously.

"What would I be mad about?" He furrowed his brow.

"Because I essentially blew it."

"This isn't your fault. Sometimes things just don’t work out."

I laughed nervously.

"Diane?" He stepped closer again, cupping my face with both hands.

"Nothing, I'm just... My ex would have thrown a fit. Said I couldn’t even get this one thing right." Why did I even say that?

"What the fuck?" He skimmed his hands down my shoulders and arms, resting them on my waist. "I would never treat you like that. Putting each other down isn't the answer."

I nodded, unsure what to really say. This concept of lifting each other up was a bit alien for me. I'd tried to do that constantly with my ex whenever he hit a roadblock, but the reverse wasn't ever true. I'd never really felt like he was in my corner when something went wrong. He always managed to make me feel even worse about it.

"All right, then. Let's see what you think about my stir-fry."

It was surprisingly delicious. "Hey, this is really good."

Gabe smiled smugly. I laughed, realizing this was truly a victory for him. He also poured us white wine, and let me tell you, that was elevating the whole meal to comfort food. I felt more relaxed, and it wasn't because of the alcohol. Being around Gabe had that effect on me.

Once we finished dinner, he led me to the couch and poured more wine. "Tell me what I can do to make this evening better."

"You're off to a fantastic start," I said, taking a sip.

He set his glass down on the coffee table and then put one hand at the back of my neck, drawing his thumb from my hairline downward until it disappeared into my shirt.

"Hmm, we could watch a romantic movie," I suggested.

"Sure. You pick."

I turned around. "What's your take on Christmas movies?"

His mouth dropped. "It's not December."

"No, but they'll lift my mood. What do you think about watching Love Actually?"

"Why not? I've never seen it."

My eyes bulged. "That's not possible."

He laughed. "I haven’t."

"Then you will totally enjoy this evening."

I was happy to share this with him. And I got to curl up next to Gabe. That was all I needed.

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