Page 68 of The Relationship Clause

We eat, laughing and talking easily like this is how we live life. I find myself memorizing every little part of our time together, cataloging every word and gesture he makes so I can save them for later.

“Wait, wait, wait,” I say, halfway through my plate. “You’ve done speed dating before?” I’m not even sure how we got on the topic, but now that we’re here, I’m not letting it go.

He chuckles. “Once. When a friend wanted me to come with him for support. Have you ever done it?”

“Never.”

“I don’t recommend it unless you have a strong constitution. Speed dating is definitely not for the faint of heart.”

“Duly noted.” I smile as an idea takes shape. “Give me your introduction.”

His nose wrinkles. “My what?”

“You know, your introduction. What you said for the first fifteen seconds to catch a girl’s attention.” He looks like he might try to fight me, so I add, “You said we’re supposed to get to know each other better, remember?”

He nods, swallowing a big bite of bacon. “Right. Well, I was born in New York, moved to the south when I was twelve, went to school for business at the University of South Carolina, and started my own tech company with my best friend shortly after. I like running, hate sushi, and when I want to unwind, I like to watch a movie with my cat, Storm.”

“Oh, dear.” I wince.

“What?”

“I don’t think this can work out between us, Owen.”

“W-what? What do you mean?” A twinge of anxiety enters his face, and it’s almost enough to make me take pity on him and stop, but I forge ahead.

“You. Hate. Sushi?” I can’t help it. A smile tugs on my lips, and soon, I can’t help letting it take over my face. I can tell the instant he realizes I’m teasing him, and maybe it’s evil of me, but I kind of love that I can have this effect on him.

He breathes a sigh of relief, matching my smile. “Yeah, it’s pretty much the grossest food known to man.”

“Okay, but have you ever actually tried it? Because sushi isn’t all raw fish, you know. A lot of people have that misconception.”

“Trust me, I’ve tried it, and it’s not the fish, raw or otherwise,” he says.

“Explain.”

“It’s the seaweed.” He shudders as if the very thought is enough to make him hurl. The sight makes me laugh. “Ugh. I hate the way that seaweed wrapper tastes and feels in my mouth. I can’t get over it.”

I shove another bite of French toast into my mouth, talking around the food. Is this unladylike of me? Probably. But this is me, so if he has a problem with things like this, I guess now’s a good time to find out. “Fine, the seaweed is a hangup for you, but have you ever tried fried sushi before?”

“They have fried sushi?”

“Yes, and it will change your life. Seriously. I bet you wouldn’t even notice the seaweed part if you tried it that way.”

“I doubt it.”

“You wouldn’t. And I’ll have to prove it to you one day. You will succumb to the dark side and become a sushi fan.”

His lips quirk up at my Star Wars reference. “Are you threatening to take me out on a date for sushi sometime?”

“Well, not a date, but I mean, I’m going to prove to you that sushi is delicious.”

“By taking me out on a date,” he teases.

“I didn’t say that.”

“I don’t think I’d ever try sushi otherwise.”

“Okay, yeah. Yeah, I’ll take you out for sushi sometime. But just to prove you wrong.”

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