Page 16 of Conquer

“Ask away,” I said.

He looked at me, shifted his weight slightly, moving it from one foot to the other. It was surprising, not something I would have expected from him. He seemed almost… nervous. That instinct was confirmed when he shifted and brushed his hand over his military-short hair.

“Do you want to go somewhere with me?” he blurted.

“Where?” I asked.

He frowned ever so slightly. “I don’t know,” he said.

I was both confused and finding this incredibly adorable.

I tilted my head. “Adrian, are you asking me out on a date?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said after a long moment.

I smiled, feeling bubbly with joy but not necessarily wanting to show it.

“When?” I asked.

“Now?” Adrian said, sounding almost skeptical.

I gave the only answer could. “Sure. Let me change.”

Adrian glanced down at me then quickly looked up to meet my eyes. “You don’t need to change.”

A simple statement, but one that made me feel more beautiful than I ever had in my entire life.

“Thanks, but I’ll just be a minute,” I said.

I practically floated to my bedroom, only insisting on changing because I could use a few minutes to gather myself. And because my mother would die if I left the house dressed as I was, and those long-ingrained lessons could be hard to shake.

I wanted to be quick, so I selected a pair of dark denim jeans that gave my hips a little extra lift and decided to be daring and put on a fuchsia short-sleeved T.

It was sad that fuchsia constituted daring for me, but at work I tended to stay away from bright colors, and that had spilled over into life. I only owned the shirt because my mother had bought it for me, insisting it would look great against my skin.

I’d never worn it before, but I didn’t think there’d be a better time than this.

I slipped my feet into a pair of black flats, and less than five minutes later emerged from the bedroom to find Adrian where I had left him.

“I’m ready,” I said.

I tucked my wallet in my back pocket, and after Adrian exited the house I locked the door.

We stood on the porch, and I looked at him. “Where are we going?”

He gave me an almost sheepish smile, the expression so different and at odds from what I had seen of him so far.

I decided to offer him a lifeline. “You up for walk? There’s a great Mexican place a couple blocks away,” I said.

“Sure,” he replied.

“Great,” I said as I stepped off the porch.

He walked next to me, allowing me to set the pace. I moved fast, but not too fast, instead enjoying the surroundings and the company. This neighborhood was beautiful, lots of trees, gardens, and it had a peaceful feel that I hadn’t found in many other places in the city. That I had been able to actually afford a small house here made it that much more perfect.

And the company didn’t hurt either.

As I walked next to Adrian, I observed him as he observed the neighborhood. And there was no other word for it. He was fully alert, taking in everything, and I got the sense that nothing—the elderly couple sitting on their porch, the busy families scurrying in and out of their homes—escaped his notice.

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