Page 26 of Teasing the Winger

“I haven’t had the best history with dating,” I admit in a quiet voice. “The last relationship I was in was toxic, to say the least, and I’ve been terrified to share my heart with anyone ever since.”

“My question still remains. Why the change?”

“When I met you, I thought you were so hot that I was afraid you were going to set me on fire,” I admit, making Rio blush a little, and he shoves me with his shoulder. “But no matter how hard I flirted, you never took the bait.”

“Because I’m demi,” he reminds me, and I nod.

“But I didn’t know that at the time. Eventually, I just figured you weren’t interested, which was fine with me because it was just as much fun to tease you. As I got to know you more and spend time with you, I got to see what a great guy you are. You have this grumpy exterior at times, or maybe aloof is a better word, either way, you are tough on the outside but soft on the inside,” I ramble, rushing the words out. “You don’t let that side out all the time, but when you do, it’s enough to make me melt every time.”

“My crush on you started to grow and morph. I no longer wanted you to just fuck my brains out. I wanted to spend more time with you, to hold your hand and cuddle. For the first time since my breakup, I wanted a relationship. I just didn’t think you wanted that with me. So, I stuck to teasing you and being your annoying friend.”

“For a while, I didn’t even know if we were friends,” Rio admits. “I thought of you as more of an annoying acquaintance at the beginning.”

Some might take offense to what Rio just told me, but in all honesty, I see where he’s coming from. I do come across strong when I want someone. And even though with most people, I settle down quickly after rejection, I didn’t with him because he was too much fun to tease. I enjoyed making him blush and getting him all flustered, and he never flat out told me to stop.

“But eventually, as I got to know you, I found out there was more to you than meets the eye,” he tells me. “You can be sweet and caring, and your flirting is just a facade. There are layers to you, and I’ve enjoyed seeing every side of you that you’ve shown to me.”

I’m not one to blush easily, but my cheeks heat at his sweet words.

“I’d like to see even more of you,” he whispers, and his confession almost makes it hard to breathe.

“Are you saying you want to date me?” I check, and he presses his lips together before nodding.

“I want to be honest that I’ll need to take things slow, but I want to see where this can go.”

“I’m not known for going slow,” I remind him. “But I can take this as slow as you need me to. I’m just excited that you’re actually willing to try this.”

“I’ll admit that I’m a little terrified, but I’ve been told that sometimes we have to push our fears aside to let in the happiness we deserve.”

I smile, and I’m itching to grab his hand, but I want him to make the first move. Moving at a glacier pace isn’t my usual way, so for the time being, I need Rio to take the lead. If he’s in charge, I won’t be tempted to push things too far.

“Thank you for taking a chance on me. I’ll try not to let you down.” A hint of insecurity creeps up as I let the words out.

What if my last relationship was a failure because of me? I know my therapist told me that no matter what I did it would never warrant the way Lux treated me, but it’s hard to believe that sometimes. Maybe I’m only good for sex, and I’m doomed to never be loved the way I’ve always desired. I know Rio will never do the things Lux did, but what if he decides I’m not a good enough boyfriend for him? He said he wants to see more of me, but what if I show him the sides of myself that I keep hidden from everyone, then decides he wants someone else?

Rio grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze and pulling me from my internal downward spiral. “There is nothing you could do to let me down,” he tells me with a certainty in his voice. “I can’t see the future to know if this relationship will work out, but if something happens, it won’t be because you did anything wrong. It will be because we weren’t meant to be, but we’ll never know if we don’t try.”

I take a shaky breath and plaster on a smile. “Have you always been this wise?” I joke, and he chuckles.

“Not really, but I met someone recently who has opened my eyes to a lot of things.”

Rio fiddles with something in his free hand and my eyes go wide when I see that it’s a clear quartz.

“Since when are you a crystal kind of guy?” I question.

“Since I started having weird dreams, BooBoo’s mom insisted that I carry this around with me. Are you into rocks too?”

I chuckle, trying not to take offense that he just called them rocks, and nod as I hold up the necklace I never take off. “This is amethyst,” I tell him, and he grabs onto the amulet to study it more. “Amethyst is known for its ability to protect and provide stress relief. I wear it to repel negative energy. My mom was all about crystals and taught me a lot about them.”

“That’s cool. I bet your mom and BooBoo’s mom would have gotten along well.”

“Are you talking about my mom?” BooBoo asks, turning around in his seat, clearly hearing the last of what Rio said.

“Sasha’s mom was into rocks too,” Rio tells him.

“That’s cool,” he says with a smile. “Want to introduce the two? My mom loves meeting like-minded people.”

Rio clears his throat and when I turn to him, he’s glaring at his friend.

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