Page 35 of Still Love You

"Thanks. I better get going. I need to get cleaned up. Maybe I can convince Willow to eat dinner with me again."

"Given how much her face lit up when she saw you at lunch, I think it's safe to say she'd agree to that."

I tell him goodbye, then take off, the seed catalog in hand. When I get home, my mom is there, cooking her famous vegan goulash. And by famous, I mean famous for being the worst-tasting, most horrible-smelling meal ever created.

"Silas, I made your favorite," my mom says as she sees me walk by. She's being sarcastic.

"Can't wait to eat it," I say as I run up the stairs.

"I made extra just for you," I hear her yell, then laugh to herself.

As soon as I'm in my room, I call Willow. "Hey. What are you doing?"

"Reading. Why? What's up?"

"I just got home. I need to clean up. But after that, I need to get out of here. My mom's cooking goulash."

"Oh, God. Sorry." Willow has experienced the goulash. Both the taste and the smell.

"Let's go out to eat. I'll come by and pick you up."

"I thought we were studying."

"We'll do that later. For now, I have to get out of the house before I throw up from the smell. If it still stinks later, we'll have to study somewhere else. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"I didn't say yes."

"Willow, seriously? You're not going to help a friend out in his time of need? This is goulash we're talking about. Goulash!"

She laughs. "Okay. I'll be ready. See you soon."

When I get to her house, she's waiting for me on the front steps, wearing a short red-and-black plaid skirt and a tiny white t-shirt. Holy shit, she looks hot. It's going to be tough to keep my hands off her. She stands up and looks even hotter, showing off her tan legs which lead to a pair of bright white sneakers.

"Like the outfit?" she asks as she climbs in my truck. I was going to help her get in but she was too fast. But I got a glimpse of her black string bikinis when she lifted her leg up into the truck.

"The outfit is..." I eye her. "Definitely something you should wear again. But just for me. No one else." I shut her door and go around to the other side.

"You can't restrict what I wear," she says as I yank my seatbelt on. "We're not dating. And even if we were, I wouldn't let you tell me what to wear." I notice she's wearing the bracelet I made her. I love that she wears it every day.

"Then the same goes for me." I pull out of the driveway.

"I doubt you'll be wearing this."

"Yeah, you're funny. What I meant is that maybe I'll just start walking around shirtless. You seemed to like it, which means other girls will too."

"Are you saying you're looking for a girlfriend?"

"Do you think I should?"

I see her tense up. "You're single. You can do what you want."

"It wouldn't bother you?"

"Why would it bother me?"

"Because you love me." I flash her a Silas smile.

"I don't—" She sighs in annoyance. She can't say she doesn't love me because the truth is she does love me. She may not see a future with me, but she still loves me. "If you love me you shouldn't be dating other girls."

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