Page 30 of Ice, Ice… Maybe?

“Yeah, doesn’t everyone?”

Becca knew he was joking by the teasing glint in his eyes as he stood near her in the kitchen where the macaroni was almost done boiling. The butter, milk, and shredded cheese were waiting on the counter, making this feel so exceedingly normal.

“Nooo,” she drawled, laughing easily. “In fact, a lot of people don’t even own a coffee grinder because we buy it already pulverized or in K-cups or pods.”

“Sacrilege! We’re done…” he mocked dramatically, laying a hand on his chest and chuckling.

“I should be saying that,” she taunted, looking at his smile. “You beat me to it – Mr. Three Grinders…”

“Sounds like jealousy to me.”

“I assure you it’s not.”

“You know what you need?”

“A coffee grinder?”

“Besides that,” Travis laughed easily. “You need to relax, and I really liked seeing my number on you. Do you want a T-shirt, so you don’t have to worry about getting something on your work uniform?”

“Are you trying to get me out of my clothes on the first date?”

“Old me would have said ‘yes’ – but ‘current me’ is selfishly trying to get you into my T-shirt so I feel better about myself. Do you know how humbling and tough it is to have this gorgeous girl that you really like, here and alone, and I’m not able to kiss her? I swear, it’s crushing a part of my soul, so I was merely trying to patch it with something tiny to inflate my ego.”

“Gimme the T-shirt,” she chuckled, completely flattered and touched by his words. “But I’m changing in the bathroom and keeping it.”

“Done.”

Travis took off across the living room toward the stairs and then trotted up them like it was nothing, whereas she would have probably been winded or put her arms under her chest to keep them from bouncing. When Travis first noticed her Transformers T-shirt, she assumed it was because the characters were across her chest before he started naming them off. That’s how she knew he was being genuine and nice, and she liked a nice guy.

As he came back down the stairs, she was straining the macaroni in the sink and glanced up through the steamy cloud wafting up from the sink – only to crack a smile at his appearance before laughing. He was wearing a T-shirt over the one he’d been wearing moments ago with an arrow pointed upward that said ‘Lucky Guy’… only to see him unfurl the other shirt, obviously intended for her.

And she stopped laughing as she stared at him in disbelief. She thought the ‘Lucky Guy’ shirt was referring to the puck hitting him last week, but that wasn’t the case. The other T-shirt didn’t have his number on it or any markings of the Coyotes team, but instead had bold lettering all over the front, inside of a pink heart, that said ‘Some Lucky Guy Adores Me’…

“Look what I f-found,” he said casually, but his voice cracked, giving him away. His warm eyes held hers, and one side of his mouth curled upward in a nervous, yet shy smile that was honestly the most endearing thing she had ever seeing in her entire life.

“What is this?”

“A new wash rag?”

“Travis, be serious…”

“It’s a cotton T-shirt.”

“Traaaavis…”

“Fine,” he grumbled playfully, trying to sound grumpy. “Maybe it’s just a corny not-so-vague hint that your boyfriend really likes you more than you know. Now, are you gonna put it on or what?”

“You got those made… for us?” she whispered, stunned.

“I’m sure not giving it to my uncle.”

“Oh my gosh,” she laughed nervously, laying one hand over her heart and the other covering her surprised mouth. This was the sweetest, silliest, most adorable thing anyone had ever done for her – and it was ten times better than the roses, necklace, or any other treats thathad mysteriously appeared at her house from Travis. “Heck yes, I’m putting it on!”

“That’s my girl,” he chuckled, walking over to her. “Arms up.”

She obediently did so, almost in a weirdly romantic fashion, and chuckled as the shirt was baggy on her, even over her work shirt. He frowned, looked at her, then at the collar, before rolling his eyes. “Wrong size. I’m sorry…”

“It’s perfect.”

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