Page 32 of Teasing a King

A grin spreads over my face. “Okay?”

She nods again, her smile widening. “Okay. Let’s have dinner.”

My heart feels like it might beat right out of my chest, but I play it cool. “How’s Friday night?”

“Friday is good for me.”

“Perfect,” I say. “It’s a date.”

She smiles again. “Goodnight, Van,” she says in a soft voice before continuing up the stairs to her room.

I stand there for a few seconds, thinking over the day. There had been a shift between me and Mya today. I’d felt it. I know she had to feel it, too. Right? Otherwise, why accept my dinner invitation? I try not to overthink things. I have to work late the next few nights, so I know I won’t see much of Mya until our date on Friday.

I need to spend the rest of the week focusing on the best way to wow her on Friday. I need to show her how great we can be together so she’ll decide to throw out her stupid rule about being platonic and see that we could be something better. I lie in bed, a plan forming in my head.

Chapter Fourteen

Van

Friday evening, I wait in the living room for Mya to come downstairs for our date. I glance down at the flowers I bought, wondering if it’s too much. I still don’t know where Mya stands on the whole dating thing. I don’t know if she wants this to be a real date or not. I hadn’t spelled it out to her when I’d asked. And I haven’t seen much of her this week, since I’ve been at Mack’s until late at night. Mya has already been asleep when I get home and I don’t want to disturb her when I know she has work to do during the day.

I’ve done my best to be attentive from afar. I text her throughout the evening when I’m not swamped at work. Just little messages to check in and see how she’s doing. I even went out of my way to pick her up a cupcake from the local bakery after she’d mentioned how much she loves them. Her smile of surprise and delight had made my week. Still, it’s not like I’ve come right out and told her that I want to be more than friends. I’ve just been being nice to her. It’s not like that shouts boyfriend material.

I should have made it clear that I want to be more than platonic. That I want to do away with rule number two. But I’d been afraid she’d shut me down. She still might, I remind myself as I pace the living room for the fifth time. I check my watch. She’s 17 minutes late. That’s not like her. She’s always been punctual. But then, I’ve never been on a date with her. Maybe she’s taking more time to get ready than usual? Maybe I should check on her? No. Women hate that. Besides, we don’t need to rush. I purposefully made a later reservation, just in case this happened. Mya can her take her time. If she’s more than a half hour late, I’ll go check on her. That’s a reasonable amount of time, right? I reach up to run a hand through my hair but stop myself before I can make a mess of it a second time.

I glance down at my shirt and slacks. Maybe I should change. I could wear something more casual. But then I’d be sending a signal to Mya that I’m not taking this seriously. I don’t want that. Unless this seems too serious? I sigh, heading for the stairs. I’ll change my shirt and be back downstairs before Mya finishes getting ready. As I pass Mya’s closed door, I pause. I debate knocking, but I’m sure she’d see that as pressuring her to hurry. I pull my hand back and take a step toward my room when I hear an odd noise from the other side of Mya’s door. It’s something between a sigh of frustration and a sob.

I freeze, then take a step back so I’m standing before the door again. I hear a loud sniff followed by Mya’s voice. She’s muttering words, but I can’t make them out. I don’t know what to do. Should I knock? Should I ignore it? I stand there and listen, straining my ears for any sound from the other side of the door. I’m about to give up and walk away when I hear Mya utter a loud curse word. My brows raise in surprise. I raise a fist and knock on the door.

“Mya?” I call. “Is everything okay?”

It’s quiet for a moment before Mya answers. “Fine,” she says, sounding anything but.

“Are you sure?” I say. “You sound upset.”

"I've changed my mind," Mya says, her voice muffled by the door between us. "I don't want to go out after all."

When the words register, I'm surprised by the hurt I feel. I'd thought we’d grown closer during the time she’s been here. When she'd agreed to go out to dinner with me, I'd assumed we were finally rounding a corner in our relationship. I'd thought that maybe we could be something more. But if she truly doesn't want that, I have to respect her wishes, right? I'm about to open my mouth to speak, to tell her that I understand when I hear it. It's faint. If I hadn't been standing so still outside her door, I would have missed it. A sniffle. Then a sigh. Is she crying? My heart twists inside my chest at the thought.

I think about her words. Had her voice sounded off? Maybe. It had been muffled through the door, though.

"Mya?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure about dinner?"

There's a brief hesitation before she answers and I'm sure I hear it now. "I'm sure," she says, a faint tremor in her words. "I don't really feel like going out tonight."

"Are you okay?" I ask. "Is it morning sickness?"

"No," she says. "I'm not sick. I'd just rather stay in."

"Okay," I say, still confused. I know something is wrong, but I can't tell what it is. And I can't fix it from the other side of this door. I wish she'd let me in. But I'd promised her she'd have privacy here. That I'd respect her closed door. I can't break that promise after only two weeks.

"That's fine," I say. "I'll order something to be delivered. What are you in the mood for?"

She's quiet for a few seconds before she speaks. "I don't know." she says in that same strained voice.

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