Page 115 of Only With You

My cheek twitches. “Are you still plotting my downfall?”

“Always,” she quips.

“Good. Now, eat.”

She pulls the lid off the ranch and dips the pizza in it. When she peers up at me, she quietly chuckles.

“Don’t tell me you don’t like ranch?”

“I’ve never tried it.” My lip curls upward distastefully. “It smells weird.”

She gasps, looking at me like I’ve offended her. “Smells weird? You’re the weird one.”

“For not liking ranch?”

“Yes, for not likingraunch,” she emphasises the word, and mimics the sound of my voice, making it sound low. “You need to try it.”

“I don’t sound like that and I’m not going to try it.” I shake my head, backing away when she holds the small container up.

She laughs and sits on her knees, pushing it closer to me. “Yes, you do, and you have to try it. Stop being like that.”

I scrunch my nose, adding more space between us, but the further I get, the closer she gets. “I’m not being like anything, and I’m not going to try it. I’m sure it tastes bloody awful.”

She giggles, eyes shining vibrantly. I want to be annoyed, because I hate when people are pushy, but I can’t help but soak in how enthralling she looks.

Snowy white and electric sapphire swirl in my head.

The mesmerising colours dance in my mind’s eye, like the sound of her voice. Bewitching and harmonic. The ribbon-like rays unpredictably whirl and glow vividly.

It hypnotises me, binding me like a spell, and when I try to blink out of the daze, my gaze collides with hers and something shocks me.

Blinking again, I shake myself out of the stupor, only, it doesn’t go away.

“Come on, just try it once. If you don’t like it, I’ll leave you alone.” She dangles the tiny cup in my hand like that’s supposed to entice me. It does nothing, but when she bites her pizza with ranch on it and moans, another array of colours appears.

Vivacious aurous and intense impetuous cherry red.

I blow a breath, feeling dizzy. “Fine.”

Julianna beams and hands me the dressing. She watches me keenly as I pour a small amount of it on my slice and take a bite.

“Wow, that was?—”

“Delicious, right?” she animatedly replies.

“No,” I flatly say, earning me a scowl from her.

It’s actually not too bad, but I love annoying her.

She gives me a half shrug. “Whatever, it was worth a shot. Maybe you need to try it with fries.”

I shake my head, and she blows out a tired breath and sits back down.

With the music still playing in the background, we eat our pizza in silence, but I sense there’s something she wants to say or ask. Every so often, I feel her eyes on me and then she drums her fingers on her lap like she’s hesitant.

“Ask.”

She angles her body to face me and tucks her legs underneath her. “Is there a reason you don’t drink?”

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