Page 48 of Mitch

But I didn’t want to let him go.

Ever.

“Are you okay?” he asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

“What?”

“I mean, we’ve been parked for five minutes and you, like, zoned out,” he said, his eyebrows furrowing together with concern.

“Right, sorry,” I said as I looked at him. “You don’thaveto come in, if you don’t want to. I can take you home, if you want.”

Penn’s lips pressed a thin line as he shook his head.

“No, I... want to. Come in. With... you.”

“Okay,” I said, not wanting to give him a chance to change his mind.

I opened my door and quickly mademy way to open his, my heart in my throat. I knew whatever happened, it could still go south. There was a big difference between making out in the park and making out on my couch.

There was the possibility that he’d get scared and run off, and I’d ruin everything.

“I just want you to know that you’re still in charge. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. We can just watch a movie or something.”

I needed him to understand I wasn’t pressuring him into anything, and his comfort was my top priority.

Penn nodded as he looked up at me. “I know.”

His soft smile tugged at my heart, making it thud so loudly I could hear it in my own ears.

“I just like spending time with you,” he admitted.

I nodded, sliding my hand into his. There was no hesitation when he squeezed mine back.

“I think a movie sounds nice.”

“All right then,” I said as I pulled him down the hill toward my apartment on the bottom floor.

As I stood in front of my door, sucking in a few breaths, I realized just how nervousIwas.

I opened the door and waved him in, turning on the lights. Once he was in, I closed the door quietly.

“Wow, it’s...”

I’d never felt so on the spot before, showing a man my apartment.

Technically, most men didn’t make it to see anything past my couch or my bed, so this was new territory for me too.

“A disaster?” I said, running my hand through my hair as I headed toward the couch, turning on television and queuing up Netflix.

“I was going to say it’s pretty chill, actually,” he said as he walked around my kitchen, looking like a deer lost in the headlights.

My heart thumped away as I watched him, committing his image in my kitchen to memory.

He looked perfect, standing there, in the light.

I slowly slid my phone out of my pocket and snapped a picture.

“What was that?” he said, startling.

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