Page 24 of Loving Luna

“Single scoop of strawberry in a cone for her and a double scoop in a dish for me. Pistachio and mint, please.”

“What if I don’t want strawberry in a cone?” I argued, simply because I was frustrated.

“You always order strawberry ice cream in a cone.” He furrowed his brow.

“Yeah, but what if I don’t want that anymore? What if I want something else?” I realized I wasn’t talking about ice cream at all anymore and I needed to get away from him for a second and breathe. “Never mind, I’m sorry. That is what I want. I’m going to grab a table.” I turned around and practically stomped away.

Under no circumstance did I need to grab a table as there were plenty to choose from but it was the only thing I could thinkof to create some space. I went to the furthest table from the counter and sat down, refusing to look in his direction.

“Pistachio and mint for you and strawberry for your girlfriend,” Julie teased. She knew who I was and she knew we were not together.

I opened my mouth to correct her from all the way across the room but Drake beat me to it.

“She’s not my girlfriend and you know it.”

There wasn’t the exasperation in his voice like there was in mine when I corrected people. It was more defeated and the look on his face kind of broke my heart. It sucked.

I hated that he was hurting. I hated that I was such a bitch.

Drake grabbed a spoon and napkin before joining me at the table.

“What was that about?” he asked before his ass even hit the seat.

“What was what about?” I focused on my ice cream.

“You know what I’m talking about, stop being a brat. We just had a great time at the book club, so what’s going on with you?”

There it was. I’d failed at hiding my mood better and he was all done with my shit.

“Maybe I just wanted something else. Can’t a girl just change her mind every once and a while?”

“Of course you can, but this isn’t about ice cream, Luna. Something else is up with you.”

“It might be about ice cream!” My voice started to raise as my thoughts and feelings bubbled just below the surface. “I always have strawberry because it's what I always want. But what if I want to try something else? How will I know if I want anything else unless I try other things? What if I want to try your ice cream?” I ranted.

The confused look on his face made me want to scream.

“You can try my ice cream if you want to.”

“Oh my hell, Drake. This is not about the ice cream! It’s about us, okay? You and me. What if I want to try it?”

He blinked a few times, completely dumbfounded before I watched the words sink in and his entire body changed. His face softened and he sat up a little straighter.

“Don’t fuck with me, Luna.”

“I’m not. I want to try it. I miss you and being together tonight made me think. I want to try it.” I was repeating myself but I wanted him to understand that I knew what I was asking.

“Try what, exactly? I need to hear exactly what it is you want.”

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I want to be your girlfriend,” I admitted.

If I thought I wanted it before, saying the words out loud made me want it a thousand times more. What if I was too late though? What if he didn’t want it anymore?

A slow smile spread across his face. “Well, I want you to be my girlfriend,” he reassured me. “And I want to be your boyfriend.”

I nodded. “Yes. All of it. I want to try it.”

Drake reached across the small table and threaded his fingers through my hair until his hand was cupping the back of my head and he was pulling me in for a kiss. Not just any kiss though. This was a claiming. Or as much of a claiming as it could be in a public area of the Ranch with a table between us. Our lips locked, the comfort and familiarity still present, but different somehow.

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