Page 75 of The Blind Date

As soon as the words passed my lips and I heard them for myself, I felt like shit.

"I know, honey. Your dad and I just haven't felt like cooking lately,” she began to explain. “With all the golf practice, we're just so tired all the time. The only days we don’t practice are on the weekend, and neither of us wants to spend it slaving away in the kitchen for hours and hours, only to produce a meal which will be gone in less than half an hour."

"Sorry, Mum," I was quick to apologise, feeling terribly guilty. "That was incredibly selfish of me."

"No, don't apologise, honey,” she was quick to say. "It's not selfish at all. You were only telling me how you felt. Don't worry, as soon as this competition is over, we'll be back to Sunday roasts at home. I promise."

“Where are we eating this evening?” I asked, still feeling bad for being so selfish earlier.

"Your dad was talking about this place, Moe's Tavern. He had lunch there the other day with one of his old colleagues, and he hasn’t stopped talking about it since. I’m curious to try the food for myself. It's on Regents Street.”

"That sounds great. I'll see you both there." I said my goodbyes and hung up before turning to Cedric. "I know I shouldn't be suspicious, but Mum just said that we're going to be having Sunday dinner at some place called Moe's Tavern on Regents Street.”

“Moe’s Tavern?” Cedric echoed, his fingers stilling as he glanced up at me. “My dad just texted me saying the same thing.”

“Well, isn’t that coincidental?” I pursed my lips. “What happened to them not trying to set us up anymore?”

"Well, that was clearly a lie,” he snorted and sent off one more text before turning off his phone and dropping it on the bed.

Giving me his utmost attention once again, Cedric pulled me into his arms. It was only when I was back in his arms and my face was pressed into his chest that he exhaled deeply, his lips tugging up into a small, satisfied smile. Bowing his head, he brushed his lips against my hairline. The simple action made me feel safer and more precious than I had ever felt before, and he had only done it in passing; a distant look in his eyes, no doubt having given the action very little thought.

“What are we going to tell our parents?” I asked, voicing aloud what we were both thinking.

Cedric frowned. "I know for a fact that our parents are going to be absolutely over the moon to hear that we're giving dating a shot, but I'm not sure, and this is just a thought, that we should tell them the truth just yet.”

Relief washed over me. “I’m thinking the same thing,” I agreed, grateful he had said it first.

"You are?" Cedric asked, looking just as relieved as I did.

I nodded. “I know it’ll make them all very happy, but it would also put a lot of pressure on us.”

"And no matter how compatible I know we are," he paused to laugh when I snorted at his words. Compatible? Us? No. We were more along the lines of opposites attract. "I'm not sure if this new relationship, or if any new relationship for that matter, will be able to withstand that amount of pressure. It’s just simply too much.”

"If we tell them that we've started dating, they’ll start planning the wedding.” My frown deepened.

“That’s way too much pressure.” He whistled under his breath. “Moving on, this is probably a good time to make sure that we are, in fact, dating.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, pulling away from his chest slightly to look at him.

"I know that we went out on a real date yesterday and that things are fairly new between us, and I don't want to scare you off by moving too fast, Saffron…but I also can't deny my feelings for you. Even though you're the most hot-headed, infuriating woman I've ever met, and you love to argue with me every chance you get, I've never felt like this about anyone else before."

"What are you saying?" I asked in a quiet voice, having to remind myself to breathe.

"I want to make things official between us," Cedric told me, speaking with the utmost conviction as he reached for my hand. "That means that we're exclusive. It’s just you and me, darling. No one else. I’ve never been good at sharing, and I’m certainly not going to start now. Not with you. Ever."

My heart jumped in my chest at his words, and it took everything I had in me not to swoon.

I made a show of tapping my chin to indicate that I was in deep thought, but internally I grinned at the nervous expression on his face.

"That's pretty primal of you, don't you think?"

“What? You don’t want to be exclusive?” Cedric asked, almost looking offended. When I answered him with a humoured grin, he tightened his arms around me so even if I did try to leave with whoever I insinuated I didn’t want to be exclusive with him over, I wouldn’t be able to.

My heart melted at the words he didn't say. The way he was holding me spoke volumes. It appeared that Cedric had already decided for us both. We were most certainly exclusive, not that I had any qualms about it.

The act didn't last long. The angrier Cedric got, the redder his face got until finally, I dropped myself onto his chest and laughed uncontrollably.

"I was only joking,” I giggled, wiping the tears away from under my eyes. "Of course, I want us to be exclusive. I can't believe you fell for that. Not only are you dramatic, but you're also gullible. You know, I'm making a note of all this."

---