Page 80 of When You Left Me Speechless

We finish our shower, each taking the time to wash the paint off the other. I know this wasn’t supposed to be anything, I know this was supposed to be casual, but that felt fucking different.

CHAPTER 50: MY FAVORITE THINGS

POPPY

"So, what else do you have planned for tonight?” I ask, pulling on a tank top and comfy shorts that Lacey packed for me.

“Well, since we can’t go out yet, I ordered food, which should be here any minute, and then I thought we could have a movie night. No distractions, no one else, just you and me.”

“That sounds perfect,” I say, trying not to sound too excited, but my mind immediately remembers the pallet of blankets and pillows on the living room floor, and I’m giddy to snuggle up next to him under all those twinkling lights. “So, what’s for dinner?”

“You’ll see.”

A buzzer rings through the apartment, alerting us the food has arrived. Logan grabs my hand and leads me toward the kitchen, where I wait for him to collect our food. His touch has my mind drifting back to the shower, how he held me, how he kissed me, and how it felt like it could be more.

He grabs the food and brings it into the kitchen. It smells amazing, and I immediately know where it’s from. “You ordered food from the Persian Kitchen?”

“I thought I owed you dinner. After all, I only bought you a drink the last time we ate there.”

I watch as he moves through his kitchen, collecting glasses, silverware, candlesticks, and a bottle of wine. “Can I help with something?”

“No, let me take care of you.” He walks over, leads me to the table, and pulls out my chair.

“Oh, he’s a gentleman,” I tease, letting a coy smile show.

“Only sometimes,” he whispers in my ear as I sit down. Goosebumps spread across my body as his breath tickles my neck. He lights the candles and pours what I now can see is a bottle of old vine zinfandel into the stemless glasses.

He carefully plates our food and discards the take-out containers before sitting across from me. Our eyes lock on one another.

“You look beautiful tonight,” he says. I glance down at my casual outfit and let out a little laugh.

“I’m practically wearing pajamas and I’m pretty sure I still have paint in my hair.”

“You look beautiful in everything you wear.”

My heart starts to race, and I feel the red creeping across my cheeks.

Our gazes meet again, “You clean up nice, yourself.” He lets out a laugh. He does look good, though, so fucking good. He’s wearing a black T-shirt and gray sweatpants. His glasses frame his deep brown eyes. His hair is slightly messy, like he ran his hand through it a couple of times before it dried completely after our shower.

“You didn’t have to do all this.” I gesture to the table and the living room covered in lights. “It’s beautiful, but you didn’t have to.”

“I wanted you to be comfortable. It’s just you and me and—” He stops speaking abruptly and jumps up from the table. I watch as he moves across the apartment to the set of windows across from the dining room.

“And the sunset,” he continues as he raises the blinds and slides the windows open to reveal the most gorgeous view. The sky is painted with different hues of pink and purple. The sun slowly falls behind the tree line, creating a romantic glow.

“Thank you,” I say, letting my eyes find him again. I should say more. The thought that went into tonight to make sure I felt special but was also comfortable is nothing I have ever experienced with someone before. I should tell him how much it means to me.

“So, any chance you’ll tell me what movie we get to watch later?”

“Nope,” he smirks. “What do you think of the apartment?”

“I like it. It’s cozy,” I say, looking around the room.

“I’m glad you’re here.” His voice is low. Our hands meet across the table. His thumb gently rubs circles on the back of mine. He sips his wine. The cool spring air coming through the window causes me to visibly shiver. Without hesitation, he jumps up, shuts the window, and offers me a sweatshirt that is laid across the leather recliner a few steps away. It smells of teakwood and something that is so him that I don’t know how to describe it. I pull it on and nestle into it.

“This one might be more comfortable than the other one you gave me.”

“Are you trying to tell me you’re going to steal it too?”

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