Page 15 of Don't Leave Me

I have to jog to catch up with her and stop her from opening her door by herself.

“Hey, are you ok?” I duck my head to meet her gaze and find there’s a fire burning in her eyes. She’s pissed and I really want to know why.

“I'm fine,” she sighs as she folds her arms across her chest.

“You seem a little upset and I’d love to know why.”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Can we just get in the car? It’s cold.”

“Yeah, sure.” I open the door and help her in, before running around to my side.

As soon as I’ve started the engine, I get the heat going and back out of the driveway. My left hand holds the steering wheel and my right hand lays on the center console. I’ve always driven like this, but tonight I really wish Sophia would place her hand in my free one. I want to feel her soft skin against my rough skin.

“Where are we going?”

“There’s a little Italian restaurant I wanted to take you to, then I have a special surprise I think you’ll love. Do you like Italian? I guess I should’ve asked you that.”

“It’s my favorite.” A soft grin spreads across her face.

Once we’re seated at our table and the waitress has brought our drinks and taken our orders, I settle back into my seat and stare across the table at my beautiful date.

“Tell me about yourself. I want to know everything.”

“Everything? That could take a while.” She smiles in the candle light, somehow looking even more stunning than she did earlier.

“I don’t have any plans for the next few weeks.”

“Ok. I grew up on Mulberry Lane with my mom, dad, sister, and twin brothers.”

“Are you the youngest?”

“Of course.” She rolls her eyes.

“Is Mulberry Lane specifically important?” I cock my head to the side and watch her carefully. It’s odd that she named the street.

“Yes. It’s the greatest place on earth. My dad owns a construction business with his best friend and they built seven homes on Mulberry Lane. One for each of them and their friends. They’ve all raised their families there and they became my pseudo aunts, uncles, and cousins.”

“That sounds awesome. You had built in best friends and a huge support system.”

“That’s why it’s the greatest place on earth.” She smiles as she runs her finger along the edge of her glass.

“What do your sister and brothers do?”

“My sister is the lead physical therapist for the Philadelphia Pit Bulls.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“Do you like sports?” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear as she watches me.

“I like football, baseball, and hockey. The rest I don’t really care about.”

“What are your favorite teams?” She runs her tongue along her bottom lip, stealing my attention away from the conversation for a moment.

“Uhh, I went to college in Philadelphia and kind of fell in love with their teams. Fans in Philadelphia are crazy. They love their teams with such passion, I’d never seen anything like that.”

“So, you like the Pythons?” She peeks up at me through her lashes.

“Love them. My favorite players are the Robinson… twins,” I say slowly as the name clicks. “Holy shit. Are they your brothers?”

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