Page 101 of Forbidden Hearts
Her soft scent fills my nose as she walks past, and I can’t wait until tonight when I can appreciate it closer.
I give my name to the hostess, and she’s able to seat us right away at a great table by a window that looks out onto the street. This bungalow was converted into one of the best restaurants in Austin, and it’s far nicer than anything we have in Sugarloaf.
“This place looks amazing,” she says, taking in the white walls with contrasts of black.
“So do you.”
“You’ve said that already.” Phoebe blushes, looking down.
“Because it warrants saying again.”
She smiles. “I’m glad you think so. Texas has been a pleasant surprise all the way around.”
The waiter explains the menu is seasonal and that one of the selections isn’t available due to the meat not being up to the chef’s standards. Then he takes our drink orders before giving us a moment to look over the options.
“Do you know what you’d like?” I ask.
“Everything looks so fancy,” Phoebe notes. “What about you?”
I show her what I’m going to try, and she places her menu down. “I’ll have the same.”
“You can get anything you want, sweetheart.”
“I appreciate that, but I can’t decide, so I’ll just get what you’re having.”
We place our order and then have one of the best dates I’ve ever had. At one point, our conversation turns to sports, and I decide she’s clearly been dropped on her head since she’s a Giants fan.
“You can’t like them, you’re from Pennsylvania,” I argue.
I shake my head, reaching my hand out to her. Phoebe places her palm in mine, and I gently brush her knuckles. “So, you think University of Texas is the place for you?”
My question seems to catch her off guard as she looks down at our hands. “I don’t know where the place for me is.”
With me.
I banish that thought. Fucking hell, if this is my gut reaction, I’m in deep shit and better find a way out of it right now.
“Where do you feel comfortable?”
“Right now? Sugarloaf—with you, but that’s not an option.”
“You have plans, Phoebe,” I remind her as much as myself. “You have dreams that are bigger than Sugarloaf and any of the people in it. Wherever you decide to go, it’s going to open doors that never could be at home, no matter what you’re leaving behind.”
“I know. I just—” She sighs heavily. “I never seem to have my timing right, you know? I always meet a great guy after he’s met someone else, or I would work up the nerve to try out for a sport, only to realize everyone else has been training for years already and way above my level. I don’t know how I was ever a cheerleader since I had no skill. Now it feels the same, I am on this amazing date with this amazing guy, and the timing isn’t right. No matter how much we want things to be different, they are what they are.”
“When you leave, life will go back to how it was meant to.”
I’ll be alone, grumpy, and focused on my job.
Phoebe squeezes my hand. “I wasn’t supposed to like you.”
“I definitely wasn’t supposed to like you.”
She laughs. “And, yet, I do.”
“More than I should,” I admit.
“I’m glad you came here,” Phoebe says softly, rubbing her lip between her teeth. “I will never forget this weekend, Asher. I’ll never forget how you made me feel, and I am so grateful my first date was with you.”
