Page 145 of Aftersome
She was my obsession.
My saving grace.
And the more entangled we became, the harder I found myself falling for the woman who was never supposed to be mine.
For once, I felt happy. I felt eager for the future and what may come, especially knowing I’d have Doe right by my side.
Even now as we sat in my car, one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on her exposed thigh, my heart was in a constant state of hammering. Every chance I could, I’d steal a quick glance over at her and I swear in that brief second, I lost all ability to function properly.
She was so goddamn breathtaking that it hurt to look at her.
“So, where are you taking me?” She peered over at me with excitement floating around in her gaze.
“You’ll see.”
I gave her a small grin in return and with the dramatic roll of her eyes, she shifted her attention out the passenger window when we finally exited off the highway toward our destination.
Already I could see the steady waves of the ocean peeking through the distance. A favorite spot of mine that today I was going to share with Doe.
“Can you at least tell me what kind of food we’re going to be having?” She sighed in frustration.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Don’t you trust me?” I had shot her a look and noticed a playful pout on her mouth.
I wanted to reach over and fix it.
“Of course I do, I’m just excited.”
Excited.
Fuck.
A burst of satisfaction had entered my bloodstream and trailed its way up to my chest. Never had I been so eager to please a woman. To go out of my way to prove that I was actually worthy enough to have her as mine.
And it felt natural too.
Being this man for her. Or at least trying to be the man I know she deserves.
The sun was about an hour away from setting when we finally pulled in a small hidden parking lot off the side of a side street.Already I could sense the confusion from her as her eyes took in our surroundings.
“This doesn’t look like a restaurant…” She slowly unbuckled her seat belt and continued to search out each window for a nonexistent building.
The whole time Doe was getting ready, I was preparing a meal to take with us. I grilled some chicken, made a bowl of pasta salad, and cut up a carton of strawberries. Tonight, I just wanted it to be us. No restaurants, no crowds, just her and me.
I just hoped that what I cooked didn’t turn out to taste like shit.
I had no fucking clue what I was doing, or whether she’d even want to do this, but I had no other option now.
“That’s because it’s not.” I threw her a smile before stepping out of the car and walking over to her side. Before she could open it, I swiftly grabbed ahold of the door handle and opened it myself.
This was my first date.
Ever.
And I wanted to do it right.
Then extending my hand out for her to grab, she did so willingly but not before giving me her signature smile. One that knocked the breath right out of me.
