Page 43 of Flame it Up

He nodded, taking another bite. "It's really good."

She laughed, and he watched her for a moment. He was surprised by how easy it was for her to get him to try something new. He didn't think there was anything new for him to try.

He had a favorite everything. A favorite quick meal, a favorite dining area, a favorite lake walking path, but he never thought to expand his horizon to more things. You could always have more than one.

He stared at her, and she stopped eating. She blushed. "You're staring at me, Pyrus. What's wrong? What's with the look in your eyes?"

He gave her a smile. "I'm just grateful, that's all. I would never have picked this if you hadn't pestered me. I didn't think there were still things for me to learn that I would like, so I can thank you for this." He took another bite of his ice cream. "I still have a lot to learn, and at this rate, you'll teach me a lot."

Her face grew darker, and even her ears turned a shade of red. She stirred her spoon for a moment. "I'm nothing special, Pyrus. I just had you try a new ice cream flavor. I'm as plain as they get." She gave him a smile. "Are you sure you'd be happy with a Plain Jane?"

He liked who she was, and he had no problem with it. They always had something interesting to talk about, and when they spoke, he felt like they had been doing it for years. It just came so easily.

"Yes." He finished his ice cream, setting it on the table. "I would be perfectly fine with that."

She narrowed her eyes and held out her ice cream. She grabbed his hand and hovered it over her bowl. "You have to swear on this dessert that you like me for who I am and don't expect me to change. You have to say that you like who I am as a person, and your intentions are pure. That I'm not just some rando."

He didn't miss a beat. He stared at her, looking her straight into her eyes. "I swear on this ice cream that you've mostly eaten that I like who you are and don't expect you to change. My feelings and intentions are a hundred percent pure, and I want you."

She swallowed, slightly surprised by how quickly he answered. He didn't need a moment to think. He already knew everything he said was true.

"Are you sure about that? This is an ice cream promise, Pyrus." She leaned forward, lowering her tone. "That's pretty serious. An ice cream swear is some pretty powerful magic."

He laughed at her teasing tone and leaned back, nodding his head. "I swear. Now finish your ice cream. It's starting to melt."

She leaned back with a smile but seemed perkier as she ate. He watched her, feeling even happier.

"I like you, Mazie. I wouldn't have brought you here if it wasn't true. Believe it on an ice cream swear or believe it because I said it. It's the truth."

She took the last bite of her ice cream, and she smiled. "That's great news. Because I feel the same about you."

He reached across the table, giving her hand a squeeze. "I'm happy to hear that. So, now that we've had dinner and our dessert, where should we head next?"

Mazie got up, grabbed their paper bowls, and threw everything into the trash. She stopped next to him and gave him a smile. "Well, what did you have in mind?"

"We can drive around or walk."

"Or," she said, "we could go to your place. I would like to see it."

He heard the difference in her tone. The sudden drop and the way her eyes lit up.

He suddenly loved the idea of going back to his place. Although he wasn't entirely sure he would be showing her much besides the bedroom. He wasn't sure he would let her leave it.

"Really? Are you sure?"

She nodded her head. "I'm sure."

He pulled himself up. "All right. Then to my house."

SIXTEEN

MAZIE

She was nervous during the entire drive to his place. She felt comfortable with Pyrus but going into someone else's home was intimate. Seeing his place and everything that was his was different. It took everything to another level.

She figured he was excited, his knee had been jumping the entire drive to his home, and he kept smirking. She couldn't help but think of a little kid in a candy store.

"You seem excited," she said, looking around the neighborhood filled with tall buildings and apartment complexes. It was a fancier part of town, clearly.

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