Page 42 of A Childhood Crush

“I told Leo we were going out tonight,” I confessed.

“What did he say?” she asked.

“He was happy for us,” I replied.

“Does he know about us?” she asked hesitantly. “Like the part of us we were keeping a secret.”

I laughed. “I wasn’t keeping it a secret. Everyone knew how I felt.”

“I didn’t!”

“You weren’t supposed to know.” I smiled.

“Why?” she asked.

I watched her take a sip of wine. I was so hoping to get a goodnight kiss. I planned on getting at least that. If she wanted more, I wasn’t going to turn her down.

“Because I was trying to talk myself out of it,” I said.

“Why were you trying to do that?” she asked.

“Because I wasn’t sure it would be appropriate. We had been friends for so long, I was afraid I would fuck things up by pushing it.”

“How long have you had these feelings?” she asked coyly.

“How long haveyouhad these feelings?” I replied.

She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not sure I could pinpoint a day. I guess it just kind of happened. One day, I woke up and it hit me. But you were dating—”

“Who cares,” I cut her off. “She doesn’t matter. You do.”

“What about you?” she asked. “When did you know?”

I thought about it. “I guess it’s like you. One day I woke up and you were there.”

“I wasthere?”

“Not literally,” I said. “It was just this new consciousness I had. I woke up and I thought of you. I wondered what you were doing. I just kind of realized you were someone I wanted to be with. I wanted more than just a friendship.”

“I wish I would have had the courage to do this earlier.” She sighed.

“I think this is happening when it’s supposed to. I don’t want to rush it.”

“Me either,” she said.

We finished our meals but I wasn’t ready for dinner to be over. “Do you want dessert?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Sure.”

I ordered the souffléand refilled her glass while I sipped on water. When the soufflé arrived, we couldn’t help but gasp in amazement. It was the most beautiful dessert I had ever seen, with a tower of fluffy chocolate cake rising high above the dish.

“Damn,” she said. “That looks too good to eat.”

I grabbed the spoon. “Not for me.” I laughed.

We both dug into the dessert. I moaned in pleasure at the rich, chocolatey flavor. It was like nothing I had ever tasted before. We savored every bite. It was the perfect ending to a perfect meal. I paid the check and walked her out to the car.

“Luke?” she asked softly.

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