Page 90 of Knot That Serious

“My favorite,” Eli said with a laugh. “I’m so glad you splurged on me.”

Raj shook his head affectionately and reach for the snacks. The ten-dollar wine would pair with absolutely none of the cheeses, but he would live, as long as Eli enjoyed it.

And in case it was as overly sweet as he feared, he’d come prepared with champagne.

“What’s all that?” she asked, voice high-pitched in excitement. She leaned forward in her seat, sitting up to cross one leg beneath her on the bench.

“Snack board,” he presented, and removed the plastic top. “Cheeses, some butters, fruit and crackers and nuts and—”

“Ugh, this is perfect,” she groaned, and smiled up at him. “You’re totally killing this courting thing.”

Raj chuckled. “You haven’t even tried any of it yet.”

“Don’t have to,” she said softly, gaze heavier than it was a few seconds ago.

Raj cleared his throat and zipped the bag back up.

“There’s sweets, too, but I want them to stay cold,” he said.

He unscrewed the wine bottle—yes, it had a screw cap, truly a third-rate wine—and poured it into the glasses he’d brought. They were plastic, because he was not going to be responsible for getting glass shards everywhere.

Basically, he was clearly impressing Eli by being the least impressive, and he didn’t know how he felt about it.

Eli held the stem of the glass as he poured, and she wasted no time in lifting the fake wine glass to her lips.

“Ooh, it’s tart,” she said, sucking her teeth.

He took a seat beside her on the bench, and lifted his own glass.

“To making you feel special,” he said, lifting his glass.

“To being appreciated,” she countered, and sipped alongside him.

“Oh, no,” he said, tone grave after he swallowed. He grimaced at the light pink liquid in his glass. “That’s… I’m going to have to switch to the champagne. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

“There’s champagne?” she asked, a hopeful lilt to her tone.

With a soft smile, he reached for the bag again and pulled out the bottle.

He uncorked it—like a real bottle of wine, because that’s what it was—and Eli laughed at the loud pop.

“Wait, gimme,” she said, and held out her glass.

He stared at the wine still in it, and she waggled it. “Go on.”

“That’s an abomination,” he said, and poured the champagne in to mix with the cheap wine.

He stared at the pale pink combination in her glass.

She sipped it, holding his gaze as she did so. “Delicious,” she teased.

“You’re lying, you’ve got to be,” he told her, and accepted it as she held it out. He took a sip and— “What the hell?” he asked.

The dryness of the champagne balanced out the cloying sweetness after all. “Okay, maybe you’re onto something,” he admitted, and passed her drink back. He poured a little in his own glass and shook his head.

“Such a rebel,” she goaded. “I like a man who can bend the rules. Even if they’re snobby, made-up rules about wine.”

“It’s more painful than I thought it’d be,” he said dryly, and sipped his concoction.

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