Page 59 of I Wanna Be Your Lager

I pull the door open, and as she walks past me, I whisper, “This will be the best date ever.”

Her head snaps to me, and she smiles. When we reach my truck, I open the door for her. Might as well continue with the chivalry. Once she’s seated, I round the hood before getting into the driver’s seat.

After I start the engine, she twists to face me. “So seriously, where are we going?”

“Don’t like surprises?”

“I didn’t know it was supposed to be a surprise.”

I reach across the center console and hook my pinky around hers, resting on her lap. “Well, if you must know, we’re going to?—”

“No! Keep it a surprise.” I glance at her. Even in the dark cab, her smile shines brightly. I can no longer hold back my own smile.

After driving for fifteen minutes, we arrive on the other side of town. I park my truck in an empty parking spot on the street. Eve peers out the side window and then back at me, her brows furrowed. At the same time, both our phones chime with an incoming message. I check the notifications, and it’s from the OneDate app.

“It’s asking me if I want to turn on my location.” Eve turns to face me.

“Mine too.”

Which one did you pick?” she asks.

“I said no. I don’t want them to know where I’m taking you. What did you pick?”

“Yes. We’re parked outside a hardware store.” She hikes her thumb at the window. “I’ve watched a lot ofCriminal Minds.” She flashes me a smile.

“Alright. That’s fair. But I’ll have you know our date isn’t to the hardware store. I save that for my second dates.” I exit the truck and meet her on the sidewalk.

A gust of icy wind blows past us. Eve tightens her coat around her. “So now it’s time I ask, where are we going? Because I’m certainly not dressed for the outdoor temps.”

I don’t say anything, still wanting to keep the secret a few seconds longer. Instead, I wrap my arm around her shoulder and tuck her into my side. One: to keep her warm, and two: I love having her next to me. We pass the window display of fake snow and shovels at the hardware store and come to a festive display of Christmas lights, a tree, and stocking filled to the brim with books. We walk side by side for a few steps until I release her, grab the cold metal bar, and open the door.

She freezes, and then her eyes grow wide. “Okay, this is starting off to be the best date ever.”

“I told you.”

Illuminated by a soft glow, a large sign hanging on the wall in front of us reads The Book Bar. A crisp scent mixed with vanilla lingers in the air. Luckily, it’s a quiet evening, and we might get the place to ourselves. Less prying eyes means I can treat this like a real date.

Leaning down, I whisper, “Get whatever you’d like. My treat.”

“Wait!” Her head snaps to me. “Our date is to a bookstore? And you’re buying me whatever I want?”

“Yeah.” I panic. She hates it. It’s the worst date idea ever. Fucking Nora and her stupid ideas. “Is that a terrible date idea?”

“This truly is the best. Date. Ever!” she squeals before yanking on my hand, dragging me behind her as we hustle toward a shelf labeled New Releases. She peruses several shelves before reading the back of a few books. After the new releasesection, we wander down a few aisles until Eve stops at another bookshelf. Again, she picks one up and thumbs through it.

I lean against the shelf next to her. “Do you read a lot of books?”

She replaces the book and grabs another. “Depends. I probably get through like four or five a month. How about you?” Her gaze meets mine.

“I can’t say I do a lot of reading. I just never got into it.”

“I started reading in high school and then got into reading romance. I’m a sucker for a happily ever after. Although my actual love life suggests otherwise.” She chuckles softly.

“What are those books about?” I nod to the stack of books tucked against her body.

“This one,” she holds up the book with a blue cover, “is a workplace romance where two coworkers end up on a dating app, and they don’t know that they’re talking to each other. But eventually, he finds out before she does, and it blows up from there.” She holds up another with a yellow cover. “This one is about two coworkers who hate each other because they are competing for the same promotion but get stranded together while on a work trip. They work out their differences. In bed. And the best part—he ties her up using his bow ties.”

“That sounds hot.” I spin to face her and grab the stack of books from her hands. Placing them on the floor, I stand in front of her. Bending down, I run the tip of my nose over her cheek until my lips are at the shell of her ear. “Does it go something like this?” I say so only she can hear. I slide a hand down her waist and onto her hip. Her breath hitches as she waits for my next move. I grab her hand and slowly lift it above her head. Once it’s exactly where I want it, I secure it against the bookshelf with my fingers wrapped around her delicate wrist. I drag my bottom lip across her cheek, not kissing her but light enough so sheknows I’m here. I extend my pinky until I reach hers, wrapping it underneath. Her breath hitches.

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