Page 21 of Almost Love

He was a thirty-three-year-old and talking about his comfort food was embarrassing. “No judgment, okay?” She tilted her head and he sighed. “Cereal. I’m not too picky, but I love Rice Krispies and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. There’s something so comforting about crunchy bits in cold milk. But only on really hard days,” he added. “I think if I could cook, I’d probably master the art of making grilled cheeses.”

“Grilled cheese is always a good choice, as is cereal.” She leaned back in her chair, eyes never leaving his face. Heat spread up his neck and cheeks, and he looked around, trying to distract her as much as possible.

“What?”

“You’re intriguing.”

He snorted. “You went from not wanting anything to do with me to I’m intriguing?”

“I never said I didn’t want anything to do with you. I’m just careful about new people.”

He was taken aback by her candor, but at the same time, he appreciated that Clementine wasn’t beating around the bush. While she’d dropped hints about not being comfortable with people and that dating was a chore, he knew that it was a treat and an honor to have her attention. Oakley was sure that her personality and behavior might seem abrasive to some, but he was drawn to her.

“Do you feel less awkward now?”

“Eh.” With that, she returned to her food. He watched her for a long moment, as she ate a little bit of everything on her plate and then did it again. This woman was fascinating in a way he didn’t expect and he never wanted to stop learning about her.

The rest of their meal was spent asking silly questions, all with food as the base—one food you could eat forever? If you were stranded on an island, what’s the one food item you’d want? Gun to your head, what would you force yourself to eat? What’s the most disgusting flavor? And weirdly enough, he had answers for all of them. He even got her to snort a few times, but she always caught herself and covered it up quickly. He felt comforted in knowing that she didn’t dislike him, but wanted to know if she could everlikehim.

As he dragged his finger through the last bit of sauce on his plate, Grover popped up, startling both of them.

“Can I get you two anything else? Slice of pie? The blueberry is especially good today.”

Oakley glanced at Clementine briefly and said, “We’re good, man. Thank you.”

Grover looked between them and walked away with a smile. She arched an eyebrow. “You should probably have tried dessert here to see which is better.”

“Wow. I knew you were upset with me for that comment.”

“I don’t get upset. I understand needing to experiment.”

Oakley chuckled at her deadpan tone and expression. “Your desserts areamazing.”

“Liar.”

“What?” he gasped dramatically, hand over his heart. “I love your desserts.”

“But it’s not the best.”

“It’s the best of what I’ve eaten in the last…three months?”

She stared at him for a really long time and then shrugged. “Fine, whatever. So you don’t like Thanksgiving food, would eat cereal or grilled cheese to make yourself feel better and that Reuben gave you an orgasm.”

“Jesus,” Oakley said, choking on his laugh.

“Right, and my dessert is amazing, but not the best.”

“You’re never going to let me forget this, are you?”

“Nope.” This time when she smiled, he felt the full force of it. It was stunning and life changing.

“You’re still going to be my food guide, right?”

“I know that was a way to get my attention and you don’t really mean it, and that’s fine. We can be friends, I’ll make your donuts without having to force ourselves to spend time together.”

Wait, what?

“Hold on,” Oakley said, frowning as he leaned forward. “Yes, it was a way to get your attention, but I do want to spend time with you.”

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