Page 109 of Ink & Ambition

“Do you agree?”

“Oh, um. Yes.” I can’t stop the blush from erupting on my cheeks and I know, based on Alex’s smirk that he knows exactly what I was thinking about. The smirk that also says he’ll be more than happy to live out that fantasy once we finish recording.

Shaking myself back to reality, I glance at the last notecard I have, ready to finally end the show on a bang.

“It’s time for our final question.”

Alex’s gaze hits mine and he nods with a megawatt smile. “Can I ask the question?”

My smile matches his. “Go ahead.”

“The question is, dear viewers, is ‘are Margot and I dating?’. To which the answer is,” Alex reaches out, pulling the notecards away and then connects his hand with mine, interlocking our fingers so there’s no room for misinterpretation. “Yes. Yes, we are.”

The instinct to shy away rages inside me but I resist, allowing myself to take pride in this moment. I deserve to show off my relationship. A relationship I worked hard for. If Danika were here, she’d tell me to take what I want and I’m finally doing it.

Giving our connected hands a loving squeeze, I turn toward the cameras again and confirm his answer with a brilliant smile. Beside me, Alex lets out a contented sigh.

“Yes, folks, I finally wore her down.”

I can’t help but roll my eyes but this time, at least it’s in a teasing way. Alex pulls our hands up and kissing my knuckles, not looking away from my eyes.

“And I’m a lucky man,” he says quietly, as if just for me.

Our fingers stay locked throughout the rest of the show and continue that way all through the parking lot directly to the car door. Alex kisses my nose before opening the passenger side door.

“Are you sure you can’t hang out? I’ve barely seen you all week,” he asks as he slides into the driver’s seat. As much as I want to spend time with him, we were coming up on finals week and I’ve been slammed with work. I need to stop shirking my responsibilities and allowing Alex to distract me.

But when I look over at him, the puppy dog eyes have me faltering. “I need a few hours to edit the podcast and work on my finals but come for dinner. We can order in.”

Alex smiles, appeased by my compromise. “Sounds perfect, sunshine.”

He pulled away from the curb toward my apartment after he all but demanded he drive me home even though I know he’s just going to turn right back around and go to the gym. The man is incorrigible, in more ways than one.

Chapter Forty-Two

Alex

Weightsclangaroundmeas I wipe my towel across my forehead, mopping up the sweat. It feels good to be back in the gym after a weekend away and the rest of the week filled with finals preparation. Not to mention not seeing Margot for most of the week and her needing to do more school work after the podcast taping. Yeah, I needed to blow off some steam.

Last weekend still feels like a dream to me. Margot, the girl I’ve been working with all semester, the one who constantly has my back, encourages me to follow my dreams–maybe a little too fervently–the one who continues to surprise me with her courage and dedication. My sunshine. Loves me. And now everyone knows we’re together.

I’ve never been loved by a woman before. That’s not to say I haven’t had girls tell me they love me before–you can’t help what comes out of your mouth in the heat of the moment. But I’ve always known they didn’t mean it and I’ve never said it back. Because I’ve never meant it. Never felt it. Not until now.

Margot helps me see things that I didn’t think were even possible. Even though she’s seen the worst sides of things, of me,she never wavers. She’s headstrong. My brave girl. I still can’t believe I get to call her my girlfriend, claim even just a little piece of her. Even if my future is locked up, it’s a relief to know she’ll be there weathering the storm with me.

A splash of water breaks me from my reverie. After I wipe my face, again, Kai and Keith’s shit-eating grins come into view.

“What are you daydreaming about? Your girlfriend’s tits?” Kai teases but drops the smile the second he sees my face. Kai has seen me pick up grown men and chuck them out onto my porch for less reasons than objectifying my girlfriend.

For good measure, Kai takes a step back, raising his hands up in surrender.

“Come on, man,” Keith pats my back once. “I’m starving.”

We head toward the locker room to shower quickly before leaving. Ever since I ran into Margot after the gym and she told me, in no uncertain terms, that I reeked like ass, I always make sure to clean up before I leave.

Shortly after, the twins pile into my car and we head home.

“Should we just order pizza for dinner? The fridge is empty and we’re actively driving away from our campus meal plan.”

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