Page 29 of Her Inconvenient Wedding Date

Lily

“We’re like a software update—noone asked for us, but once we’re together, we’re impossible to ignore.” ~Unknown

This day just keeps getting better and better… and I mean that in the most awkward way possible.

First, I marry my coworker whom I’m secretly falling in love with.

Next, I suggest to him that we practice dating because I apparently don’t think our forced proximity situation of living in the same house is enough torture.

Then, he prepares the sweetest evening for me to enjoy, complete with all my favorite things, that makes me like him even more.

And somewhere in all of that, I had the foolish idea that he was going to kiss me.

But the strangest, most surreal part wasn’t the civil ceremony or that Hunter chose the exact three books I’d been eyeing on my wish list. It’s the fact that we are now sittingnose to nose on the swing in the most intimately awkward way possible.

“You have really nice eyes,” I remark, trying to make conversation as I assess the situation with his contacts. “They look blue from a distance but more bluish green up close.”

“If you’re trying to distract me, it’s working,” he murmurs, barely moving his lips. “Please, keep talking.”

I hold back a laugh, so I don’t make him more nervous than he already is. It’s impressive how still he’s being, like a tall, immovable Redwood tree during a storm. He’s doing everything he can to not get stabbed in the eye by me. Not that a Q-tip could do that much damage… I hope. “What should I talk about?”

“Anything you want. Just not about people losing their eyes to Q-tips, anything but that.”

I do chuckle out loud this time, which earns me a grunt from Hunter. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at you.”

“Sure, you’re not.”

“I’m laughing at the situation.” I hold up the Q-tip that I just bent in the middle to form a makeshift pair of forceps. Using the contact solution, I wet one end before instructing Hunter to open his eyes wider. “I mean, did you ever think I’d be plucking your contact out with a Q-tip tonight?”

“Ow. Do you have to use the wordpluck? Plucking implies pain.”

“Not always. But fine, how about extracting? Is that better?”

He gasps. “That’s what dentists say about pulling teeth. It’s even worse than plucking.”

“Good point. I guess I got numb to dental jargon after hearing my parents talk about drilling and scalping at the dinner table.”

A line forms between his brows for a millisecond. “Okay,we are definitely establishing a ‘no dental jargon’ rule for our dinner conversations starting tomorrow. I prefer to eat my meals without flinching.”

“Speaking of flinching ornotflinching, I’m going to touch the Q-tip to your contact lens now to try to loosen it. Don’t move, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I’m not even going to breathe.”

I watch him take a breath, then puff out his cheeks to resemble a pufferfish. It amazes me how this grown man is so adorable at times. I love how he can let loose and be goofy like this without caring what other people think about him. His expression is so endearing, I just want to poke the side of his face…

“Hey!” Hunter grins and grabs my finger right before it touches him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

I smile sheepishly. “I had this urge to poke you. I blame your cheek. It was calling out to me, saying ‘poke me, poke me.’”

“My cheek was talking to you? You expect me to believe that, Lil?”

“If you saw your face and how cute you looked with your round cheeks, you’d want to poke yourself, too.”

He bursts out laughing at this point. I fight hard not to join him, but it’s a losing battle. Soon, tears are rolling down my cheeks. A ball of tension unravels within my chest, releasing all the stress and worry I carried inside me the last few days. My whole body shakes with laughter, from giggles to chuckles to full-on guffaws. I can hardly catch my breath, and I can’t stop laughing. It’s like a snack attack where you can’t just eat one potato chip. I laugh and laugh for probably a full minute until my sides hurt.

By the time I stop, I open my eyes to find Hunter just watching me. Under any other circumstance, I’d bemortified to be the center of attention when I’m so out of my element, but the smile on his face puts me at ease. There’s also the fact that he’s now not only holding my finger but my whole hand.

When did that happen?!

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