Page 77 of A Pizza My Heart

Not for you.“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. It’s definitelysomething. I know firsthand this isn’t how you court all the girls.” She looks to me. “Why me?”

“Because you’re not just any girl.”

“But that’s what I’m supposed to be—just pretend, right?”

“Right.” I lean into the table. “So let’s pretend you’re just a girl I met at…hmm…let’s go with the library.”

“The library, huh?” She sets her chin in her hand. “Tell me more.”

“We met in the stacks, probably the romance section.”

“What were you doing there?”

“Research.” I waggle my brows. “I bumped into you because I’m just a big oaf.”

“This sounds completely believable now. Continue.”

“You being in the library wasn’t believable?”

“Of course not. I own a Kindle, for crying out loud.”

“Fair.” I try not to laugh at how haughty she sounds. “Anyway, we hit it off instantly. Sparks were flying. It felt like we’d known each other our entire lives.”

She grins. “Nice touch.”

“I asked you out,” I continue, “but you said no, too worried I’d break your heart. I acquiesced, taking what I could get, and friends we were.”

“Acquiesced?” She laughs this time. “I didn’t realize you were fancy in this fantasy of yours.”

“Fantasy? I was shooting for semi-autobiographical.”

She tilts her head, studying me, lips pinching together. She leans over the table, meeting me in the middle.

“What happens next?” Her voice dips low with the question, like she’s afraid to ask it but compelled to all at once.

“Next? Oh, that’s obvious.” I lean closer. “You give in to me. You realize what’s been right in front of you the whole time.”

She watches me, eyes scanning mine, waiting for more. A punchline maybe.

A twist.

Anything other than the fucking truth I just let fall from my mouth so carelessly.

I don’t know why I said it. Maybe because I’m sick of hiding things. Maybe because right now, having her feels so fucking close yet still so far away, and I can’t stand the tease anymore.

Or maybe I’m just a moron and completely blew it.

Her lips move as she mutters, “Semi-autobiographical…semi-autobiographical…”

I see it in that moment, the meaning of my words dawning on her.

“You…me…” She snaps her mouth shut, nodding a few times. “Ah, I see.”

“You do?”

“I do.”

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