Page 20 of Love and Pumpkins
“Well, I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I got three kinds of donuts, two muffins, and a toasted bagel.”
“Thank the carb gods.”
He laughs and hands me the bag. “Take your pick,” he says, setting down the beverage carrier.
I open the bag, and chocolate, blueberry, and pumpkin scents fill my nose.
“Apple cider?” I ask.
“Might be on the bottom. For coffee, I brought a maple pecan latte and a pumpkin spice. Take your pick.”
Aw, he must have heard me ask Chloe for that flavor yesterday.
“Maple pecan, please,” I reply.
I fish the apple cider donut out of the bag and bring it to my nose. “Ah, the smell of deliciousness.” I take a bite.
Hunter laughs. Now that my stomach has something to do, I look him over. He’s wearing jeans and a long-sleeved University of Illinois T-shirt. His alma mater. The sight of it reminds me of how smart he is. He received several large scholarships; I wonder if he had to take out any student loans.
My student loans are one of my “shall not be named” topics. I just pay the bill and pray for the day I can make the last payment.
My eyes drift to his face. His eyebrows lift in question, and it’s not about which donut he wants.
Is he second-guessing what happened last night? It was only a kiss. Do I let him off the hook?
“Listen,” I begin.
“We should,” he says at the same time.
We laugh, and it feels nice to laugh with him. “You first,” I blurt. I want to hear what he’s thinking before I burn it all down by saying something stupid.
He looks down at the coffee cup in his hand and opens the drinking spout. “Maybe this isn’t the best time—”
Of course it isn’t. I cut him off. “Oh, I know. It’s not great timing. We should…”
The look of disappointment that crosses his face startles me. That’s what he meant, wasn’t it?
“We should what?” he asks.
“Forget about the kiss?” I suggest.
“No!” He’s emphatic. “I can’t forget that. Not in three lifetimes.”
“You can’t?”
“No. That kiss was a long time coming. I’ve dreamed about it for years.”
“What?” The synapses in my brain are firing faster than raindrops in a thunderstorm. He’s dreamed of kissing me? For real? But this is Hunter! My on-again, off-again frenemy for over twenty years. He’d never hinted that he liked me in high school. Not that I gave him reason to—I’d put him cleanly in the “friend” category since kindergarten. I am confused on so many levels. “Then what’s wrong with the timing?” I stammer out.
He shakes his head and looks frustrated. “Sorry. When I said not great timing, I meant right now, before the crowd comes in. This might not be the right time to talk about us and our future. The distance might be problematic, I know. But I can work remotely. My mom has a spare bedroom. She probably wouldn’t mind my being around a bit more. I could help her out with some improvementsaround the place. But if you’re not interested… I guess I jumped to conclusions.”
Wow, this is not where I thought this conversation was going.
I take a deep breath. “No, you didn’t jump to conclusions.” I feel my brows furrow. I’m terrible at sharing my feelings. “I’m sorry; I wasn’t expecting you to say that. I couldn’t imagine that you were interested in me. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around what I’m feeling for you. I’ve known you almost my whole life, and I’m not sure what to do with these new feelings. I thought you were going to tell me the kiss was a mistake, and I wanted to cut you off before it got awkward. Too late!” I snort out a laugh.
He steps towards me and reaches out. I want to fall into his arms, but I need to compose myself before the shoppers arrive. “You’re right,” I say. “This isn’t the right time to talk about us.” I glance left and see that people are already entering. “You haven’t even set up, people are arriving, and there might be a storm.”
Another rumble of thunder drowns out my last words. Hunter nods.
