Page 22 of Back to You
How could I say no to that? I grinned. “Wow. Yeah, okay.”
“Okay?” He brightened. “Great. Friday?”
“Friday,” I agreed.
“It’s a date. Gotta run, but text me.” He dropped his empty cup into the trash. With a wave, he pushed through the double doors and out into the blustering cold. I stood in the middle of the coffee shop wearing the biggest, dumbest grin in the world. Inside, my heart was cheering at the top of the stands.
Abby had been right.
I had a date with Dane Fisher.
* * *
Iwas distracted.
Dane Fisher wanted to take me out.
I was more distracted, however, by the fact that he wanted to pick up where we left off. Seeing as we left off with an explosive orgasm? The fire in my blood burned hotter each time I thought about that night, the taste of blackberry wine—and Dane on my tongue.
I’d never been able to shake that memory. I wanted to. Many times. I wanted to forget it ever happened, so I wouldn’t continue to pine over the boy I’d loved and lost. No such luck. Every time I let my thoughts wander, his voice whispered like wind between my ears. I missed him.
Sure, I’d dated on and off. I’d hooked up with strangers on Grindr when I needed a little stress relief—I was a dude, we had needs—but they never really mattered. But Dane? Dane mattered. He mattered so much that I couldn’t put my feelings into words. He mattered so much that it physically hurt.
From the moment he left the coffee shop, we’d been texting nonstop. It was just like old times.
“Hey. Hello? Earth to the boy? Come in, Hollister,” Abby called with her hands cupped around her mouth.
I glanced up from my phone. “Huh?”
“Jesus, you’ve got your head in the clouds,” she teased. “Must be some guy.”
I beamed. “He is.”
Friday couldn’t get here fast enough.
* * *
Here.
The text dinged in at the same time that a car honked in the drive. I couldn’t hide my smile. “He’s here. How do I look?” I turned to Grandma Gin, who was scritching away at one of her crossword puzzles. My stomach was filled with Mexican jumping beans. She glanced up, pushed her glasses up a little higher on her crooked nose, and appraised me with a nod.
“You look fine, child. Stop worrying and go have fun.”
“Thanks, Gran. See you tonight.” I shrugged into my coat and tromped through the two inches of snow that had settled over the sidewalk in the past couple of hours. The skies were yellowish-gray, reflecting the city lights beneath them. The tiniest of snowflakes fell onto the shiny black hood of Dane’s car. It definitely cost a pretty penny, but the inside was littered with various fast food bags and empty water bottles.
Typical Dane.
I stepped on one getting in. It crunched loudly enough to make me jump. Dane let out a laugh and when I looked at him, his grin was sheepish. “Sorry about the mess. I was too lazy to clean it out, but I knew you wouldn’t judge me.”
“Nah.” My stomach muscles fluttered. “Where are we going?”
“I seem to remember you being pretty carnivorous, so I figured a steakhouse would be a surefire thing. Please tell me you didn’t go vegan or something in the past five years.”
“Please. Do I look like a vegan to you? Borderline hipster, maybe. Vegan? No.” I laughed. “Steak sounds great. A man after my own heart.”
Dane put the car in reverse, and we were off. I settled back in my seat and admired the flawless leather interior. There were so many buttons and knobs on the dash. It glowed with a soft orange light, and the built-in LCD display showed the date, time and temperature. It even had the weather. It made my poor old VW seem even more ancient and crusty.
The radio was on, but it’d been turned down low. Wait. Was he listening to Adele? I bent and unbent my fingers a couple of times, and tried to keep my jittery knee from bouncing all over the place. I could’ve shot three energy drinks back-to-back and still not felt this anxious.
