Page 38 of When I'm With You
Excellent choice.
Chapter Nineteen
Asher
“Waffles really are the superior breakfast food, especially when you eat them for dinner.”
Julie swirls her finger through the pile of whipped cream on top of her waffle and sucks her finger into her mouth, licking the whipped cream off.
I close my eyes for a hot second to collect myself.
Keep your shit together, Asher. Get your dick under control. There are kids in the room.
When I open them, Julie is smirking at me, like she knows exactly what she was doing.
“You did that on purpose.”
She shrugs. “Could be.”
Definitely did.
I don’t hate it.
We’re at the Goody Goody diner, a St. Louis landmark. I had planned a different kind of dinner, but when she mentioned earlier today that her second favorite kind of food is breakfast, I made an abrupt change of plans. Her face lit up just like it did when we had tacos yesterday, so I knew I was on theright track. I want to do whatever I can to keep the happy on her face. It is now my only mission in life.
It’s less than a five-hour drive from Indianapolis to here, but we had a few stops to make along the way. We went to Terre Haute, Indiana to check out America’s second largest brewery in operation, which was incredibly cool. Then we stopped in Casey, Illinois, which is now my favorite city of all time. The small town is home to lots of big things, including, among others, the world’s largest golf tee and driver, the world’s largest pitchfork, the world’s largest rocking chair, and my personal favorite, the world’s largest barbershop pole. At first the small town caught my eye because oversize things are funny, but when I realized there was a sixteen-foot taco, I was sold.
We spent hours in the town, making our way from big thing to big thing, and with each stop, I swear I could see a little more of Julie’s anxiety and icy exterior melt away. Because honestly, who could be anxious when you’re standing in front of a thirty-two-foot pencil? And when we got to the taco, she burst out laughing, and laughed so hard tears streamed down her face. Then she grabbed my face in both of her hands and kissed me hard, taking me completely by surprise and, well, anything that makes Julie do that is my new favorite thing.
“Asher?”
“What?” My head snaps up, and I realize I’ve been zoning out for who knows how long.
“Where did you go?”
She smiles as she gives me back my words from last night. She’s been smiling a lot today. Fuck she looks good. When we got to our hotel, she changed into jeans that might as well be painted on and a blue sweater that makes her eyes glow. Her long blonde hair is loose and falls halfway down her back. And her face. God, her face. I could look at it all day.
I think quickly, not wanting to divulge that I was thinking about her. That I’m always thinking about her.
“I was thinking about the…”
“Let me guess. You were thinking about the barbershop pole?”
I point at her. “You bet I was. There’s so much to think about. How was it made? Whose idea was it? Who is the person who woke up one morning and thought, ‘you know what this town needs? A fourteen-foot barbershop pole’ because I would very much like to meet that person and ask him some questions.”
She takes the last bite of her waffle and leans back on her side of the booth. “You know what? I think I would too.”
“Damn straight you would. Everyone would.”
“So now that we’ve eaten breakfast at eight p.m.—inspired choice by the way—what’s next?”
“What makes you think anything is next? Maybe I’m tired.”
“Oh. Yeah, no, I’m sure you’re tired. Same. Long day, right?” Julie’s shoulders fall a little and she seems to shrink into herself as she looks away and starts tapping her fingers on her thigh. I see the same look on her face that I saw when she glanced around the friends and family room a few weeks ago and didn’t see anyone familiar. It’s her anxious and uncertain look. Like she’s waiting to be rejected. Told she’s not good enough to be around. Expecting it, even.
I reach across the table and capture her free hand.
“Juliette, look at me.” It takes her a few seconds, but she raises her eyes to mine.
