Page 110 of The Broken Heart Playlist
“You can’t bet against yourself!”
“I can and I did.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” I argue, but I can’t quite hide the uncertainty in my voice.
“I’m heading out now,” he says, making his way toward my front door. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
I stare after him in frustration. I don’t believe it. He’s walking out, leaving me with a tidy house, but all this internal mayhem. “Gideon, wait!”
He stops and faces me, eyebrows raised. “Yes?”
I press my palms to my thighs. The trap he’s laid out is so clumsy and obvious, but I can’t let him win this bet. A bet I didn’t even choose to participate in. Tess always said my competitive spirit would be my downfall, but that’s the thing with me. I’m not one to turn down a challenge. And, yes, I do kind of owe him one.
But for all the teasing and banter, I know there’s something more at play here than a simple taste test. I wonder if Gideon is challenging me to take the next step in trusting him.
I want to but fear holds me back. A fear of not being in control. A fear of what he might do to me. This feels foolhardy. Reckless, even. But I worry that if I don’t exorcise my fear, I’ll never be able to open myself up to love again.
Suddenly, I want to—Ineedto–take that step. I’m so tired of being afraid all the time.
“Fine,” I say after a moment. “I’ll play your taste testing game.”
“I don’t know,” he says with a regretful head shake. “I don’t like your attitude.”
“Don’t push it,” I warn.
That elicits a rich rumble of a laugh from deep inside his chest.
Returning to stand in front of me, he points to a straight-backed dining room chair. Letting out a meaningful, long-suffering sigh, I sit.
Then he picks up a pastel blue scarf from the neatly folded pile on the table.
I blink. “Wait, do I have to be blindfolded?”
“That’s how the game works.”
My eyes lock with his. He waits patiently. I feel that first delicious tingle of anticipation.
“Fine.”
Wordlessly, Gideon moves to stand behind me. He’s so close I can feel the heat emanating off his body, curling around me. He wraps the scarf carefully over my eyes and ties it at the back of my head. I can’t see a thing.
There are so many reasons why this isn’t a good idea. I have what feels like a hundred items on my to-do list and this game feels indulgent and foolish. It also feels dangerous, like it could lead to...something.
But you know what? Stuff my to-do list. That wretched list is a black hole, it just keeps expanding, sucking me in with itsneed to be done nowgravitational force. And when was the last time I did something impulsive? Something just for me?
“I’ll be right back,” Gideon whispers in my ear, sending a shiver rolling through me.
I feel him move away and I hear him in the kitchen, taking his sweet time putting together items for me to taste.
There’s an exhilarating buzzing beneath my skin and my blood is pulsating with anticipation. Is this his intention? The buildup. The wait. The wondering.
We’re playing so close to the line here.
“What’s taking so long?” I call out.
I hear his footfalls approaching. “Impatient for me to get back to you?”
“No.”
