“I hope you have a wonderful night,” Mom says. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Nodding, I smile. “Thank you.” She leaves me to finish up and goes to answer the door. As much as I want to stay at his place tonight, I should work on my project. It’s not due for another few days, but I don’t like to rush. And staying at Kayden’s will not have me focused. Not on school at least.
By the time I make it downstairs, Kayden and Mom are sitting in the living room laughing about something. When I walk in, he looks up, and his eyes widen.
“Hello, beautiful,” he greets. Pushing to his feet, he closes the distance between us and places a chaste kiss on my lips. I can tell he’s shocked at the change in my look, but it’s not bad. Not bad at all.
“Have fun, both of you.”
“Thanks, Caroline.” Kayden grins at my mother as he takes my hand and leads me out to his car. Tonight, he’s driving his Rover, which I love because I can settle in and enjoy the comfy seats. I love watching him drive, and once we’re on the road, I can’t drag my eyes away from him.
“Are we going to your place?”
A small smile dances on his lips, and he nods. “You wanting some of this?” he asks with a cocky wink as he grabs his crotch with his free hand.
“Ugh, you’re so full of yourself.” I roll my eyes, but I can’t stop the giggle that falls from my lips. “I am never asking you anything ever again.” My words are filled with annoyance, but when he grabs my thigh and gives it a squeeze, I melt into his touch.
“We’re going to dinner at my favorite place, and then we’ll hang out until I need to bring you home,” Kayden tells me as he drives through the city until we reach a small, intimate restaurant I note has photos of noodles and sushi on the door.
“Chinese?”
“Japanese,” he informs me as he parks and kills the engine. “Is that okay?”
“Of course. I actually love sushi.” When I tell him this, the smile on his face is pure happiness. “I love learning about you.”
“You know pretty much everything about me.” He pushes open his door and heads my way to help me out. The alarm clicks, and we head into the restaurant that’s not at all busy, which is nice.
We’re led to a booth where I slip in, and Kayden shocks me when he slides in beside me instead of opposite. A server appears, offering us a friendly smile to take our order. I allow Kayden to do the honors since he seems to know what’s tasty.
Once we’re alone, he sits back and rests his arm across the booth behind me, the warmth of him keeping me safe and comfortable. I’m tempted to lean into him, but I want to talk.
“So,” I say. “Since classes are going to only get more intense as the year progresses, what are we going to do when I don’t get to see you often?”
“I’ve already got a plan,” he announces. “I’ll be picking you up from school every single day because, after class, we’re going to get started on the car you and your dad were meant to fix up.”
“You remembered?”
“Of course,” he tells me honestly. “I want you to have that memory, and I want it to be a happy one.” There’s affection burning in his eyes, and even though I want to admit I’m feeling more than I thought I would, I don’t. Mom said to take it slow, and I plan to do that. But it’s times like this that make me want to just say fuck it and tell him just what’s racing through my mind.
“What?”
I glance up, noticing he’s staring, and I realize I lost a few moments thinking about telling him. “Nothing. You make me happy.” That’s the truth. I have always found it difficult to admit my feelings, to tell someone how I’m feeling or what’s bothering me, and with him, it’s just as hard. But, with those piercing eyes looking right through me, it’s almost as if I don’t need to tell him. He knows.
“You’ve changed me a lot, Haelee,” Kayden admits, using my real name and not the nickname he calls me. “When we first met, I had a feeling you would rock my world and knock it on its axis, but I didn’t expect to be here almost a month into this strange relationship and not want to run a mile.”
“Strange relationship?” I test playfully with a poke in his ribs. The lightness of our conversation sets me at ease. And I’m thankful for it because when I start thinking about feelings and emotions, my chest still hurts from the past. At some point, I’m going to have to put everything behind me and stop looking back. But sometimes, it’s more difficult than I can imagine.