Chapter 10

Full stop. Literally I stopped walking and pulled his hand so we were facing each other.

“Might!? How do you not know for sure if you are engaged or not?”

“It’s complicated, but I want to be honest with you so I brought it up.”

“Jareth, you can’t bring up a maybe complicated fiancé and then not spill the whole story.”

“You’re right, let’s um sit down at least.” He looks around the shopping area for a place to sit. Is this story going to be so bad I need to sit down?

“No. Just tell me.”

“Fine, in high school my parents were good friends with this other couple who had a daughter a year ahead of me. They decided to make an arranged marriage for us.”

“Approved family?”

“Yes. By my parents. Not me. I hated the whole idea, especially when she seemed to be into it. I rebelled against the whole idea. I think I made it clear that I wasn’t into the whole us getting married thing.”

“That sounds like you broke it off and you are not engaged?”

“You would think that, but I have seen her around sometimes and she acts like it’s still an option. My family mentions her regularly too.”

“Is it an option? Do you think you would want to be with her?” Please don’t say yes. I know we are not exclusive or anything, but I don’t think I can handle competition right now. I definitely don’t want to be some rich asshole’s mistress.

“No. Not to me. I’m just saying other people in my life might bring it up. I want you to know not to listen to them.”

“Thanks for the heads up. I’m I going to be meeting people in your life? Other than Brian and Melody.”

“As the mother of my child, I would hope so. I just also know that they are a lot, so I want to give you as much prep time as possible.”

If the rest of his world is like Melody I am not sure there is ever going to be enough prep time, but he at least knows that.

“Thanks for thinking of it. I agree we should figure us out before I meet anyone else from your world. I would want to have a united front.”

“What about your family? Do I have to worry about a scary dad coming to kill me for knocking up his daughter?” He laughs nervously.

“My parents died in a car accident when I was a kid. I lived with my grandmother after that, but she is gone now too. All on my own now.”

“I’m so sorry Olive. Here I am complaining about my family and you…I feel like a jerk.”

“It’s fine, really.”

Great, now there is that awkward silence that always happens after people hear the dead parents and dead grandma story. Need to think of something else to say. Not something stupid. “Oh, look a bench.” I point to a bench by a bus stop like an idiot. At least he isn’t laughing at me as we walk to the bus stop bench. We sit and he lets go of my hand. Disappointing. His arm then wraps around the back of the bench as he sits right up next to me and his hand rubs my shoulder. Maybe, better?

“So how are we going to do this? I don’t live in the city, like you said. It’s like an hour drive right?”

“About that, but I don’t mind. I kind of like driving anyway. I could come see you every weekend. If you don’t mind me staying the night that is.”

I feel my cheeks heating imagining our previous intimate moments. Despite that closeness we had never fallen asleep together, which feels somehow more intimate.

“My place is small. It might be cramped.”

“I don’t mind cramped.” He smiles at me with that wolf grin of his. His hand moves from my shoulder to trace a gentle line along my jaw. Is he also thinking of our past intimacy? Is he thinking about future intimacy? Wow his lips look delicious. Would it be wrong to make out on a bus bench?

“Would you miss doing whatever it is you do on the weekends?”

“What do you think I do?”

“Party. Go to clubs with other rich people and spend obscene amounts of money on bottles of champagne.” He laughs softly and I want to hear more of that sound.

“I go to clubs sometimes, but really only to meet up with friends or find a hook up and I don’t plan on hooking up with anyone. I meant it when I said I wanted to date you.” Here it is. Ask Olive. You want to know.

“Does that mean exclusively?”

He pulls my face closer to his.

“Yes. That means I want to be exclusive. Can you do that?”

This man probably has to turn women down constantly and he wants to know if mousey normal me can manage being exclusive? Like I have lines of men waiting at my door.

“I can do exclusive.” I lean closer to him. I can feel his breath on my face.

“Good.” Did his voice just get lower? “Because I don’t share.” Why is that so hot? Is it because he is about to kiss me, or because I really like the idea of being his? Whichever it is, his pillow lips feel amazing. He holds the side of my face gently as we softly kiss.

We are interrupted by the hiss of the bus door opening in front of us. He turns and looks at it then smirks.

“You know, I’ve never ridden a city bus before.”