in the aisle. “I didn’t mean to trample you like that.”
“Did you bump me? I didn’t even notice.” He gave me a dazzling smile, all sparkly eyes and white teeth, and it made me want to kiss him, but I resisted the urge. As I stood in line, I could feel Dan’s eyes on me, but I wouldn’t turn around to look. Okay, maybe once I peeked, and sure enough, his steady gaze held mine for an instant before I edged forward and shoved myself into the tiniest bathroom I’ve ever had the displeasure of visiting.
For the first few months we were dating, Dan’s eyes were almost always following me—he looked at me with love and with desire but also with a bit of wariness. Like he wasn’t sure I’d be staying around for long. Like I might jump at the next Jack Brogan who crossed my path. I did everything I could to prove to him that he was it, that no one else would be turning my head—not now, not ever—but it was still there, the look that I couldn’t erase. And then one night, a few months ago, we were sitting on the living room floor, trying to connect the dozens of wires that hooked up our new flat-screen TV to the cable box and the DVD player and the surround sound system, and he just stopped. For a second I didn’t notice, my attention diverted by red, white and yellow wires and all the potential ways I could plug them in the wrong holes.
“Lexi.”
“Wait. Seriously, I think I’ve got it figured out this time.” My wires looked like a bowl of multicolored spaghetti, but I still felt like I was on the verge of a breakthrough.
“Lex, put those down for a second.” I did as he asked, then stared at him blankly. “I need to ask you something.”
Holy crap, he looked so serious. Did he want to return the TV?
“Like, right now. Right this second. Is there anyplace else you’d rather be? Anything else you’d rather be doing?” It was a strange thing to ask in the middle of a hugely unsuccessful home theater installation, but when I looked at his face, I knew exactly what he needed to hear. And why.
“Dan, there is nothing I’d rather be doing at this moment than making a mess of these wires. With you. And tomorrow, there’s nothing I’d rather be doing than sitting here waiting for the technician from Best Buy to show up and fix everything we fuck up tonight. There’s nothing else. No one else. Ever.” I stared deep into his eyes, willing him to hear me, and listen to me, and believe me.
“Okay,” he said slowly, his eyes dark and serious. And sexy. Goddamn, what that man could do to me with his eyes. “I was just checking.”
And yes, we did completely destroy the installation job. But after that night, Dan changed. There were no more worried glances when he left for work; no more doubtful grunts when I told him I’d rather stay in and watch home improvement shows than eat at some stupid, trendy restaurant.
Except for today. Despite our teasing, Dan looked nervous. Uneasy. I couldn’t think of what I’d done to put him on edge. Maybe he was just worried about something at work. Or maybe he was dreading meeting my parents. I couldn’t blame him for that—my parents can be a bit much, especially for someone as quiet as Dan.
When I returned to my seat, I climbed over his knees deftly and slid my seatbelt on. I’d decided to be nicer to him, just in case he really was upset about something.
“Hey, they’re coming with drinks—do you want a beer or something? My parents are always more palatable after I’ve knocked back a few.” Dan nodded uncomfortably, barely even acknowledging my joke. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” he said tightly, his eyes glued to the drink cart making its way down the aisle towards us. Wow. Even loving him the way I did, there was no denying that when Dan was in a mood, he could still be kind of… imposing . Not in a scary kind of way, of course, but in a way that made me wonder what was going on in his head. I so rarely got to see what he was really
“Did you bump me? I didn’t even notice.” He gave me a dazzling smile, all sparkly eyes and white teeth, and it made me want to kiss him, but I resisted the urge. As I stood in line, I could feel Dan’s eyes on me, but I wouldn’t turn around to look. Okay, maybe once I peeked, and sure enough, his steady gaze held mine for an instant before I edged forward and shoved myself into the tiniest bathroom I’ve ever had the displeasure of visiting.
For the first few months we were dating, Dan’s eyes were almost always following me—he looked at me with love and with desire but also with a bit of wariness. Like he wasn’t sure I’d be staying around for long. Like I might jump at the next Jack Brogan who crossed my path. I did everything I could to prove to him that he was it, that no one else would be turning my head—not now, not ever—but it was still there, the look that I couldn’t erase. And then one night, a few months ago, we were sitting on the living room floor, trying to connect the dozens of wires that hooked up our new flat-screen TV to the cable box and the DVD player and the surround sound system, and he just stopped. For a second I didn’t notice, my attention diverted by red, white and yellow wires and all the potential ways I could plug them in the wrong holes.
“Lexi.”
“Wait. Seriously, I think I’ve got it figured out this time.” My wires looked like a bowl of multicolored spaghetti, but I still felt like I was on the verge of a breakthrough.
“Lex, put those down for a second.” I did as he asked, then stared at him blankly. “I need to ask you something.”
Holy crap, he looked so serious. Did he want to return the TV?
“Like, right now. Right this second. Is there anyplace else you’d rather be? Anything else you’d rather be doing?” It was a strange thing to ask in the middle of a hugely unsuccessful home theater installation, but when I looked at his face, I knew exactly what he needed to hear. And why.
“Dan, there is nothing I’d rather be doing at this moment than making a mess of these wires. With you. And tomorrow, there’s nothing I’d rather be doing than sitting here waiting for the technician from Best Buy to show up and fix everything we fuck up tonight. There’s nothing else. No one else. Ever.” I stared deep into his eyes, willing him to hear me, and listen to me, and believe me.
“Okay,” he said slowly, his eyes dark and serious. And sexy. Goddamn, what that man could do to me with his eyes. “I was just checking.”
And yes, we did completely destroy the installation job. But after that night, Dan changed. There were no more worried glances when he left for work; no more doubtful grunts when I told him I’d rather stay in and watch home improvement shows than eat at some stupid, trendy restaurant.
Except for today. Despite our teasing, Dan looked nervous. Uneasy. I couldn’t think of what I’d done to put him on edge. Maybe he was just worried about something at work. Or maybe he was dreading meeting my parents. I couldn’t blame him for that—my parents can be a bit much, especially for someone as quiet as Dan.
When I returned to my seat, I climbed over his knees deftly and slid my seatbelt on. I’d decided to be nicer to him, just in case he really was upset about something.
“Hey, they’re coming with drinks—do you want a beer or something? My parents are always more palatable after I’ve knocked back a few.” Dan nodded uncomfortably, barely even acknowledging my joke. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” he said tightly, his eyes glued to the drink cart making its way down the aisle towards us. Wow. Even loving him the way I did, there was no denying that when Dan was in a mood, he could still be kind of… imposing . Not in a scary kind of way, of course, but in a way that made me wonder what was going on in his head. I so rarely got to see what he was really
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