Page 57 of Yesterday I Cared
She bumps her shoulder into mine. "Well, it's a good thing you have someone who's excellent at this on your team."
"And I'm the one with the ego?"
Over the next three hours, I have one of the best nights of my life. The menu is so far over the limited skill set I have. Mia, on the other hand, looked in her element, only brightening even more when we got to the dessert portion. I already knew this is where she excels the most, but doing it with her was something else entirely. With an ease only someone like Mia could possess, she guided me when I became lost, but didn't make me feel awkward about it.
The couple across from us, however, was a totally different story. In between our own cooking, Mia and I spent time listening in on the fight they were having; it was fueled by competitive natures at war with one another, each unable to give up control. We weren't the only ones paying attention to them, either.
At the end of the night, Mia links our arms together again, allowing me to lead her back to the car. Only then do we actually bring up the couple.
"I have never heard such petty arguments before," she comments. "And if you want this night to keep being as magical as possible, you will say nothing about the last couple of months."
"I was going to say years," I tease. "But, yeah, months work, too."
"What did I just say?"
We come to a stop at my car, and I set the leftovers on the hood right before she wraps her arms around my neck, pulling my focus down to her. My hands land on her hips.
"Do you think they're going to breakup or make up?"
"To be honest? I don't care." I lean in until my forehead is resting against hers. I squeeze her hips lightly. "I'm more interested in our fate. You said tonight has been magical?"
She bites at the corner of her lip, trying to hide her growing smirk. I want to pull it free, relish in the feeling of it moving against mine.
So that's what I do.
Her gasp of surprise is quickly swallowed, and I can feel the way she melts against me. All the tension she seems to carry at all times eases in my arms. That is more than enough for me.
Mia closes the rest of the distance between us. Taking any excuse to deepen the kiss. I grasp her chin in one hand, tilting her head until the angle is just right.
For better or worse, I've kissed a lot of women in my life; I've experienced kisses so bad they made me want to flee the country, and I’ve experienced kisses so good they made my toes curl. But this…this is better than anything I have ever and will ever experience in my life. It's better than the angry kisses we'd exchanged. Better than the kisses we shared in Omaha.
Because with each glide of our lips, this starts to feel more real. There's hope in this kiss—hope that reminds me we can still have everything we wanted, even though we left it broken at one time. Hope that I have someone in my life who wants to hold on to me. Someone who will prove to me it's worth it to stay.
She pulls away with a deep breath, heavy-lidded hazel eyes looking up at me through dark lashes. We're both trying to catch our breath, chests heaving against one another. There's only one thing on my mind, but I can't utter the words out loud. I can't ask that of her.
"Ronan," she breathes, brushing her fingers through the hair at the back of my head.
"Hmm?" I hum, leaning down to steal one more quick kiss.
"I think I'd like to go home now."
Fuck. The moment crashes around me the way I should have anticipated it doing. Still, there's nothing worse than watching things you long for be snatched away before your very eyes.
Dropping my hands to my side, I try to put as much space between us as I can with me pressed against the hood of my car. She doesn't give me any room to move. "Right." I clear my throat. "I'll take you home."
"Ronan." She grabs my wrist, forcing me to a stop before I can squirm away from her. I meet her gaze, waiting for the rejection I'm sure to get. "Would you like to stay the night?"
Double fuck.
With one small question, every hope I'd been holding onto comes flooding back. I don't know why it takes my breath away, but I'm shocked by the forwardness of it all. She was the one who crawled into my lap all those years ago; she was the one who made me lose my mind with a few small movements and words. Now here she is doing it again.
I clear my throat once, then twice more, not trusting myself to say anything coherent right now. This is Mia, for crying out loud. I've wanted this for longer than I care to admit.
She flashes a flirtatious smile, and I can’t help but wonder how her goddamn lipstick is still perfect when we've spent the evening eating and drinking.
I can think of a few ways to mess it up, though.
"Are you going to answer me or just stand there, looking at me like you're ready to do this here and now?"
