He opens his eyes. “But I only want to kiss you if that’s what you really want.”
My heart thunders in my chest. Between my legs, I’m aching, just like I was the night we kissed.
“I want to kiss you, Gage. But…”
I take a second to swallow and feel his grip on me loosen.
I close my eyes as I work up the nerve to say this. “But I know that I won’t be able to stop at just a kiss. I want you. So, so bad. I want you, but I don’t think I’m ready for you.”
His hands fall away from me, and he takes a step back. His expression is curious and confused all at once. “What do you mean?”
I swallow, the heat and arousal inside of me shifting to nerves. “I’m a month out of my last relationship. I need to get my head on straight and learn to be alone before I jump into anything romantic. You’re a dream guy, Gage. A literal dream guy. And I’m too nervous to even kiss you right now. I’m afraid I’ll screw it up because I didn’t take enough time to be alone and process things after my breakup.”
He rubs the back of his neck, taking in what I’ve said.
“I don’t want to screw up our friendship or a potential romantic relationship by moving too fast.”
“So you just need some time?” he asks.
I nod and cross my arms, bracing myself for what he’ll say.
“Okay.”
I stammer at his quick response. He looks completely laidback about it too. “Seriously?”
He starts to smile. “Yeah. Look, I like you, Becca. A lot. And I’m really, really attracted to you.”
“You are?”
He squints at me like he’s confused before he laughs. “Of course I am. You’re the sweetest and kindest person I’ve ever met. You’re adorable and funny. And you’re fucking hot.”
I giggle nervously. “Wow, um, no guy I’ve been with has ever said that to me before.”
He shakes his head like he’s in disbelief. “Those guys were dipshits. You’re incredible, Becca. And if friendship is all you want right now, I’m good with that. I’m happy to be your friend. But if you ever want more, I’m ready.”
I’m speechless at how straightforward Gage is, how simply and clearly he’s managed to explain his feelings, how calm he is during what could have been an excruciatingly awkward conversation.
Maybe things between us really can be that simple, that easy.
“I love being friends with you, Gage. I love making sexy TikToks with you too.”
The corner of his mouth quirks up. “Same.”
“You’re really okay with just being friends? I don’t want it to come off like I’m leading you on or anything like that.”
He shakes his head and moves closer to me. “You’re not leading me on. You’ve been clear about your feelings and what you want. So have I. It’s okay for us to be friends who are attracted to each other, who also aren’t quite ready to take it to the next level. There’s no rule that says you have to be friends forever or get into a relationship right away if you feel an attraction. We can take our time and do things the way we want. And if nothing ends up happening, that’s okay too.”
His words halt the nerves swirling inside me. I smile up at him. “You’re so effortlessly cool about everything, you know that?”
“Not dishes though. Don’t ever try to clean up in my kitchen again, okay?”
I burst out laughing.
“How about dessert?” he asks.
“You made dessert?”
Instead of answering, he steps over to the fridge, opens the door, and pulls out a lemon tart. My mouth waters.
