You Will Be Mine (Forever and Ever #7)(11)

“The library is boring either way.”

“Then why do you work there?” I asked.

“It’s quiet. And I like books.”

“You’d probably make good tips as a waitress.”

She shrugged. “I’ll stick to checking out books.”

I parked in front of the pizzeria and we both headed inside. We sat at a square table with a red and white tablecloth. We picked up our menus and looked at the selections.

“You want to split one?” I asked.

“Depends.”

“On what?” I asked.

“What you like.”

I put the menu down. “I’m not picky. I’ll eat anything.”

“How about a vegetarian pizza?”

“Sure.” I sat up straight in my chair and tried to look at anything besides her. She was gawked at on a daily basis. I didn’t want to remind her of that.

“What’s new with you?” she asked.

“Um…my friend is getting an award for one of her sculptures,” I said. “She’s pretty excited about it.”

“Good for her.”

“Yeah…Theo and I are happy for her.”

She nodded. “You and Theo are really close, huh?”

“We’re pretty much family, actually. Our parents are really close and we were basically raised as siblings.”

“That’s cute,” she said.

“I guess.” I shrugged. “But we have a very big, annoying, and dysfunctional family.”

She chuckled. “Sounds like fun.”

“So, you want to eat here, right?”

“I guess,” she said. “Or we could head back and watch a movie or something.”

I had to remember all these invitations weren’t romantic, just friendly. My hopes got too high and then I crashed. “How about Star Wars?”

“You can’t go wrong with that.”

“Cool.” I waved down the waiter and put the order in.

“I hope I didn’t ruin your evening.”

“Not at all.” When I looked at her, I saw her green eyes flash like emeralds. They were so bright and beautiful, like gems in a treasure chest. Every inch of her was chiseled and perfect, like she was designed to be gorgeous for a reason. Her high cheekbones gave her a splash of elegance, and her voice reminded me of a songbird. Sometimes I wondered if I was hallucinating all these features.

“When you weren’t in the library, it threw my day off.” She said it with a smile.

“I’ll make sure I’m there tomorrow.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s okay. But your absence was noticed.”

I bet every guy in the restaurant hated me right then. I was sitting across the coolest chick in the damn world. She was only looking at me, only comfortable with me. She was selective with whom she spent her time, but I somehow made the cut.

“And your presence is always noticed.”

She sat back in her chair and crossed her legs. She always held herself like a queen, someone who was prominent or influential. It surprised me that her back hadn’t broken under the weight of everything she experienced. For some reason, I had a feeling that was only a small part of her suffering. She had more depth than all the oceans combined. “What are you thinking about?”

Her words brought me out of my trance. “Your eyes.” It was the first thing I could think of, and it was a bad response.

“What about them?” She seemed interested, not annoyed.

“They remind me of the forest.”

“What kind of forest?” she asked.

“The bright kind. You know, like the Amazon. With those tall trees and hangings vines, full of different fruits and birds. That kind.”

A slight smirk stretched her lips. “Thank you. That’s a nice compliment.”

I cleared my throat. “Now it’s your turn.”

She laughed. “You’re making me give you a compliment?”

“Yep.”

“Well…let me think.”

I patiently waited.

“I like your…face.”

That was anticlimactic. “My face?”

“You have a strong jaw and a thoughtful look like Clint Eastwood, but you always have soft eyes, like someone who is innocent. You’re very handsome.”

I liked that last part. “Well, thank you. People tell me I look like my father.”

“Then he must be special.”

“He thinks he is,” I joked. “He looks like a serial killer when he’s upset.”

“I’m glad I haven’t seen you upset,” she teased.

“I’d never get mad at you,” I blurted. “Too hard.”

She gave me a sweet smile then touched her hair. “I have my mom’s eyes.”

The mention of her mother made me sad. I wanted to say the right thing to make her feel better but couldn’t think of anything. “At least you carry on your mother’s legacy in more than one way.”

“My brother does too. I hope it forces my dad to think about her every time he looks at us.” She said it without emotion, like the topic wasn’t difficult for her to discuss.

“Are you close with your brother?”