The Way to Game the Walk of Shame(40)

“Ha! You wish.”

Despite her snort, I could see the pink-stained cheeks that she tried to hide. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Don’t worry, I still remember the rules of our agreement. No screwing around, remember?” I glanced over her shoulder at Brian, who was pretending not to watch us. “Or is it you who needs the reminder?”

Taylor rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Come on, I’m starving.”

My arm shot out to stop her when she started to go in. “Actually, I was thinking we could eat outside.” I shot a look at the other two. “Alone. Sorry, guys.”

Brian opened his mouth, but Carly just pushed him aside and smiled brightly. “Of course. It is Valentine’s Day.” She juggled her stuff in the crook of one arm and took everything from Taylor. “You guys go ahead.”

I cocked my head toward her. “I always knew I liked you, Carly.”

“That’s because I’m so understanding.” She let out a dramatic sigh and flipped her dark hair over her shoulder. “It’s both a blessing and a curse.”

Brian rolled his eyes and scowled. “Whatever. Come on, I’m starving.”

Taylor waited until they left before turning back to me. Her left brow arched up. “So why are we eating outside?”

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and steered her down the hall. “Because it’s nice.”

“It’s pouring.”

“I didn’t say the weather was nice. I just said eating outside was nice,” I said, quickening my step. “Come on.”

“That makes no sense.” Taylor shook her head and hitched her backpack higher on her shoulders. “What is it with you and nature?”

“You’ll see.”

“Gee, you’re being so mysterious and—oh!” Her jaw dropped, and she stopped in her tracks.

A long piece of clear tarp was draped from branch to branch of the trees outside. And beneath it, right in the center, was the long picnic table that Aaron and I had dragged over from the other end of the yard. It looked like a large tent in the middle of the yard. A large pizza box, along with paper plates and napkins, was right in the middle of the table, weighed down by a large rock I had found. Even the steady stream of rain falling from each corner of the tarp made the little shelter look more intimate and romantic.

I had to admit, I was pretty proud of myself. Yep, I couldn’t do better if I tried.

Damn, I was good.

Ushering her forward, I used my hands to shield the top of her head from the rain. “Come on.” I didn’t know how long the tarp was going to hold, so we had to make it quick.

Taylor didn’t say anything. She just followed me as though still in a daze. Her head whipped back and forth before she sat down. She didn’t even seem to realize that the end of her ponytail was wet.

I opened the pizza box with a flourish and bowed like a waiter at a five-star restaurant. “Voilà! Made especially just for you, madam.”

Her laughter practically filled the yard. She pulled the box toward her, and her eyes shone with tears as she stared inside at the large pizza, piled so high with mushrooms that you could barely see the tomato sauce and cheese. “Exactly how I like it.”

“This is the first-ever mushroom pizza where there’s more mushrooms than bread.” I handed her a plate. “Everyone gave me a weird look when I ordered this. They made me repeat myself three times to make sure I wasn’t joking. One guy even took a picture of it when they were done.”

“But this is totally worth it.” Taylor bit into her slice, and bits of mushrooms fell on her plate. She picked up each of them and popped them in her mouth. A look of ecstasy crossed her face. “Yum! It’s like I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

“You have a pretty weird idea of what heaven is like.”

“It’s whatever you want it to be.” She shoved another bite in her mouth. “So for you, it’d be a beach filled with girls and Rudy right in the middle.”

I grinned. She acted like she knew me so well. Although the idea she painted did sound pretty good. “You forgot video games.”

“Right, the zombies and aliens.”

For the next few minutes, she was so absorbed in her pizza, it was like she forgot I was even there. I didn’t mind. I just kept watching her as I dug in. And I couldn’t help comparing her to the other girls I’d dated. A lot of them were used to doing what they wanted and played games with me. Like it was a challenge to keep me interested. Which it was. But Taylor … she could be happy with a dandelion or even a few extra pieces of mushrooms. And I never grew bored with her.

Even though I bought a large pizza, Taylor was able to eat almost as much as I did, despite the fact that she was a third of my weight.

She let out a satisfied groan and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I’m dying, and I still want more.”

“There’s still one slice left.”

“Jeez, don’t tempt me. I’m this close to having you carry me to class.” She held her thumb and her index finger an inch apart.

“We could still do that. I mean, now that our relationship’s old news, we have to do something to spice it up again.” I flexed my arms and grinned. “Even with the pizza, I think I can still handle you.”