2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Beck

I hand Riley the coffee cake that Roman recommended and plop down beside her on the bed. She shoves half of it in her mouth in one bite, cheeks puffing out like a chipmunk, and groans in pleasure. “Oh my God, that’s so good.”

I snort a laugh. “I’m glad it’s to your liking.”

She chews for what seems like forever before she swallows. “This is the best one yet.”

“I’ll make sure to tell Roman it was good.”

She gives me an incredulous eyebrow raise. “Still can’t believe you go to the place every day, even though you don’t even like sweets.”

I shrug. “I don’t see you complaining. Besides, it’s not every day. Stop being dramatic.”

She shoves the rest of the coffee cake into her mouth. “No, not complaining. Thank God for schoolboy crushes.”

I watch her, shaking my head in amusement. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re not very ladylike?” I tease, watching as she devours the rest of the coffee cake. Riley is my best friend in the entire world and I love her to death. She’s also the eater of all the sweets I don’t eat, but keep getting for the sole purpose of feeding my addiction to Roman Miller. It’s a win-win. I get to see him. She gets free breakfast.

“Yesh,” she mumbles around a mouthful of coffee cake.

She swallows and helps herself to my coffee to wash it down. “Okay, so. How did it go? Did you ask him out?”

I nod, smiling. “Yes, he didn’t realize at first that I was asking him out, but we got there in the end.”

“Well, that makes sense. You don’t have any game,” she teases, and I reach over to flick her on the forehead.

“Be nice to me, Ri. I was nervous.” I sit up and grab my sketchpad, flipping through it until I find a blank page and start doodling absentmindedly.

“Still can’t believe it took you so long. You’ve only been crushing on him since freshman year.”

I shrug. “I mean, yeah. He’s just about the most adorable person I’ve ever laid eyes on. But he avoided me like the plague in high school. He didn’t even talk to me until I started going into the bakery.”

Riley giggles. “He was probably blinded by your beauty and confused about how much he wanted you.”

“Doubtful, but he agreed to the date pretty quickly, and he didn’t give me a fake number. I texted him from the parking lot so I could make sure.”

“Oooo and what if he had? Would you have gone back in and called him out?”

“No, I probably would have called you to come console me and take care of my broken heart.” She smirks at me.

She’s not wrong, though. I have had a crush on Roman for a very long time. If I said it was love at first sight, I’d sound a bit crazy, but fourteen-year-old me saw his big brown eyes and was lost. I’d never felt that way before, and he’s the only person who’s made me feel that way since. I went into the bakery, My Soul to Bake, with Riley one day and saw him in the back. Even though I don’t eat anything from there, I find myself walking through their doors at least four times a week, soaking him in. It’s a bit hopeless, really. He’s so… good. Quiet and shy, sure. But it’s like his soul radiates pure goodness. It’s impossible not to get caught in his spell.

“Earth to Beck,” Riley calls, snapping her fingers in front of my face. I jolt out of my thoughts, and turn my attention to her.

“Sorry, I was lost in la-la land. Did you say something?”

She chuckles and flops down beside me, her head resting on the pillow next to mine. “No, goofy boy, you weren’t in la-la land. You were in Roman land. I know the signs.”

“What signs?” I ask, even though I’m not sure that I want to know.

She giggles again. Little shithead. I have no idea why she’s my best friend. Probably because she declared in third grade that we would be ‘besties forever’ and then refused to leave me alone. I couldn’t help but succumb. “You get this dreamy look in your eyes, and this little smile. I call it the Roman smile because you only smile like that when you’re thinking about him.”

I roll my eyes, but can’t quite manage to keep myself from smiling. “Whatever.”

My phone buzzes on the nightstand, and I almost fall off the bed in my haste to grab it. I toss my sketchbook and pencil on the floor and, ignoring Riley’s cackling laughter, read the message.

Roman

I’m on break. I’m still kind of confused. I can’t believe you want to go on a date with me. I mean, you do know who I am, right?

Uh, what kind of goofy-ass question is that? Of course I know who he is. My first and only crush. The person I never thought I’d have a chance with, easily the most beautiful person I’ve ever laid eyes on.

Me

Yes, of course I know who you are. Well, I guess not entirely, but I’d like to.

I watch as the dots appear, showing that he’s typing, then disappear, then appear again. Finally, his reply comes through.

Roman

Okay.

Riley lays her head on my shoulder and reads the messages with me. “So, what are you gonna tell him? Oh! You should take a boombox with you when you go pick him up. Make it all eighties rom-com,” she suggests, excitement coloring her voice.

I roll my eyes and snort out a laugh. “There will be no boombox, Riley. I don’t even know if we’ll click. He could be humoring me. This may not even work out.” And fuck, what a depressing thought. I may have built this crush up in my head and made it into something it’s not. Most of me is sure we’ll click right away, but there is the chance we won’t.

“Oh, please. He’s always falling over himself when you’re around. He definitely likes you,” she says confidently.

I want to believe her, but I also don’t want to get my hopes up too high. I hum and type back.

Me

Okay.

Me

Do you want me to pick you up?

Roman

I’d like that. :)

Me

Okay. :) What time?

I’m waiting for a response when Riley sighs dramatically, throwing her arm over her forehead. Someone get this drama queen a fainting chair. “Ah, young love. Make sure you invite me to the wedding. Oh wait, never mind. I won’t need an invitation. I’m obviously going to be your best man.”

I laugh, and she turns to me with a glare. “Beck Hart, you better make me your best man, or I swear I’ll riot. I’ll ruin the wedding. I’ll throw a fit and stomp my feet.”

“Yes, yes, you’ll be the best man at my fictional wedding to a guy I’m not even sure likes me. But let’s maybe not put the cart before the horse, Ri.”

Roman

Any time works for me. I can meet you at the end of my driveway.

I’m a little confused on why he wants to meet me at the end of his driveway, but it works for me. His next text is his address, and a giddy sort of anticipation bubbles in my stomach. I’m so fucking pumped.

Riley squeals beside me, practically vibrating. “Can I put the cart before the horse now?” she asks, another squeal leaving her mouth.

“No.”

She glares at me. I’d really like to put the cart before the horse myself, but I have to play it cool. I don’t want to freak him out. I want this to go well. I want him to want a second and third date.

Me

Great! I’ll pick you up at four! See you then if I don’t see you before. ;)

I told myself I wouldn’t, but I do, in fact, see him before our date. Like I said, I have no self-control. He’s so damn endearing. I can’t help but want to be around him. Between the way his big brown eyes dart around nervously when I look at him, and the pretty pink flush that climbs up his cheeks whenever I speak to him, I really can’t help but want more. He’s adorable. It’s impossible to resist.

I walk into the bakery, and my heart does the little flip it always does when I walk through these doors. My eyes scan the space, looking for Roman, but when I see Mia instead, disappointment rushes through me. She clutches her chest dramatically. “Oof. I’m wounded. You aren’t happy to see me?” I can tell she’s teasing me. I think at this point, Roman himself is the only person who doesn’t know about my crush.

A startled laugh escapes me, and I shake my head. “No, it’s not that! Sorry,” I apologize. She laughs and waves me off, a knowing glint in her eyes.

“I know who you wanna see. Hang on, and I’ll go get him,” she says with a wink, as she turns on her heel and disappears into the back.

I take a couple of deep breaths, trying to soothe my nerves. My fingers drum on the counter as I wait, a crazy flutter running rampant in my stomach. Then he walks around the corner, and when his eyes connect with mine, he stumbles over his feet. He catches himself before he falls, and without missing a beat, walks to the counter. He’s trying so hard to act like he didn’t almost literally fall over himself at the sight of me. It makes me preen a little, truthfully.

When he reaches the counter, he holds my gaze for a few seconds. His honey-brown eyes are wide, and his cheeks are flushed pink. My heart does a slow roll at the sight. So freaking adorable. Ugh.

I smile at him, and he sucks in a breath, his eyes darting away. His cheeks shift to a brilliant shade of red. I swear, I really can’t get enough of that sweet blush.

“G’morning, Roman. How are you on this fine day?” I ask, and his eyes shoot back to mine.

“I’m good. How are you today?” I’ve gotta say, I’m a little shocked that he was able to get out a full sentence this time. I’m hoping that’s a good sign that he’s getting more comfortable with me. But it could also mean that he doesn’t actually like me and isn’t as affected as I thought he was. Yikes. Need to get off that train of thought.

I wink at him. “Oh, I’m doing amazing, now .” His cheeks flush even deeper, the color spreading down his neck. God, he’s so freaking cute. “That coffee cake yesterday was delicious. Amazing recommendation. What should I try today?”

He swallows hard, and I track the motion of his throat, my mouth going a little dry. I’ve never really done anything with another person before—kinda hard to in a small town when you like boys, or one boy in particular—but I think I’d very much like to know what his skin tastes like.

I blink a couple of times, realizing I’ve completely zoned out thinking about my mouth on his body, and I have no idea what he recommended. So I nod and smile, thankful that the counter between us hides my inappropriate erection. I’m not going to eat it anyway, and Riley’s not going to complain about getting free sweets two days in a row.

“Coffee too?” he asks, and I nod again. Usually, he’s the one without words, but now it seems we’ve swapped.

After I pay, he steps back to get my order ready. I watch him as he works. His movements are fluid and graceful. When he hands me the coffee, our fingers brush and tingles shoot up my arms. His cheeks flush again, and he stammers out an apology.

“No worries,” I say with a soft smile. “I’m really looking forward to this weekend.”

He nods, his hair falling over his forehead with the motion, and I have an almost overwhelming urge to reach out and brush it away, but I manage to resist. “Me too.” He smiles at me, and my knees go a little weak.

My tongue feels too heavy for my mouth, but I somehow find a way to say, “I’ll see you then, okay?” He nods, giving me that smile that basically turns my knees to jello. “You can text me too, if you’d like,” I add as I turn and head toward the door. This weekend can’t come soon enough.

My pencil flows over the page, my body and mind completely relaxed. This is my happy place. Drawing has always been my escape, my favorite way of decompressing. I pause, lifting my pencil to admire my work so far. Roman’s smiling face stares back at me from the page, his eyes crinkled with his shy smile, and his cheeks flushed in the way I love. The image of his smiling face I had in my mind has translated quite well to the drawing. I love to sketch him. Maybe that sounds strange, but sigh, he’s beautiful.

His high cheekbones are stunning, as are his full lips that I’ve spent far too much time thinking about. And the dimple on his right cheek—God, it gets me every time. But his eyes… they’re in a league all of their own. A shade of brown I’ve never seen before, all gooey honey, rich and warm. When the light hits them just right, they take on this golden hue that seems to stop all rational thought in my brain.

I sigh and lie back against the bed, my sketchpad resting on my chest. We may be moving deeper into the crush territory, but I really don’t care. I chuckle a little to myself. I’ve only been obsessing over him for the last four years. And now he’s going on a date with me. We get to spend actual time together, instead of just the small snippets we get at the bakery. I’m nervous, but that’s mostly overshadowed by the happy buzz firing under my skin.

I shake my head at myself, a small self-deprecating laugh escaping my lips. I’m hopeless.