"I do like making you blush. But no, I'll be on my best behavior." He raised his eyebrow at me.
"You don't have to quite be on your best behavior." I pinched his ass.
He laughed and grabbed my hand as we walked along the sidewalk in search of a taxi. I looked down at our intertwined hands. He wouldn't be holding my hand if he didn't like me. This was the first time we were going on an actual date outside of our apartment. I couldn't help but wonder when the last time he had gone on a real date was. Was it his girlfriend from college? Or was it with someone last night? I didn't want to think about last night, but something seemed different about him today. If he had been on a date, it must have been an awful one, because he was acting like he was as smitten with me as I was with him.
Rory hailed down a taxi and opened up the door for me. He was being such a gentleman. Did a sweet, nice guy exist somewhere under his player façade? I didn't need to ask myself that question. I knew it did. Because I had witnessed him being sweet and nice. He was all those things on top of being sexy, and that was why I had completely fallen.
He sat down next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "So, what is your friend's name?"
"Becca. And the lucky guy is Jeremy."
"How do you two know each other?"
"We were in a journalism club together in college."
"You really are a huge nerd, aren't you?" He smiled at me.
I shrugged. "I was worried about getting a job after graduating. Journalism club was just something else I could add to my résumé."
"Isn't actual experience better than some club?"
"Yeah, but how was I supposed to get my first job? That's the problem. Everyone wants someone with experience, so it's hard to land your first gig. I was worried. Weren't you? Culinary arts is really competitive, isn't it?"
"It is." He shifted slightly in his seat, but kept his arm around me. "I never actually finished, though."
"Wait, you didn't graduate?" I never would have guessed that. Everything that he had made for me was delicious and he had a really good job.
"Is that a deal breaker for you or something?" His thumb had dipped below one of the straps of my dress. There was something comforting about the way he always wanted his hands on me.
"No, not at all. I was just surprised. Why didn't you finish?"
"I just figured that actual experience was better than being critiqued over some dish I had no desire to ever make again in my life."
"So you just quit? How close were you to being done?"
"I finished two out of four years."
Two years. That was how long he had dated his last girlfriend. That couldn't be a coincidence. "What do you want to do?"
He looked back at me and traced his fingers along the back of my dress. "You know what I want to do," he said in a low voice.
"No, Rory," I laughed. "I mean what do you want to do in the future? Like five years from now what do you want to have accomplished?"
"I don't really like thinking that way. I just want to be happy. And thinking about the future all the time isn't the way to get there." He turned and looked out the window.
The way to get there. So he's not happy now? I wanted to be the one to make him happy. "So what did you do after you dropped out?"
"After crashing in Connor's dorm and driving him crazy, I went to Italy and got a job at this amazing restaurant. I learned way more in those few months than I did in two years at Penn University."
"If you liked it so much, what made you come back to Philly?"
"I loved Italy, but I was homesick. It was more running away from something than actually wanting to be there."
"Your ex?" He was even more like me than I realized. I always wanted to run away from problems too. That was why I had told Connor I was moving out last night. I couldn't help but think that it was bad that we were both flight risks. But being with him was a risk I was more than willing to take.
"Yeah." He scratched the back of his neck. "So what about you, Keira? What's your master plan for five years down the road?"
I'd like to be with you. "Being happy seems like a pretty good goal. That's what I want too." Give me a chance to make you happy. I leaned against his shoulder and was happy when he didn't flinch.
Chapter 30
I grabbed another glass of wine off one of the trays that waiters were carrying around.
"What do you usually do at weddings when you don't have a date?" Rory was smiling at me.
"Honestly? I usually drink too much and try to make out with someone in a closet." I lowered my glass of wine.
He laughed. "Well, I guess it's good I came with you then. Because I wouldn't mind making out with you in a closet at all." He wrapped his arm behind me and let his hand rest on my hip. "By all means, keep drinking."
"You don't have to get me drunk if you want to kiss me, Rory."
"But what if I want to do more than kiss you?"
I could feel my face flushing. I had never done anything like that before in public. But for some reason the idea excited me.
"From the look on your face, you probably don't need to be drunk for that either." Rory glanced behind him. "There's a closet right over there if you're interested."
Holy shit.
"Oh my God, Keira, is that you?!"
I turned my head to see another girl from my journalism club. "Hi, Ella. Wow, it's been so long." I gave her a quick hug. We had never really been friends. I probably wouldn't have even said anything to her if she hadn't approached me. She always talked too much and tended to annoy me. The only thing I ever wanted to listen to when I was writing was music, not Ella's endless chatter.
"And is this your boyfriend?" Ella stuck her hand out to Rory and gave him a big smile.
Shit don't use that word, Ella! You freaking bitch! I took a deep breath. I was completely on edge tonight. I almost wanted to laugh at my reaction. Calm down.
Rory coughed. "We're just friends," he said and stuck out his hand.
"Oh, sorry. You just..." she let her voice trail off and let go of his hand. "It was nice seeing you, Keira." She quickly walked away.
My reaction hadn't been that inappropriate. That was completely awkward. But I didn't want to dwell on it. Rory and I still hadn't had that conversation. I might have said the same thing if one of his friends had asked. It definitely wasn't worth ruining our night over. Besides, I had never seen Ella shut up so quickly. It was probably good that Rory had acted weird.
Rory put his hands in his pockets instead of putting his arm back around me.
Damn it. "Do you want to go find our seats?" I asked. The cocktail hour was winding down and the doors had been opened to the banquet hall where the reception was being held.
"Is that a rain check on the closet?"
"I'll probably need another drink before that."
"Then let's go find our seats and get you another drink." He put his hand on the small of my back and escorted me over toward the reception room.
I wanted to sigh with relief. His hand on my back made me feel like we were back to where we had been before Ella had almost ruined everything.