Logic still fights against his declaration, giving me no choice but to ask, “A date? That’s all you want from me?”
“I put you in a box a long time ago, Charlie. A can’t-be-touched, wingman-only, look-at-her-like-a-little-sister box. Then, when I saw you with him, I realized something. You were never meant to be tucked away, and I’d lose you if I didn’t figure out how to let you out of those boundaries I’d forced on you. It’s not that I never appreciated you. I think I was afraid that if I ever let you out of that box, I’d risk breaking us and our relationship.” Clearing his throat, he drops his hold. “Although, I probably should’ve asked how you felt about me before I stuck my tongue down your throat so….”
My mouth stretches into a full-on grin as a laugh bubbles out of me.
“Yeah, that might’ve been the more gentlemanly thing to do.”
“Gentlemanly?” he questions, quirking his brow.
I laugh. “Yup. It’s a good thing I’ve always had a thing for players.”
“Is that right?”
“Maybe.”
With a look of pure satisfaction, he leans closer and whispers, “So what do you say? Will you go out with a player who’s willing to settle down for you?”
“You’re willing to settle down for me?” I ask, my emotions shoving my stupid logic aside like a linebacker rushing the endzone.
“If I wasn’t, I never would’ve jeopardized our friendship, Charlie.”
And I know he’s right. Levi isn’t an idiot. Well, not usually, anyway. He’s meticulous. Brilliant. And brave as hell. It’s that last trait that pushes me over the edge, forcing me to take the leap I’ve been desperate to jump for years, yet I was too terrified to witness the outcome before. But now? With his own eyes urging me to take a chance, I finally feel brave. Powerful. And maybe even a little confident in my own skin too.
“Yes,” I agree. “I’ll go out with you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“And what about Conner?” he presses.
With a shrug, I say, “What about him?”
“Charlie—”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Any chance you could do it delicately?” He grimaces, which only makes me giggle.
Rolling my eyes, I nudge my shoulder against his. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks. Even though I was insanely jealous of the guy, now that I’m the one walking away with the girl, I kinda feel bad for him.”
My stomach tightens when the words insanely jealous reach my ears, but I try to keep it cool.
With a one-shouldered shrug, I murmur, “I’m sure he’ll be fine. Plenty of fish in the sea, and all that jazz, right? But you’re welcome.”
“And Charlie?” Levi tugs on the end of my ponytail playfully, though his expression is consuming.
“Yeah?” I ask, squirming under his intense gaze.
“I’m really glad you said yes.”
Sucking my lips into my mouth, I attempt to keep my smile hidden from my best friend, who just made it very clear that he’s interested in pursuing something…more.
“Me too.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Levi
The walk back to work goes by quickly. My body moves on auto-drive as my mind replays the conversation with Charlie a thousand times. After I step off the elevator, I head to Alexandra’s office then rap my knuckles against her partially open door.
“Come in.”
With a few deliberate steps, I set the Get Baked box on her desk.
She grins. “And?”
“And she said she’d go out with me.”
“Yes!” she whisper-shouts. “What are you guys going to do?”
“No idea,” I admit on a laugh. Running my fingers through my hair in desperation, I ask, “Where do you take your best friend on a first date?”
“Don’t overthink it, and don’t put too much pressure on anyone. Just choose something you both love to do,” she offers as though it’s the easiest solution in the world.
With a groan, I sit down in the chair across from her then rest my elbows on my knees. “I know what Charlie and I like to do when we’re hanging out. We’d go to the batting cages, watch a movie, or go for a run. But I literally have no idea what she’d like to do on a date. Hell, I’m pretty sure the only date she’s ever been on was during her Sophomore year with a dick named Johnny, who, by the way, I confronted afterward and told him to stay away. And then she went out with Conner, which we both know was lame.”
Amused, Alexandra asks, “Why did you tell Johnny to stay away?”
“Because he was a dick.”
Didn’t I already say that?
“You said that already,” she points out, reading my mind. “I’m just curious why you thought he was a dick.”
“Does there need to be a reason? He was some asshole in high school. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what he wanted from her.”
Laughing, Alexandra leans back in her office chair.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” she replies through bouts of laughter.
“Bullshit. Tell me.”
“I just think you’ve had a thing for her longer than you realize, that’s all. It’s kinda cute, actually.”
I roll my eyes but don’t bother to argue. “We’re getting off point. What are we supposed to do on a date? Usually, when I take a girl out, I only have one thing on my mind and….” My voice trails off.
“And it feels wrong to want that,” she emphasizes the word, “with your best friend?”
Scratching my jaw, I say, “Kind of, yeah. I feel guilty.”
“Don’t. You’re a guy. And she’s a girl. Even if she’s as innocent as you say, she’s not an idiot. Especially since she knows you.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I mumble under my breath.
Assessing me, she probes, “What do you mean?”
I shift in my seat and look up at the ceiling.
This is such an inappropriate topic of conversation to be having at work, let alone with one of my bosses. But she’s also a woman. And since I can’t pick Charlie’s brain on the topic, yet I’m still desperate to know what she’s thinking, Alexandra will have to do. I just hope I don’t get fired for it.
“I don’t date women seriously. They know what they’re getting into when we start seeing each other.”
“And you’re afraid Charlie’s expecting the same thing?”
Clearing my throat, my attention drops down to my lap before shifting from left to right. Finally, it lands back on Alexandra. “Yeah.”
“So, you think she only wants you for your bod?” she asks. A teasing grin is plastered on her face as she assesses me.
With a dry laugh, I repeat, “Yeah.”
“But you want more than that with her?” I open my mouth to reply when she cuts me off with her dainty forefinger raised in the air. “And so help me, if you say no, I will cut off your balls and ship them to her so she doesn’t have to do it herself.”