“Uh…I’m sorry, what? I thought I heard you ask me to go to dinner. With you. Both of us, eating dinner, together. Did I hear that right?” I use my hands to indicate the both of us, in case my words don’t come across accurately, pulling in deep, slow breaths.
Ayden nods slowly, a little twist to his lips that looks so much like Chrisander Gage that I feel my cheeks burning, burning, burning, and I have to bite my lip to keep my squeak of excitement locked in my throat. “I would very much like that. And since we both don’t know the city well, maybe we can go for a walk afterward.”
“A walk.” A walk with Ayden Stone? Sign me the hell up.
“Do you not go for walks?”
I shake my head, pretty sure I’m being messed with, and whatever electric impulses are going on in my brain aren’t doing so hot. “I go for walks. I just didn’t think people like you go for walks. And that they would have dinner with a person like me. This is so weird, but pretty awesome at the same time.” I snort to myself, shake my head, and let myself have the first smile since my disappointment-fest after the photo op.
How does life turn around so quickly like that? It’s enough to make me have a nervous breakdown. But no, I’d be crazy not to say yes. I mean, this is the guy wearing Chrisander Gage’s face, and sharing a meal looking at a face like that isn’t going to be a hardship.
“How will I contact you to meet up afterward?” Look at me, trying to nail down specifics. Giving him an out, if he wants one.
“Are you not going back to the con then?” he asks, wiping at his mouth, staring at me intently.
I shrug, trying to think if I want to spend the rest of the night by myself at the hotel. On the one hand, I get to sit in my pajamas and I’m sure some channel is playing old re-runs of Law & Order: SVU that I could binge until I fall asleep, but on the other hand, I could have dinner with a really attractive guy, and even though this totally isn’t going anywhere, I could ask a whole bunch of questions about the show, get the inside scoop.
Oh my God, I could maybe even try to get an introduction to the writers and maybe pump them for some info on season four and what’ll happen to my favourite characters.
I’m decided and pumped.
“Yeah, I’ll go back. Should we go?” I jerk my head towards the doors and start to slide out of the booth, wincing as my exposed leg skin starts to practically rip off from all the heat. “Or do you want to go first, and I meet you there? I’m not sure how to proceed here.”
Ayden smiles at me, the kind of smile an attractive guy gives a girl when they’ve got chemistry—I’ve seen it in the movies tons of times and had it bestowed on me a fewer number of times. My heart’s jumping in my chest, and my smile gets a little bigger. “You’re sweet to think of that. I’ll head out now and meet you there. If you don’t mind staying behind for another half hour after the panel’s done, I can come and get you.”
My suspicions come to the forefront and are out of my mouth before I can stop them. “Look, I’m pretty sure I’m looking at you with stars in my eyes, but I don’t want to be jerked around. If you really don’t want to take me to dinner, then that’s fine, so just let me know, tell me right now.”
Ayden’s eyebrows scrunch together, lock right above his gunmetal gray eyes. “I don’t make a habit of asking women I meet at cons to dinner. If you would like me to retract the invitation, I can.”
I bring a hand up to my head, trying to check for the non-existent fever, totally affected by his accent, by his everything. The California heat’s gotten to me, for sure, for sure. That’s the reason I can’t think clearly, not because one of the handsomest men I’ve ever had the opportunity to be this close to is asking me out to dinner. Which will only mean we’re sharing a meal, duh, we’re sharing a meal, and I’m going to sit across from a beautiful guy, and it’s going to be great.
What does it matter if there’s nothing that happens next?
“No, no, I would love to go to dinner with you. I just don’t want this to be some prank or anything.” I pull in a deep breath, holding it in, waiting.
Ayden nods, a tiny dip of his chin. Guess I’ve offended him or something. No. “I’ve given you no reason to trust me, but I’m asking you to meet me after the panel, right outside the doors, and I’ll come get you after it’s all done, and we’ll go eat and do a bit of exploring. All right?”
I swallow hard, throat too tight to say anything so I settle for a frantic sort of nod.
Ayden’s standing close to me now that we’ve both left the booth behind, his gray eyes darker now, and for a second, his eyes flicker to my lips and then back to meet my eyes.
Oh, boy, here goes, I will achieve my final form as a fangirl puddle that couldn’t even.
I feel like I’m on fire, and my panties—yes, just from that quick look from the guy I’ve been swooning over for the past three years—are drenched. I need a glass of ice water, ASAP.
For a second, an odd flicker of something passes over Ayden’s face, and I have a horrible sinking feeling that he knows what just happened. Of course that’s impossible, he’s not a German shepherd, but no, my cheeks are burning, and I want to start running for my life but stay rooted to the spot.
Being a fangirl means your emotions are pretty much out of control eighty percent of the time, while the rest of the time you’re sleeping. I start nervously laughing, snorts and all, as Ayden watches me with a smile on his face, and then starts laughing himself because laughing is contagious. I laugh so much I’m a tear away from bawling my eyes out from this high-stress situation, so I wave him off after choking out that I will meet him after the panel, and head to the restroom to take care of my makeup and just let myself have a fangirl moment in a relatively quiet place.
My waterproof mascara stood up to its name when I take a look in the mirror, but my lip gloss is all gone because of the whole eating thing. I absentmindedly put on some more, pouting my lips so they look extra juicy because I might just be getting kissed tonight if that look was any indication.
I just have to remember who I’m really talking to and not slip up and say Chrisander instead of Ayden.
Another fangirl problem, one I didn’t think I would be having, like ever.
Ever ever.
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