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“Are you serious?” Ellie asked.

Sierra couldn’t decipher her tone, so her nerves got even worse. “Yeah. I’m not sure if you’re into that sort of thing, but I thought it could be cool since we had so much fun baking cookies together.”

“Sierra, that’s more than cool. It’s fucking amazing. Aren’t those things super expensive, though?”

Out of all the questions for Ellie to ask, why did she have to ask that one? “Yeah… about that. My moms actually gave me the money to pay for it. I think they want this date to go well just as much as I do.”

“Your moms know we’re dating?”

Shit. Why did I say that out loud?“Yeah. I’m sorry. I know we agreed to keep it a secret, but they were kind of there as it was happening, and they figured it out.”

“I get it. So did my moms. And, just for the record, they definitely approve of you as well.”

“I guess we made much better first impressions on each other’s parents than on each other, huh?”

Sierra wasn’t sure if they were at the point where they could joke about that, but the way Ellie laughed told her they were. “That’s for sure,” Ellie said in the middle of her laughter.

They arrived at their date location just in time to get the rundown and set up their cooking area before beginning. There were three choices for each course, so Sierra and Ellie decided to do Italian Wedding Soup for their appetizer, Steak and Garlic Mashed Potatoes for the main meal, and Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert. The two other desserts were much fancier, but Ellie convinced Sierra they had to make cookies since it was the first (and only) thing they ever made together.

The two of them trying to cook together was just short of a disaster. Neither of them had any clue what they were doing, and more food ended up on themselves and the floor than in the recipe. By the end, the woman running the class was doing most of the work while Sierra and Ellie laughed about how pathetic they were.

By the time their cookies were in the oven, their soup was done, so Sierra and Ellie cleaned themselves off and sat downto eat. The reviews hadn’t lied. With the low light and candlelit tables, it was a very romantic atmosphere, and Sierra could feel herself falling for Ellie even more.

When they were done eating, Ellie leaned back and patted her stomach. “I gotta hand it to us. We did a great job. That food was amazing.”

“I hate to burst your bubble, but I’m not sure how much of that actually had to do with us.”

Ellie laughed and held her glass of water up to tap it against Sierra’s. “Touché.”

Sierra was sad when she noticed all of the other pairs starting to clear out, because that meant they would be expected to leave too. She was having such a good time with Ellie, she didn’t want it to end. It definitely didn’t help that she would be leaving Heaven to return to Hell.

The hour drive back to school went by way too fast and Sierra could feel her stomach twisting the closer they got. “Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?” Sierra asked in the hopes she could prolong this date a little bit longer.

Ellie let out a loud, exaggerated sigh. “I already have a test tomorrow. I’m going to be spending the rest of the night studying.”

“Oh. Yeah. Of course.” Sierra tried to hide the disappointment from her voice, but the look on Ellie’s face told her she hadn’t done a very good job.

“How would you feel about continuing this date in the library? I can meet you there in a half hour or so. I just have to gather all of my study materials together.”

Sierra felt fifty pounds lighter from hearing Ellie’s idea. “I would love that.”

“I was hoping you would be down, because I plan on asking for a reward for all of my hard work. Think we can find a dark corner in the library?”

Sierra’s body hummed in anticipation. If they couldn’t find a dark corner, she would fucking make one.

Chapter 27

Ellie

They were only three weeks into the semester and school was already kicking Ellie’s butt. Between classes and track, she barely had time for fun. The only thing keeping her sane was Sierra and their daily library dates that often ended with them making out in Ellie’s car.

Their track meets were going really well, and Ellie, along with the majority of her teammates, was getting better each week. Ellie and Sierra seemed to switch which one of them finished better in the 200 every other week. However, Sierra hadn’t been able to beat Ellie in the 400 again, and while Ellie adored that girl, she was going to make sure it never happened.

While they rode back from their fourth meet of the indoor season, Ellie found herself straining to listen to the conversation happening two seats behind her.

“You live in Fraser, right?” another freshman sprinter from the team asked Sierra.

“I do.” There was something hesitant in Sierra’s voice, as if she was afraid to admit that.