Page 82 of Candy Hearts, Vol. 2

CHAPTER 7

ARDSLEY

I’m plating two hearty helpings of pasta on our red ceramic dishes at the kitchen counter. The smell of low-sodium marinara sauce fills the air, and it’s a delight for my nose. With the salad already on the table, we should be ready to eat.

“Dinner!”

“I’m right here.” Dad strolls in on his walker and sits down at our tiny round table. I place our meals and the sauce in front of us and take a seat. “You spoil me, son.”

I smile. “Just consider me your personal chef.” We both chuckle and he proceeds to pour sauce on his plate. I’ve been doting on him nonstop all day. Anything to forget the warm feelings of sleeping beside a certain handsome fellow. I woke up early, thanked him for a truly magical night, then shook his hand, like a loser, and drove off, like a coward.

We had a time-limited engagement that only occurred because he felt guilty about messing up a locker number. I didn’t want to wait for him to wipe the sleep from his eyes and realize he could do a lot better than a nerdy monster like me. It’s been less than twenty-four hours, but I need to get my mind off of him.

We weren’t even real dates.

“So…when are you gonna see Tyson again?”

I nearly spit up water at my Dad’s words. “Huh?” Is my pops a mindreader?

“You are gonna see him again, aren’t ya?” He grins and takes a bite of spaghetti.

I dab my lips with my napkin and gaze at my plate. “I…don’t think so.”

“Why not?” Dad swirls pasta on his fork. “You stay out all night with your boyfriend, and you’re not going to keep dating him?”

I toy with the fork in my hand. “It’s…not that.”

Dad frowns. “Now, I don’t need to know the details of my son’s love life but…he didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“No!” I yelp. I tap my plate and look up, reminiscing on the magical evening, even before the sex. “He was…charming and fun. He took what could have been a lonely night and made it special. I felt…” I sigh. “I felt seen.”

Dad shoots me a coy look and my face heats up. “Here, have some salad.” I place some lettuce leaves on his plate, but he doesn’t take his eyes off of me.

“You’ve got your heart twisted up in that man, don’tcha?”

I shrug noncommittally. “We didn’t make any promises.”

“But why can’t you keep seeing him? I want my son to be happy.” He takes a bite then points at me with his fork. “And you haven’t smiled that much in years. So he must have made you really content.”

I recall the way Tyson looked at me after my electric light show. When Dad notices my grin, I clear my throat and my smile falls. I shake my head, trying to hide the fact that it was all a ruse. “It was…a time-limited relationship.”

“You’re telling me you don’t want to text him?”

I frown. “That’s irrelevant now.”

“What makes you think he’s done with you?”

I scoff in frustration. “Because I’m not…” The truth gets stuck in my throat. Dad doesn’t know that Tyson only dated me out of obligation. Now that he’s had me, he can go back to dating handsome men in his league. Tyson will probably ask out a human dude who doesn’t shock him every time he gets the least bit excited.

The doorbell rings, but before I can get up, Dad zips away in his walker. I swear, the man can be agile when he wants to. “You, son, deserve to be happy,” Dad says as he strides through the living room.

I sigh and twirl my pasta. I hear the door open and the muffled sounds of Dad talking. “Who is it?” I holler.

“Oh, someone you’re going to want to see.”

What’s he talking about? When I look up, my jaw nearly drops.

Tyson. He’s here, in my house standing next to my dad. He’s dressed in a white-collared shirt and sinfully tight jeans. He looks delectable, but none of that shocks me; it’s what’s in his hand that has me walking toward him, like a moth to a sexy flame

He’s holding a small bouquet. Between that and the shy, nervous smile on his face, my knees grow weak. “Hey, Ardsley.”

“Tyson, what are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry if I’m interrupting your, uh, night.” He grins and looks over my shoulder. “Is that spaghetti?”

“Um, yeah.” I gulp, in shock at seeing him here. Has it only been a few days since I’ve known this man? “It’s a low-sodium recipe.”

“You’re so thoughtful. And smart,” he says with the sincerity of a puppy.

“Well, don’t be rude, son,” Dad says. I turn to see him taking a seat at the table. “Offer him dinner!”

I turn back to Tyson and we both laugh. “Would you like to stay for?—”

“For life,” Dad mutters.

“For supper!” I yelp, hoping Tyson doesn’t hear.

Tyson smiles and nods. “I’d like that. But first I wanted to ask you something.”

My smile drops and my heart beats faster. “What?”

“I, uh…” He scratches his head and looks around. “I forgot which house was yours, and kept knocking on the wrong doors. I keep getting numbers wrong, and I’m such a dumbass, but um…now that I’m here…”

“Yes, yes, yes,” I chant with a smile. Please ask what I want you to ask . My heart hammers in my chest, and I try not to hyperventilate.

He plays with his thumbs in an adorable way. “Would you like to go out again? No locks required, no fake date IOUs. Just you and me. Dating.”

He hands me the flowers and we both chuckle. Meanwhile my heart wants to swim through the ocean and back. “I’d like that very much Tyson Samuels.”

“Hey!” We turn to look at Dad a few feet away eating dinner alone. “I’ll buy you both locks if it means you stop ignoring me and come have dinner.”

Tyson and I laugh and then walk over to the small round table. After I get him a plate and we start eating, Dad stares at us. “So did I hear you two were fake dating?” he asks with a smirk.

We all crack up, and I feel like the luckiest monster on Earth. Tyson is slowly beginning to take up more of my life in the best way. We’re making memories together. It’s a delightful evening, and I’m overjoyed Tyson wants to spend it with me. With the promise of future dates on the horizon, I’m hoping it’s the first of many dinners shared together.