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Chapter Nine

“So… I want to make it clear that I didn’t spend the last month on our first date itinerary,” I say, pushing the pillow back to get a better look at Lito as the morning sun creeps in.

“Oh, we have an itinerary for today? How exciting,” Lito responds as he rolls into me. We haven’t even gotten out of bed yet, but I’m prepared to lay it all out there and show him just what kind of man he’s agreed to date.

“We sure do. The first thing we need to do is eat breakfast, of course. I could serve you in bed.”

“That sounds phenomenal, but I actually have very little food in the house. With it being finals week, I haven’t gotten to the grocery store. So… what if we eat cookies?”

“That was actually exactly what was written in the itinerary,” I tease.

“Perfect! I’m glad I didn’t already mess it up,” he says as he grabs me and pulls me on top of him so he can squeeze me. I close my eyes as his fingers skim down my back, and I debate tossing the itinerary out the window and just enjoying a full day of this… whatever this is.

“After we feast like kings, what’s next?” Lito asks curiously.

“I have choices.”

“Ooh, multiple choice.”

“We could go shopping for last-minute Christmas stuff that we forgot to get for our families or go to a movie.”

“Did you also forget to get things for people?”

“I very much did,” I say. “And I would also like to take back what I got for my brother because he is undeserving.”

Lito laughs as he gives me another squeeze. “I could definitely go for the mall. What if we watch a movie here this morning and then head to the mall so we can eat an early dinner? You know most of the restaurants are going to be packed this close to Christmas.”

“I like that idea. And then there was this ice sculpture festival thing going on at the zoo if you’re interested? They said it’s best to go after dark because of the lights.”

“I’m very much interested. Anything else on the itinerary?”

“Nothing you need to see,” I assure him.

Lito chuckles and I love the way it sounds with my head on his chest. “So I’m not allowed to see it, yet you sure planned to do it with me.”

I can’t keep my grin at bay. “Don’t even pretend like it was something sexy when you’re well aware I’m the one who wrote it.”

“I need to know now, Hunter.”

“It was just like a lot of walking around and being like ‘Ha, he’s mine’ kind of thing.”

“Were you even going to say that when we passed people?”

“I very much planned to,” I joke. “I was even going to make us little shirts that said it so people know exactly who you now belong to.”

“Do I get a shirt so people know you belong to me too?”

“I scratched the shirts. I thought that it could get confusing if you swapped sides or something and the arrow was now pointing at some stranger. They might get their hopes up.”

“Oh, that would be downright awful,” he teases.

“Right?”

He kisses my forehead and gives me a squeeze. “I’m disappointed about the shirts, but I think I’ll survive.”

I laugh as I finally roll off him so I can get my teeth brushed and start on our decadent breakfast. After we’re both ready, I find Lito in the kitchen sliding a pack of Oreos out onto the breakfast table.

“I made these with my own two hands. I hope they are to your satisfaction. I really do want to impress you.”

“Oh wow. Did you wrap them too? Put them in these fun little plastic slots?”

“I sure did. Do you want milk? I don’t think it’s possible to even eat them without milk, is it?” he asks. “Or did you want a coffee—but how can you eat this healthy breakfast with coffee?”

“Milk, of course. Did you milk the cow too?”

“Of course I did. I really wanted to impress you,” he says as he pours two glasses.

“I don’t know if you know this about me, but you impress me very easily.”

“Good,” Lito murmurs as he slides in for a kiss. I get lost in his lips for a moment, very much ready to forget all about my itinerary. When he pulls back to slide the milk into the fridge, he gives me a smile that has me beaming like I just won the lottery.

“Come,” he says as he picks up an Oreo and aims it at my mouth. I greedily take it, then he grins at me and hurries off to the living room.

When we reach the living room, he pats the couch next to him, so I survey it, unsure of how close to sit. I don’t want to seem like I’m consuming his space and too needy when he’s trying to eat, but I also don’t want to sit so far away that it seems like I don’t want to be close to him.

“Is my couch magical?” he teases.

“Slightly,” I say as I sit near(ish) to him. He eats his cookies while he flips through the movies.

“What about this? Or do you have something else in mind?”

“No, that looks good,” I say, and the moment I’m done eating and set my empty glass down, Lito grabs me and draws me over.

“Why are you so far away?”

“I didn’t want to seem needy.”

“My whole family could have fit between us.”

I laugh as he drags me in even closer. “I’m positive they couldn’t have.”

“We’re going to sit here until lunch,” he decides. “And then I’m going to feed you a feast.”

“Of more cookies? You can’t tell me you stay looking that good on an all-cookie diet.”

“It’s my secret.”

When we reach the mall, I turn to him. “Where should we go first? Should I have made a detailed itinerary for this part too?” I tease.

“I definitely need the bookstore. I need to get my mom one more thing.”

“Do you think they have a book in there for my dad? Like a ‘Congratulations on Your First Step to Not Being a Dick.’ Or maybe a ‘Ten Simple Ways to Pull That Rod Out of Your Ass.”

“You think he’d like that?” Lito asks, trying to keep a straight face.

“I bet he’d love it.”

“Maybe he likes that rod up there.”

“He sure must. But it was nice he actually came to the fall showcase.”

“It really was. Speaking of showcases, my studio has a showcase coming up in the spring. It’s not a competition. It’s literally just for the studio people to show off what they can do, if you’d be interested in performing.”

“Oh? I don’t know. That sounds terrifying but kind of fun but mostly terrifying. And I don’t have anyone to be my partner. I guess I could ask Kaiya if she wanted to join your studio. I don’t know.”

Lito raises an eyebrow.

It tells me I said something wrong, so I say, “Don’t… ask Kaiya? Do you think we weren’t a good match?”

“I think there’s a better match for you.”

“I mean, I’ve danced with quite a few people at your studio, there’s always so many more followers than leaders, but there’s no one who I’ve danced with regularly.”

“No one?” he asks. “No one at all?”

“I don’t know! Is this a trick question? Have I forgotten? It’s not in the itinerary, Lito! If it’s not there, I don’t know!”

Lito takes a few steps back then walks up and offers his hand to me.

I’m a bit unsure of what this means until it slowly… ever so slowly clicks.

“You want me to dance with Barbara, don’t you?” I deadpan.

“No!” he exclaims, which makes me laugh.

“Okay, fine, fine. I get what you’re implying, but don’t you generally dance with Sonya? She’s been your partner for years and you two are phenomenal together.”

“I do, but sometimes we have to move on to other things, and right now I want to dance with you.”

“But you fit with Sonya so well.”

“And I fit with you even better.”

“This is too much pressure. People will be staring at me.”

“We will blow them away. I already have a routine in mind… of course, you can add to it if you want. I was just…” He trails off and looks away as I scrutinize him.

“Wait, so while I spent weeks writing an itinerary for our date, you already have our full spring showcase planned out?”

Lito begins laughing. “Maybe? It just started out as something fun to think about and then I got really into it. I was going to ask you at Christmas, and it was going to be super romantic, but then I was too eager. Hunter… will you… dance with me?”

I grin at him. “I would absolutely love to trip over your feet while dressed all sparkly. Because we both know you like the shimmer.”

“I do like to shimmer. And you’re going to shimmer too.”

“I can also just like… wear black and leave the shimmer to you.”

“We’ll put shimmer on your cheeks too. You’ll be full shimmer.”

I can’t help but imagine this ridiculous scenario, though if he’s happy about it, I am too. “I will shimmer for you.”

“You’re the sweetest,” he says as he slips his hand into mine and pulls me down the next aisle while the smile threatens to never leave my face.