Page 19 of Perfectly Us

Chapter Five

Alex

Shiloh finishes eating long before I do, but he sits patiently as I blab about everything. Ruben was right when he said my stomach’s like a bottomless pit.

“Do you still live at home?” I ask, wiping my mouth and tossing my napkin on my plate. I’m so full I could pop.

Shiloh nods. “I live with my dad, but I’m saving up for my own place.”

“Cool. I still live with my parents. Sometimes it feels like I live alone though.”

That piques his interest. His blue eyes study me. “How so?”

“My dad’s always working. Even when he’s home.” I sit back against the booth and look out the window. Daylight’s fading, but not gone. Orange, yellow, and purple burst across the sky as the sun sets. “He hides away in his study like Mom and I don’t even exist. He sleeps in there sometimes too. As for my mom? Well, when she’s not at her studio, she goes out with her friends. She comes home and barely even looks at me. Sometimes I’m afraid I died or something and that I’m a ghost haunting my own house. Weird, right?”

Shiloh has a habit of glancing away when we make eye contact, like he has trouble looking people in the eye. But he’s staring at me right now, his expression pensive.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I would’ve never guessed.”

“Guessed what?”

“That you’re so sad.”

I pause at that. “I’m not sad.” Most days. “I know my parents love me. They just have their own lives, ya know? Dad’s a police lieutenant, and Mom has her yoga studio. Have you ever tried yoga? I once thought it was kinda dumb, but you’d be surprised how much it can help relieve tension you didn’t even know you had.”

“You’re changing the subject.” Shiloh holds my gaze a moment longer before finally breaking it. He looks out the window, and I wonder if he’s seeing the sunset like I do. Seeing the burst of colors and feeling thankful for being alive to see something so beautiful. “My dad’s a dentist.”

“Is that why your teeth are so pretty?”

His face breaks into a smile. “I didn’t know my teeth were pretty.”

“They are.” I sip my soda until the straw makes that bubbly, airy sound.

“Can I get you a refill?” the waitress asks.

“No, thanks,” I tell her. “We’re about to leave.”

“Okay. I’ll be your cashier when you’re ready.” She walks over to check on another table.

“I appreciate you inviting me to dinner,” Shiloh says, standing from the booth.

“Oh, the night’s not over. You can’t escape me that easy.”

He cocks his head, and it’s way too fucking adorable. “So youarekidnapping me.”

“Am I?” I brush past him and walk toward the counter to pay for dinner.

When the waitress asks if our order is together or separate, it takes all my willpower to say separate. Shiloh might think it’s weird if I pay for his food. Earlier when I made the joke about kissing him, it clearly made him uncomfortable. Paying for his meal would seem too much like a date, and I don’t want to scare the guy off.

“Where do you wanna go now?” he asks once we’re outside. He puts his hands in his pockets as we walk across the parking lot.

I check the time on my phone. “If we leave now, we can make the seven-fifty showing ofInto the Ruins, that new adventure movie that came out last weekend. I haven’t got the chance to see it yet.”

“Are you sure? You work at the theater. I didn’t think you’d want to go there on your day off.”

“Hey, I freaking love movies. I’d live there if I could.”

That makes him smile, and I find myself walking a little closer to his side.