Page 116 of Rivals

I shrug sheepishly and slide my hands in my pockets. “I’ve never done this, so I guess it’s all new.”

She huffs and picks at her fingernails. “Yeah, I think I can say the same. I don’t do the dating thing.”

“But you do it with me.” I grin. She shakes her head and gives me one of those sweet, toothless smiles. Her eyes warm as they look at me, and I can see that tiny little spark of happiness in her eyes.

“Because you’re special.” She winks, and I can’t help the smile that grows on my face.

The host eventually calls our name, and we are seated. They served us wine without asking, and then they took our order. I reach across the small square table for Revna’s hand, and she places it in mine.

“How are you feeling about the project?” she asks. I shrug and watch my thumb rub the top of her hand and trace each knuckle.

“Yeah, I don’t know either. It could go both ways. I do think it’s unique, and it will stand out. Let’s just hope it’s the wow factor we need.”

“I’m not usually confident in many of my pieces,” I say quietly.

“Well, you’ve seemed confident in everything else we’ve presented.” I glance up at her and back down at our hands.

“Because it’s us. One of us had to be confident for both of us.”

“Then what makes this time different?” she asks. I’ve tried not to think about it. It’s been accessible with all the traveling, the tours, and then what just happened with the drugs.

“I think I’m constantly afraid it won’t be enough. Something that we pour ourselves into won’t be enough for them to approve of us. I hate that it’s like this. I just want to create for the sake of creating, not because someone told us to.”

“That is kind of the point of the competition,” she says. I glare at her, and the waiter comes back with our food.

“Yes, Revna, I’m aware of that. But it doesn’t change that feeling anyway. I’ve just ignored it since all of this began.”

She frowns and takes a bite. Her eyes close, and she chews slower. “I could live here for the food alone,” she says with a mouthful. I shake my head and take a bite of my own. I’ve never tasted Alfredo this good.

“I think I can agree with you,” I say, shoving another fork into my mouth.

Revna puts her fork down and takes a long drink of wine. She links her fingers together and bores her eyes into mine. “Have you been ignoring it because of me?”

I shrug. I don’t want to make her feel bad that I chose to put her first. It didn’t start out that way, but it doesn’t matter. None of it matters now. We’re here, and we have the opportunity of a lifetime.

“Lach?” I hum around, chewing. “Can you promise me something? And I know this is asking a lot because it’s coming from me,” she says.

“That’s not ominous at all,” I say cautiously.

“Don’t ignore your needs because you are trying to meet mine.” She says with unwavering eyes.

She’s right. It is a lot for her to ask because I’m not built that way. I take care of her. The ice has finally melted, and the chain mail surrounding it has finally come off, and I am her first line of defense. She has shown me all of her now, and I don’t care what I’ve had to do to get it. I am her protector.

“Your needs are mine,” I say, reaching for my wine. She shakes her head.

“They may be, but then yours are mine. It’s a two-way street. I want to meet your needs, too.”

I wiggle my eyebrows, and she rolls her eyes. “Trust me, baby, you meetallllmy needs.”

“Lachlan,” she chastises.

“I know what you’re saying, babe. I just…”

Revna gasps like she just had a revelation. “Oh, how the tables have turned. You don’t know how to ask, do you?”

I lick my lips and look down at my plate as my stomach twists. I’ve never known how to ask for help. If I did when I was young, the nannies didn’t listen. If I talked to my parents, they just pushed me away, too busy with their busy schedules to pay attention to me. The only upside is that I learned how to do a lot for myself. I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

I reach for her hand again because my chest hurts, and I need to touch her. She slides her fingers through mine and puts two on my pulse. “No, little bird, I don’t…” I trail off, not sure what else to say because that’s how it is.