Page 65 of Check You Out

We’re sitting on the couch in his living room, the sides of our bodies flush with each other while we sip the last few drops of mint tea Aidan made for me after dinner. My limbs feel heavy from the ramen and the warmth of his presence. His arm rests on the back of the cushion behind my head. “Not to kick you out or anything. But that is the fifth time you’ve yawned.”

“Sorry,” I fight off another one forming in my throat. “Thelma had zoomies at two a.m., and I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I got up and started working on some spreadsheets.” I run a hand over Lloyd, who is curled up beside me and softly snoring. “Is this part of your evil plan? Give me tea and then walk me home in hopes that I will give you free books as a thank you?”

He lifts one shoulder. “You’ve discovered one part of my evil plan. The tea is definitely part of the plan of increasing my friendship points with you.”

“Friendship points?” I ask, tilting my head to the side. “What are friendship points?”

He flashes a little half-smile, and his gaze falls to his feet. “Remember that game I told you about?”

“Stardew Valley? The game where you farm?” I’m tempted to tell him that I went down a rabbit hole a couple of nights ago regarding all the Easter Eggs in the game.

“Yeah, there’s a game mechanic, where if you give an NPC—”

“What does NPC mean? I know it refers to characters you can’t control, but like what does it stand for?” I ask, hoping he doesn’t say I should just go look it up on the internet.

“Non-Playable Character,” he answers without a hint of sarcasm or disdain. “You’re correct. You interact with NPCs, but you can’t control them. But anyways, so there’s a game mechanic where if you give an NPC a loved item, like a favorite food or a beverage, you increase their friendship points, which then add up to a heart.” He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose in a gesture that is particularly nerdy, given the subject matter, and yet incredibly attractive at the same time. “When you get to a certain number of hearts, you get certain cut scenes with those NPCs.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Certain cut scenes?” I parrot. “Like what?”

“It depends on the NPC, and the amount of hearts you have. One of them, Sam, starts a band, and you see his show. Another one, Leah, puts on an art show with your help. When you get to a certain amount of hearts with the bachelor or bachelorette characters, you can give them a bouquet and date them.” He presses his lips together with a close-lipped smile and a blush darkens his features. “Eventually, you can propose marriage with a mermaid pendant.”

I lean toward him, feeling his warmth through the fabric of my dress. “Really? Are any of those cut scenes naughty?”

He moves his head back and forth. “Not really. Some of them have kissing. Some imply some sexual innuendos, but nothing more explicit.”

“So let me get this straight, you’re giving me tea so you can increase your friendship points, which increases the amount of hearts you have with me?” I blink and shift in my seat. “Which means, you’ve been paying attention to what I like?”

He grimaces and shrinks from me. “Y-y-yes. I have.” He studies me for a few seconds before continuing. “You like London Fogs and Earl Grey tea the most, but you don’t drink them after four because of the caffeine, and then you switch over to an herbal tea, usually mint or cinnamon tea.” He licks his lips. “You have a sweet tooth, which explains why you like pineapple on pizza. Your hair is usually up in some sort of braid or ponytail, so I assume that it’s probably a lot to deal with.” He studies my face. “I mean, those are just my observations so far.”

He’s been paying attention to me.

Of all my relationships, both fleeting and lasting, none of them paid attention to my likes and dislikes as much as Aidan. None of them knew the tea I liked, let alone that I drink tea on a schedule. Come to think of it, I’ve had multiple guys bring me pumpkin spice lattes, despite me telling them that, not only do I not like coffee, but I also hate pumpkin.

“Are you mad?” Aidan asks, breaking my thoughts. “Does it feel too stalkerish? Because I can stop if you want—”

“I’m not mad,” I reply quickly, my eyes misting, and I rest a hand on his knee. “I don’t mind at all. It’s just that no one I’ve dated has ever really noticed these things before. I’m not used to it.” My thumb grazes over the hard ridges of his knee and leg.

“I can stop if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“Don’t stop.” I scooch myself closer to him, wanting more contact with his hard and lean body. “I think it’s sweet.”

“Then I will continue to make a mental note of things.” He taps his temple. “I was really worried that you would find me creepy, and then I spiraled and second guessed myself. If you haven’t noticed already, I second guess myself and the anxiety gets to me.” He smiles sheepishly, and my stomach does the flippy thing because he’s so cute. Why is dating so nauseating?

“Really? Because you seem really confident to me.”

He peers at me with a raised eyebrow. “You’re joking right?”

I lift a shoulder. “I mean, I think you’re pretty confident.”

“Your faith might be misguided.” Aidan’s hand curls around my shoulder, and I lean farther into the crook of his elbow. The warmth of his body radiates through my skin. Or is that just the heat of my own desire?

My gaze travels to his lips, and I pray that he notices the gesture. Through heavy-lidded eyes, we move closer, and his hot breath brushes against my skin. We sit there for a few seconds, inhaling each other’s air. I close my eyes and rest a hand on his chest, gripping his shirt and pulling him closer. Our lips caress, and I swear sparks fly along the corner of my mouth.

Muffled curses and jangling keys ring outside the front door, and we leap to opposite ends of the couch like teenagers.

The door swings open and Xander walks in, with Gromit on his heels. “Hey guys.” He waves nonchalantly at us and flops down in an armchair facing the couch. “Georgie says hi.”

“Cockblock,” Aidan mutters under his breath and runs a hand over his stubble, while scowling at his roommate.