Page 250 of Across His Line

“It’s not nothing.”

“No.” She looks back at the laptop. “It’s okay.”

Okay.

I know that word.

I grab her coffee between us.

“Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

Her head comes back around.

I hate the way she looks at me for the next three seconds. Like she’s trying not to smile and enjoying how much I hate this at the same time.

“Was that hard?”

“Answer the question.”

“Rafe.”

“Tess.”

Now she’s smiling.

I should’ve left it alone. I could’ve kept saying yes when people asked until eventually everybody, including her, figured it out.

Apparently that isn’t how this works.

“Do you?” I ask again.

Her smile changes.

Smaller.

“Yeah.”

I look at her. “Yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

She laughs under her breath. “Okay?”

I sip her coffee, watching her. “Yeah. You’re my girlfriend.”

“Wow.” She takes the coffee from me. “That was incredibly romantic.”

“I bought you a fucking watch.”

She laughs hard enough that she has to put the coffee down.

I take it before she spills it and drink from it.

“Hey.”

“You’re my girlfriend. Half of this is mine now.”