“You said you wanted a normal, suburban dinner date. So that’s what you’re getting.”

I open the door to Tommy’s Pizza, letting Eloise walk in front of me.

“Mm, pizza … nice choice. I feel sublimely average already.” Her smile dazzles me, and I can’t help but put my hand on her back as we walk through the restaurant, trying to find a booth.

People look our way, and I kick myself for taking her to such a college-friendly restaurant. Tommy’s is the most frequented pizza joint in all of Thistle, especially by students, and it was inevitable that people would now talk about us together. Not that I was worried about that, but it would have been nice to have a dinner with her without everyone staring at us, trying to figure out what we were talking about.

I had wanted to take her on a date, and after Valentine’s Day, it had only taken me stalking her down in her dorm two days later and not giving her a choice. Eloise was stubborn, that was for sure, but it was a game that turned me on. And after we’d spent the night together, I wasn’t allowing her to keep playing it, not if it meant she was going to hide from how she felt.

“So, I guess first question of our first date, what kind of pizza do you like? And I should tell you before you answer, that Hawaiian is not an acceptable answer. Neither is white … because come on that is not pizza.” I scoot into a booth in the back, somewhat out of view of the nosy eyes looking at us.

She smiles, her ponytail shaking. Her face is bare of most makeup, her naturally piercing eyes standing out against the blond hair pulled away from her face. I like that she dressed down, matching me in jeans and a plain shirt; it’s relaxed, and for once I feel like we’re on the same playing field. Even though I may be royalty at Jade Mountain, it always clicks in the back of my head that she is serious international royalty, at least in the celebrity and society communities. Eloise comes from a world that I can’t even imagine, and I have a lot going for me in the amateur sports universe of the USA.

“I like pepperoni, I’m pretty easy when it comes to pizza. Sauce, cheese, bread … yeah I could eat it pretty much any way you serve it.”

“Good.” I nod, waving over a waiter and ordering us a pie and two beers. “Okay, next first date question … where are you from?”

I was planning to ask her a lot of questions tonight. Many would assume that since I was usually a one-and-done kind of guy, that I didn’t care about women. But they were wrong. I cared about a specific type of woman … and specifically that was the one sitting across from me. I was genuinely interested in Eloise, and fucking each other’s brains out hadn’t cooled that attraction. So now it was time to get to know her seriously.

And part of me was footloose and fancy free after picking up my money this afternoon from the garage where Mac had left it. I’d sent some of it to Joelle for my mom’s care, and I could breathe a little easier.

“Well, I’m from London, but originally Liverpool. Do you know where either of those are?” she teases.

I take a drink of my beer when the waiter sets it down. “Only in relation to Premier League teams, because I’ve never been there. But what is your favorite part about your hometown?”

She taps her chin, and I watch the polished finger nail as she thinks. “I just love the bluntness about Englanders. There isn’t much bullshit, not like in the States. Even with the crowd I’m lumped with, most everyone always says what they mean on the first try.”

I nod, thinking that must be nice. “No having to decode or wade through lies?”

“Exactly.” She nods, and my stomach wavers, because if she knew the secrets I held, she’d look at me differently. “And are you from Vermont?”

I chuckle. “No, I’m actually from West Virginia.” Her eyes are confused, and I realize she has no idea where that is. “It’s south of here, about thirteen hours.”

“Oh, wow, that’s far. And your family is all there, still? Why did you choose to come so far?”

If I answered the truth, I would tell her that being recruited for Jade Mountain had been my saving grace. That it finally got me out of the hell hole that was my bumfuck hometown, and my family’s insanity. That the farther I got, the less I had to deal with the fallout my mother’s illness held over my life. But of course, I can’t say these things.

“I was recruited heavily by Jade Mountain, and they were able to give me a scholarship, you know since some of us aren’t filthy rich,” I joke with her, brushing off any questions about family.

Eloise rolls her eyes. “I didn’t have money until I was in high school, so I know what it’s like to live among the peasants. Cheeky bastard.”

Maybe we weren’t as different as I thought we were.

Our pizza gets delivered to the table, and we both pull a slice out, the cheese running as we slop it onto plates.

Eloise takes her first bite and makes an audible groan, closing her eyes.

“I think I had that same effect on you the other night.” I can’t help but stare at her across the table.

“You’re dirty, Colton Reiter.” The blush creeps up her neck.

“Only because I love the way you turn pink when I am.” It’s fun to flirt with her.

“But this is really good. Okay, my turn. Why basketball?” she asks this as if I had any other choice.

I shrug. “It was always what I was good at. I picked up a ball at the age of six, and a coach told me I had talent, so I just followed it. It got me through high school, into college, and now I’m being scouted by pro teams. But it’s not just that … I guess I can’t describe it if you’re not an athlete. It’s just this … innate thing that is part of me. I have to play, to live basically.”

She nods. “It’s kind of like me and cooking … my brain works the best when I’m thinking in terms of recipes. Maybe that’s how it is for you, too?”

I know she understands, then. “Exactly. Tell me about cooking school.”

Needing to avoid any more questions about myself, I turn the conversation back to her.

“It’s not all that complicated really. Like you, I learned that cooking was my … thing from an early age. We didn’t have much growing up, and I’d try to throw together the little groceries we did have to make gourmet meals. Some of them were truly awful, but over time, I got better. When my Dad became the bee’s knees in London, I got to attend classes and work with local restauranteurs. And then I got into the Sorbonne, and it’s been wonderful.”

Something about her expression when she speaks the last sentence makes me question her. “You sure about that?”

Surprise blooms in her dark aqua pools. “I guess the last two years have just held more pressure than I realized. Obviously, I’d love to be a chef and plan to make it my career … but I just feel criticized a lot by my professors, and constantly on my toes thanks to my classmates. Not that I don’t like a challenge, but sometimes I just wish I could have more fun while learning and cooking.”

This girl had talked more about what I felt inside than even I could describe. “You feel like sometimes you want to just strip all the bullshit away, get back to basics and remember why you started doing this. Because you love it, but all of the add-ins give you such a headache sometimes.”

Eloise slowly nods her head, understanding filling her features. “You get it, too.”

We spend the rest of dinner devouring the pizza, and talking about our interests and lives. I promise that I’ll teach her how to play basketball, and she swears that she’ll cook me a meal that knocks my socks off. I learn more about how she looks at the world, and have to remind myself that no matter what people’s lives may look like on the outside, they can think very similarly to you.

And with each passing hour I spend with her, I realize that the sassy British girl I thought I had nothing in common with, is more like me than I could have imagined.