Dylan

Thirteen years of feeling inferior and thinking the girl I'd been madly infatuated with thought I was a nerd who was beneath her, despised me, had changed her mind after getting to know me, and took great pleasure in humiliating me. The young me had watched too many damned teenager movies about the class reject and the popular crowd.

Thirteen years of thinking I'd failed Laura, that I should have been more of a hero. Of thinking I'd imagined what we'd had and that young love was just an illusion. Thirteen years of misperception all washed away with time and a simple, mature conversation. The key being mature, which hadn't been possible thirteen years ago. We'd both earned maturity with time and life experience. It was time to stop beating myself up over being a stupid eighteen-year-old kid without much confidence and a lot of naivety.

After the chocolate tour, I took Laura to a cozy, homey diner where none of the waitresses were under fifty and all of them were renowned for not taking guff from a customer. They had a comeback for everything.

I'd requested a booth by the windows, which was where we sat, our stash of chocolate bars on the table between us. Laura was counting them as if they were gold bricks, laughing. She was so beautiful. I couldn't take my eyes off her.

"Twelve." Her eyes sparkled as she looked at me.

"And a whole batch of custom-blended chocolate bars to be delivered to you next week." I raised an eyebrow. "I've corrupted you. What are you going to do with that much chocolate?"

"Lose my figure."

My eyes must have gone wide. She laughed at me. "Relax. The engineers at work will polish it off in short order. They won't care that it's a blend made from cocoa beans from all over the world, or that it's thirty percent cacao. They'll just devour it and lick their lips."

"Civilized bunch you work with." I was having too much fun with her.

"I'll save you a bar." Laura picked up her menu.

"You'd better."

Our waitress came over with her pad and pen. She looked about a hundred, but moved spryly enough. Her nametag said Shirley. I'd asked for her intentionally. Shirley. Surely. I wanted a sure thing. My heart pounded. She was part of the plan.

She licked the end of her pencil and put it to her pad as her gaze flicked between us. She poised her pencil. I imagined her writing must look like an old lady's chicken scratch. Spidery was the description that came to mind. "What can I get for you?"

Laura hesitated.

"Need more time?" Shirley said. "Time. Ask me about time. It flies by too fast." She patted her gray bun. "Before you know it, it's gone, and you've lost your figure and got gray hair. If you ask me, it's time to seize the day." She pointed to Laura's stash of chocolate. "No outside food allowed."

"It's wrapped," Laura said.

"So long as it stays that way."

Laura crossed her heart.

Shirley nodded. "Six chocolate bars—any significance to that?"

Laura frowned and looked at the stack. "How did you count them so fast?"

"I have a good eye. I'm a good estimator. I see a stack of chocolate bars I know what I'm looking at. Premium stuff, too. Locally sourced." Shirley waited.

She was good. Her lips didn't even twitch.

Laura looked to me for help. She thought Shirley was a bit crazy.

I shrugged.

"Well?" Shirley said. "This your first date?"

"No, it's—"

"Need more time?" Shirley said. "Why would you need more time? He looks like a keeper to me." She winked at Laura.

"It's our sixth date." Laura looked at me again.

"Six exclusive chocolate bars. Six dates. Must be a momentous occasion."

"It could be," I said.

Shirley winked at me. "I'll give you two a minute to decide." She leaned over Laura and whispered, loudly enough for me, and everyone around, to hear. "Don't keep the man waiting too long, dear." She smiled at me. "I'll get you some waters and be back."

Laura was threatening to break out into laughter now. "Six? The number of dates we've had. Exclusive chocolate. Are you hinting at something?"

"Ashley has rules—"

Laura smiled. "Yes, I'm fully aware."

My mouth was dry. I reached across the table and took Laura's hands. "Odette, we've known each other forever, and very briefly, at the same time. Despite that, I believe we've met the five-date minimum as required by the rules of the dating game established by my matchmaker. I know what I want. It's what you want that's the mystery and driving me insane. I've had a fantastic time with you today and at the ball. So fantastic that the thought of you going out on matches with other guys makes me jealous. I don't like feeling jealous. What I'm trying to ask is—will you be exclusive with me?"

Her face lit up. "I thought you'd never ask. Yes. Yes, I will be exclusive with you." She leaned forward and whispered, "With everything that entails. I'd like more of what we had at and after the ball."

"I love you." The words just popped out. But they'd been brewing since I'd met her again.

"I think I've loved you since we were young."

"We still are."

Her smile was radiant. "Then kiss me before we get any older."