The rest of the night was amazing and confusing. Ozzie was the perfect gentleman. After he secured her closet shelves and rod back in place, he sat on her bed and they talked while she put her room back together. Never in a million years would she had expected this would be how they would spend the night, but she loved all of it. When they finally got done, she showed him the correct way to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with white bread, creamy peanut butter, and her favorite jelly. He then asked for four more and she watched as he ate 5 sandwiches as if it were nothing. The whole night was awesome, but one thing kept bothering her. She didn’t know why he hadn’t brought up the text about the wedding and she wanted more than anything for him to go with her.
“Can I ask a question?”
“Anything.”
“What was the last text you got from me before your phone broke?”
Ozzie smiled. “You asked me to your brother’s wedding.”
“Oh, so you got it.”
“I did.”
“And?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“When and where is it?” He laughed. “Normally, when people ask you to go to a wedding, they give a few more details.”
Sofia dropped her head in her hands. “Yeah, I’m sure that would have been helpful. Meanwhile, here I am panicking all week that you stopped texting because I asked you to attend this wedding with me. Which I know is crazy because we barely know each other, but you’re a nice guy... like a really nice guy and I am terrified to go alone, so at this point I’m asking as nothing more than a friend. I mean, we are friends now, right? I think we are. But I also have a tendency to attach to people too soon. My therapist thinks it’s because of my childhood, but I told her it’s just because I choose to see the best in people.”
She felt his hand on her chin as he raised her head to look her in the eye with a smile on his face. “Sof, honey, you’re rambling again. When is the wedding?”
“Next weekend, in New York City.”
“Wow, that’s fast. Okay, not a problem. We can do it.”
“Really?”
“Yes, of course.”
Sofia couldn’t help herself, before she knew what she was doing she threw herself in to his arms, wrapping herself around him. He said yes, he really said yes, and she couldn’t believe it. When the laughing stopped, she realized how close they were. Her body stiffened in his arms, and at the same time, he quieted down. It seemed as if in the same moment she realized she was too close; he realized the same thing. However, when she went to pull away, his arms tightened around her.
“I like the way you feel in my arms.”
“I kind of like it here too.”
“Can I kiss you now?”
“Yes,” she said at the exact moment that Ozzie’s lips met hers. He wasn’t rough or fierce, but gentle and sure of his movements. His lips were soft against hers and when his tongue darted out, she parted her lips, letting him in. His moan was masked only by the sound of her own as he pulled her tighter to his body, deepening their kiss and igniting a fire within her she never knew existed.