“I didn’t screw up, then?” He looks at me hopefully.
“No, Rocco.” I push his hair off his
face and smile at him. “You can’t screw things up like that.”
“But...boyfriends are supposed to do things for their girlfriends,” he says quietly. “I don’t know what to do. Not just today, but every day.”
I grip his hands firmly, squeezing a little until he meets my gaze.
“I want you to promise me something.” I look at him seriously.
“Promise?”
“Yes, promise.”
“Um...I’ll try.” He licks his lips nervously.
“I want you to promise me that if you are ever in a similar position where you think as a boyfriend you’re supposed to do something in a particular way, and I haven’t given you any instructions on it beforehand, that you’ll remember to just ask me what you should do. And I’m going to promise that I’ll never be upset or angry with you just because you didn’t know how to handle a situation. Deal?”
“Deal,” Rocco says with a nod.
“Good. Can we get back into bed now? I’m freezing.”
We climb back under the blankets, and Rocco immediately rests his head on my chest. I stroke his hair, kiss the top of his head, and then remember something he said.
“Ivan says pancakes are flat donuts?”
“Yeah. He talks about carbs a lot.”
“Meathead,” I mumble, then laugh. “I guess that’s why he’s so jacked.”
“Jacked?”
“Muscled-up.”
“Oh. Yeah.” Rocco presses his lips together. “I...I don’t look like that.”
“Thank God,” I say, laughing again. “I’m not a fan of big muscles.”
“You aren’t?”
“Nope.” I run my hand up and down Rocco’s arm. “Give me the skinny dudes all day long.” I lean over and press my lips to his. “You’re perfect, Rocco, at least, as far as I’m concerned, and that’s all that matters, right?”
“Yeah.” Rocco grins at me, then goes quiet.
“What else do you want to say?” I ask gently. He takes a while to answer.
“So, we are still...?” Rocco asks quietly, then pauses as I look at him quizzically. “I mean, we’re still boyfriend and girlfriend, right?”
“Yes, we are. Did you think that would change overnight?”
“I wasn’t sure.”
“It hasn’t. At least, my feelings about it haven’t changed.” For a moment, a tight knot forms in my stomach. “Are you having second thoughts?”
“No!”
“Good.” I breathe a sigh of relief. “Now, I have some questions for you.”