Page 75 of Sweet Madness
Reaching forward, I touch the soft skin of her hand. “Ella.”
Her sad eyes clash with mine. “Yeah?”
“I see you.”
And I do. For a while now, she’s all I’ve seen, and I fear she might be all I ever see.
Her.
My sweet, sweet madness.
Space Note
“Did you know that if you could collect all the stars together and put them into piles, the biggest pile, by far, would be the red dwarfs.” — E
Chapter
Twenty
COOL IT COWBOY
Ella
“Nothing feels as sweet as being seen by him.”— E
Isee you.
When was the last time someone said that to me? It’s ironic that with so many eyes on me at all times, I still don’t feel truly seen.
My parents only see what I let them see. It’s not their fault; I am too cowardly to speak up and tell them who I want to be, who I really am. I am so focused on maintaining appearances and being what everyone expects of me that I unknowingly shut my parents out and deceived them.
Now this beautiful man is telling me that he sees me, and suddenly I am on the verge of tears. Just as I am about to break down, our waitress arrives with our food. With a friendly smile, she sets down a large burger with green buns and onion rings, my Chicken Fried Steak with a side of mashed potatoes, a bottle of beer, and a tall, frosty purple glass filled to the brim with a strawberry milkshake. “Here you go, kids,” she says cheerfully before leaving to attend another table.
I look down at both plates of food the waitress has just placed in front of us, my mouth watering at the delicious aroma. Yummy. I can taste the greasy delicious goodness already.
I love sweets with all my heart, but I am a sucker for greasy food too.
Suddenly, my stomach lets out a loud growl, betraying my hunger despite having had a big salad for lunch and fruit for a snack hours before.
Shaw glances at me with a knowing smile, his brown eyes twinkling with amusement. “Hungry, princess?” he teases gently, recognizing the sound of my stomach in distress.
I can’t help but laugh at being caught. “Starving,” I admit with a playful glint in my eyes as I reach for the strawberry shake.
Mom used to tease me about eating dessert before dinner, but I can’t help it. I’m a sugar addict and a foodie—what can I say?
I don’t count calories or monitor what I eat. While I do exercise to compensate for some of my bad eating habits, I don’t obsess over every pound I gain.
“Dig in, then.” Shaw’s smirk, full of playful mischief, sets off a flutter of butterflies in my stomach. I return his gaze with a shy smile, feeling a rush of warmth as his beautiful eyes hold me captive.
I pick up my strawberry milkshake, taking a small sip through the straw. A tiny smile plays on my lips as I savor the sweet flavor, my eyes glancing up at Shaw as he takes a big bite of his burger.
A moment of silence lingers as I see Shaw’s eyes gleaming with a mixture of fondness and amusement, accompanied by a half-grin.
“What?” I ask, my mouth full of fries.
Shaw leans over in the booth, his hand gently wiping a small dollop of whipped cream from my nose—proof of how I’ve devoured my milkshake. Pulling out my pocket-sized mirror, I giggle softly at my reflection, my heart full. “I’m a mess.”
“I don’t mind messes,” he mumbles, causing my breath to catch. Then, without another word, Shaw reaches across the table with a napkin, offering it to me with a playful grin. I take it gratefully, dabbing at my nose with a smile on my face.