Wild Heart - Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell

12. Young Love

"Let's try that kiss again."

She was still holding his cheeks as they both leaned in this time to meet in a kiss. With the sun fading behind them and the calming sound of the water sloshing around the boats and dock, it was perfect. Both drew back breathless. 

"So would you like  to go out with me?" she asked again.

His brow furrowed.  "I thought  that was pretty obvious."

She snorted with laughter. "Okay, just a little bit. Well, since you've had me over twice now, how about you come over and I'll make us dinner at my place?"

"Sounds lovely."

They settled on the next night. "Which means if I start cleaning up now, I maybe, just maybe, might be finished by then."

He chuckled.  "I don't mind if it looks like a bomb went off - you already saw my place.  I just want to spend time with you." His smile faded slightly.  "Above all else though, I don't want to come between you and Bradley and your friendship."

His consideration made her heart swell.  "Well our relationship - you and me - isn't any of his business. We can have a relationship without involving him. So long as your comfortable with that?"

"Yeah. I just already ruined our relationship, I don't want to do the same to yours."

"I don't  think you've ruined anything," she told him honestly. "Things are just complicated."

"Yeah, they are."

"And I honestly don't care what he thinks about us, cause I like us a lot."

He chuckled and was back to smiling again.  "I like us a lot, too." This was followed up by another perfect sunset kiss. 

---------------------------------------

"Shit!"

Okay, she'd known her apartment was messy, but it was messy. It was Saturday so thankfully she had the day off - thank God - but this was ridiculous! Now she was regretting inviting Pete over.

It had been ages since she'd had anyone over period, let alone a romantic partner. That had been an eternity. And now, Pete had changed that. 

So while dinner - homemade pizza - cooked she scrambled around her small space, running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Now she understood how he had felt at his messy hangar home. She had brushed aside his apologies then, understanding completely, but now she was feeling that same embarrassment majorly. 

The only reason her old room at her parents house was clean was because she had moved out. And the only reason her classroom at the school was slightly better was because that was work. Really, any space Finley Austen took over instantly fell into massive disarray. 

She also made brownies because Pete had loved them so much and left them to cool on the counter while she jumped in the shower for a quick rinse. Amazingly enough things were looking pretty good when she heard the rumble of a car pulling into the front drive outside the building. Peeking through the window, she saw not the bike, but the red jeep instead. 

"Oh gee," she said when he stood there, wine bottle under one arm and bouquet of flowers under the other.  "You're too kind."

"That's what I'm told."

"So humble."

"Also what I'm told."

They stood in the doorway kissing for a long time.