The Prince and the Bookworm

Chapter 53

"So," I said as we stepped into the elevator and headed down to the lobby. "What are we doing tonight?" 

I glanced over at Dallas who was casually leaning against the back of the elevator, a small smile on his face. "Whatever you want." He answered with a shrug.

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? You didn't plan a romantic date that will sweep me off my feet?" I teased, the corners of my mouth lifting upwards in a playful smirk. 

"Actually, I have an idea of what we should do." Dallas paused as the elevator doors opened and we walked out into the lobby. "Unless you don't trust me." It sounded almost like a challenge, but I decided not to bite. I was interested to see what he had planned.

"Nope." I said, popping the p. "Tonight is all on you. Let's see if you live up to my expectations." 

"As long as I'm a better date than Cole, I'd say I pass." Dallas announced as we walked out into the cold, snowy night. I looked over at Dallas in surprise at the mention of Cole. Normally, Dallas couldn't even think about him without a scowl coming to his face, much less mention his name. But this time, he looked so carefree. He knew that Cole was completely out of the picture and he wasn't going to waste anymore energy on constantly hating him. It was nice to see that both of us had finally moved on. 

"Well I gotta say, as far as first dates go, he really wasn't that bad." I answered truthfully, earning an exaggerated eye roll from Dallas. 

"Oh yeah?" 

"Mm-hmm. He took me out to dinner and-"

"Did he pay?" 

I scoffed loudly. "I wouldn't have gone out with him again if he hadn't." 

"So would this be a bad time to tell you I forgot my wallet?" He sounded completely serious and if it hadn't have been for the small smirk playing on his lips, I probably would have believed him. 

"Shut up." I laughed, reaching an arm out to shove his shoulder. In response, he chuckled softly and reached out to entwine his fingers with mine. His warm hand felt good against mine, which was icy cold. 

"Whoa." He gasped, bringing his other arm around so that my hand was trapped between both of his. "You're freezing." 

I nodded my head in agreement. "My hands always are. By the end of winter I'm beyond tired of having icicles for fingers." 

As we walked up to Dallas' car, he hurried around to the passenger side to open the door for me. I said a quick thank you before I climbed in, eager to get out of the cold. As soon as I settled in, I found myself taking a good look around his car. I had never been inside of it before. I felt my eyes widen as I took in my surroundings. 

It was really nice. I felt the urge to press all the fancy buttons in front of me but decided not to. It probably wasn't the best idea to totally screw up his car before we even left the parking lot. 

As soon as Dallas plopped into the driver's seat, I let loose a low whistle.

"Nice ride." I said in appreciation, nodding my head in approval. 

"What can I say?" He said with a minute shrug as he started the sleek sports car. "Being the mayor's son does have its perks." 

"No kidding." I muttered. I thought about my little truck and felt an almost jealous in the pit of my stomach. I wished I could have a car like Dallas', but I was also thankful for what I did have. When my pick up didn't work, I hated it. But when it did actually start, I loved it. 

"I thankful for it, don't get me wrong." Dallas started as he backed out of his parking spot. "But sometimes I wished I had something that didn't guzzle gas."