In Charlie's Arms

06 • Date Night

"There, I got it," Miles informed Sera as he finished swiping the napkin over her chin. His movements were slow and languid, his eyes boring into hers.

He looked absolutely entranced.

Sera hated every second of it.

She pulled back from him, smiling to cover up her displeasure. "Uh, thanks," she said.

Miles grinned at her, placing the rocky road-covered napkin onto the small patio table. He held her eyes as he took a bite of his half-eaten waffle cone, staring at her like she was just as bewitched as him.

If he thought that, he was terribly mistaken.

Sera had spent the majority of the night skirting around tacky compliments and awkward conversations. Not to mention cautiously looking over her shoulder every chance she got.

The man's threat from earlier that day had scared her more than she thought it would. She couldn't stop picturing him lurking about in the shadows, ready to pounce when her guard was down.

"You okay?" Miles asked her. "You seem distracted."

"I'm all good," she answered.

Miles smiled. "Good." He took another bite of his cone, looking off to the side as if to think about something. "So, uh, it's been a few weeks since you and Matt broke up. . ." He started.

Sera immediately didn't like where this was going.

"And I was wondering," he continued, "if . . ." His eyebrows lowered suddenly in thought. "Actually, I'm gonna wait to finish that sentence."

Sera awkwardly nodded, suppressing the urge to tell him that he should never finish the sentence. She could only imagine where he was going with it.

"Uh, anyways," Sera changed the subject, worried that Miles might change his mind and continue his sentence, "how was your day?"

Miles shrugged. "It was okay." A flirtatious smile lit up on his face. "I really missed seeing you at work, though."

Sera smiled nervously, shifting her eyes to towards the ice cream worker as he scooped up a cone for a father and his little boy.

"Work is never fun when I can't see your pretty face."

She dared to look up and immediately regretted it when he sent her a wink. The act made her cast her eyes back to the father and son in discomfort. "So, uh, how are your classes going?" She tried to change the subject again. "Still planning on becoming an attorney?"

Miles took another bite of his cone, nodding at her. "Yeah and they're all good, though I wish I at least had one with you."

Sera wanted to groan in frustration. All she wanted was a normal conversation. Something without an ulterior motive. Something that didn't make her feel like everything being said was to manipulate her.

She wanted something genuine and truthful—but not like what she had with Matt. Matt was always honest with her, but at the expense of her feelings. If he thought she looked bad, he told her. If he thought of a way for her to look prettier, he gave her the advice. None of his words ever made her feel good about herself.

He never said she was pretty or beautiful unless he truly meant it. And it took a lot of makeup and shimmying into tight clothes for her to achieve that response.

Sera quickly finished the last bite of her cone and wadded up her trash. "You ready to go?" She asked, standing. "I need to get home and let my dog out."

Miles inhaled the rest of his dessert and stood up with her. "Yeah, let's go."

They threw away their trash in a nearby trash can and set out down the road, heading towards the end of the block where their cars were parked.