off the table

eleven

a week later...

Someone pressed on the doorbell and I headed over to answer it. It was Dalton.

"Hey," he smiled. Damn, his smile was charming.

"Hey," I blushed, "thank you so much for wanting to help me."

"It's not a big deal," he smiled, "Let's get started, shouldn't we? I borrowed my friend's truck to make it easier for us to transfer your things to the new house.

"You don't have to though-"

"I know, but I figured out that it's gonna be very helpful and would make things easier," he smiled.

"Alright, if you said so."

We then started transferring my things into the truck. I folded all my clothes and placed them inside boxes, which took at least an hour, while Dalton helped me transfer other things like kitchenwares. The truck was nearly filled, so we decided to transfer the first batch of items to the new house. We then carried on and transferred most of my things into the new house with a lunch break at noon until it was dark.

"Hey, wanna come over to my place for dinner?" he asked.

"Sure, I would love to," I smiled. He then drove us to his house and unlocked the door for us.

"Make yourself at home," he smiled and led me to his living room.

"Thank you," I smiled, sitting down on the couch. This place is beautiful.

"This place is beautiful and is very comfortable," I told him.

"Well, thanks," he smiled, "I felt that way about it, that's why I bought it."

"No wonder you're a real estate agent, your taste is immaculate," I smiled.

"Thank you, I guess we have a very similar taste."

"By the way, what can I get you? Coffee? Tea?"

"Just water please," I answered politely.

"Okay, I'll be right back," he replied and went to his kitchen. He soon came back with a glass of water and gave it to me.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he smiled.

"Also, what would you like to eat? I'll cook something for the two of us."

"Anything, just no tomatoes please," I chuckled, "you know what happens if I eat them."

"Got it, no tomatoes. Will you be okay with roasted potatoes?"

"Sure," I smiled.

"Alright, just give me about half an hour and dinner with be ready," he said before disappearing into the kitchen. I decided to scroll through Instagram but got bored after a few minutes, so I decided to see if he needed some help.

"Hey, do you need some help?" I asked him as I walked to the kitchen.

"Oh my gosh, you scared me," his eyes went wide and I laughed.

"I'm sorry," I giggled.

"That's okay," he smiled, "I'm actually fine, but I can use some help. Can you please help me heat up the oven?"

"Sure," I smiled and headed over to the oven. I turned it on and adjusted the temperature so that it would be hot enough then prepared the tray.

"Done, do you need help with anything else?" I asked him.

"I'm good, I just need to put these in the tray, chuck them in the oven and we're gonna have to wait for a couple of minutes," he said and I nodded. He placed the already seasoned potatoes on the tray and placed it in the oven, not forgetting to set the timer.

"What do you want to do while we wait?" he asked.

"I don't know? Watch a movie?"

"Sure," he smiled, "how about Bruce Almighty?"

"How do you know that I love that movie?"

"I guess you sometimes forgot that you're the iconic Ariana Grande," he chuckled and I blushed.

"Besides, Tori also constantly told me different trivia about you on a daily basis," he added.

"Damn, she must've annoyed you a lot," I chuckled.

"I know, I guess that's on having a sister," he chuckled and played the movie as we both got comfortable on the couch. I scooted closer to him as the movie started playing. Within a few minutes, I began to stop concentrating on the movie. Instead, I was staring at Dalton who had his eyes glued on the screen. He's perfect. His eyes, his smile, his personality. Damn, he's cute.

Before I knew it, the oven timer went off. He went to the kitchen and soon came back with two plates, one for him and one for me. He gave me my plate and we began eating, still watching the movie.

"I didn't know you're a good cook," I complimented and he blushed.

"Uh, thanks, my grandma taught me a couple of years ago," he lightly smiled, "I'm glad you like it."

We finished our dinner and he brought the plates into the kitchen to be placed in the dishwasher. He sat back down next to me and I snuggled next to him. He smiled and I blushed. Gosh, his smile gave me butterflies in my stomach all the time. I think I'm in love.

Dalton's pov

I was focusing on the movie until I heard little snores coming from next to me. I turned my head and saw Ariana who was fast asleep on my shoulder. She's so beautiful. I'll admit it, I've had feelings for her the past two weeks. Everything about her made my heart flutter. I don't think she feels the same about me though. She's one of the most successful pop stars, while I'm just a real estate agent. We're just not on the same level. Besides, she just got out of an abusive relationship a little over a year ago, I don't think she's ready to be in a relationship again. It must've been so traumatizing for her.

Ariana made a little noise and scrunched her face up. Gosh, she's adorable. I wanted to wake her up and drive her home, but I didn't have the heart to because she seemed so tired, so I decided to carefully pick her up and carried her to the guest bedroom upstairs. It's the room Tori uses whenever she's staying here. I gently placed her on the bed and tucked her under the blanket.

"Goodnight," I whispered and closed the door behind me. I then decided to go to my own room and have some sleep myself.