Page 52 of The Roommate Problem
He grunted. “No, they don’t. I bet everyone is just too nice to tell you how disgusting it is.”
Not true. Pru and Lilly frequently commented on her choice of pizza toppings. They only allowed her to put it on half whenever they ordered pizza together. But a lot of other people liked it. Like her mom and…she was sure there were others. Why else would it be an option if people didn’t like it?
“Just try it,” August said. “I promise you’ll like it, but if you don’t, you can order the abomination that you call a pizza and I’ll eat a slice.”
She perked up at that challenge. “Really? You’re going to eat pineapple pizza?”
“One slice,” he reiterated with a pointed look. “But I won’t have to because I bet you’re going to love my cauliflower pizza.”
Her appetite perked up at his challenge. Mo could never turn down a bet.
“And what do you get if you’re right?”
A devilish grin curled his lips. “The satisfaction of knowing I’m right and you’re wrong.”
Evil man. He knew how much she liked being right. Mo wasn’t afraid to admit when she was wrong, but it really, really sucked. Why couldn’t he be a normal guy and want sex or something? Her heart rate kicked up at the thought. Eh, she’d probably be giving that to him tonight anyway.
That way they’d both win.
“Okay.” She hesitantly picked up a slice of the pizza and brought it to her lips. “You’re on, but I think you’re being overly confident and I can’t wait to see you eat that sweet, sweet pineapple humble pie.”
August shook his head with a small chuckle. “Just take a bite, Sunshine.”
Here she went. She took a deep breath and let it out. The pizza still smelled delectable. Maybe if she closed her eyes it’d be easier to choke down. If she couldn’t see the weirdness of the pizza, she could pretend it was a normal slice. With real starchy goodness crust.
Her lips parted, and she placed the slice in her mouth, biting down. The warmth of the pizza heated her mouth, but it didn’t burn. She’d taken a large enough bite to get a bit of everything, expecting to recoil in disgust, but as soon as the flavors hit her taste buds, an involuntary moan rose up her throat.
Son of a bitch!
Holy hell, this was amazing! If August hadn’t mentioned this crust was made from cauliflower, she wouldn’t have known. It was a bit chewier than regular crust, more like flatbread, but so delicious. The pesto base matched perfectly with the sliced tomatoes and the fresh mozzarella. Why had she never had fresh mozzarella before? It was amazing! Even the basil tasted good.
Before she’d even realized it, she’d finished her entire first piece. She glanced up to see August smiling at her from across the table, his smug expression killing some of her pizza high. Good thing she had a second piece to bring it back up again, but first, “Damn you.”
He grinned even bigger. “Say it.”
Trying to delay the inevitable, she picked up her second piece and took a huge bite, closing her eyes in bliss as she used the power of the delicious pizza to work up the fortitude to open her mouth and say, “Fine. You’re right. The pizza is delicious.”
“Cauliflower and all?”
“Cauliflower and all. Happy?”
He nodded, taking a huge bite of his own slice, chewing and swallowing before answering, “Yup.”
Between the two of them, they finished off the entire pizza. Mo stacked the dishwasher while August washed the pizza stone in the sink.
“So you do know what a dishwasher is,” he said with a laugh. “I was beginning to wonder.”
“Just because I might leave my dishes out for a few minutes after I finish a meal doesn’t mean I don’t know how to stack a dishwasher.”
August rinsed the pizza stone and put it in the drying rack. “Try hours after a meal. The other day, I found a bowl that had mold growing on it.”
Mo snapped her fingers. “Oh, that’s where that went.”
August shook his head, grabbing the pizza cutter and dunking it in the soapy water. “I’m just saying, it’s easier to clean up if you do it right away. Less time for things to set in.”
Dipping her hand into the sink, she scooped up a handful of bubbly water. “I think you need to learn to have a little fun.”
Then she tipped her hand over August’s head, dousing his red locks. It wasn’t a large amount of water, but it was enough to have him jumping back with a start. A few drops of water ran down his forehead, and he swiped them away with the back of his hand.
