Page 114 of The Incredible Ordinary

I don’t stay to see if that all works out before I rush out the door.

On my probably-not-a-date.

JORDAN

I’ve had toomuch time to think. It’s what I do. I start nitpicking. I overanalyze.

And now I’m nervous and not in a good way.

I’m anxious.

My thoughts are too loud.

I’m about ready to lose my shit.

There’s a restaurant where we agreed to meet. I do my best not to head out the door too early. I don’t want to sit there by myself and marinate in my own thoughts.

“Heading out for a bit, kiddo,” I tell Theo on my way downstairs. He and Dog are rolling around on Theo’s floor, playing with a tennis ball.

He looks up, smiling widely on his face while Dog tries to lick his face.

“Dude,” he tells Dog with a laugh, pushing his nose away. “Where you going?”

“Just meeting up with Milán. Grabbing a bite.”

“Okay.” He laughs when Dog stuffs his head between Theo’s body and forearm.

I’m still smiling as I jog down the stairs, while I throw on my coat and boots, while I go out the door, and when I start walking down the street.

There’s an excited flutter in my chest. Thejust rightfeeling has settled inside me again. There’s a lot that’s scary and uncertain here, but when it comes down to the basics, the thought of seeing him soon is just right. I’m excited in a simple, straightforward way.

I hum under my breath as I walk to keep this feeling on the forefront of my mind and not ruin it.

The sudden feel of somebody’s hand on my shoulder makes me snap my head up.

Wings multiply in my chest when I find myself face-to-face with Milán.

My stomach jolts.

“Hi,” I say.

He smiles. “You were in another world. I called your name a few times.”

“I thought we were meeting at the restaurant.” I frown. “Did I mess up?”

“No. No. I…” He looks adorably bashful all of a sudden. “I thought I would come and pick you up. Sort of like a—” He clamps his mouth shut and doesn’t finish whatever he was about to say. Instead, he clears his throat. “Rory said I had to change because I looked like a Mormon tax auditor, and my brother tried to burn the kitchen down, so I had to change and make sure Rory was safe, and I messed up the timing a bit.”

I blink and try to fight off a smile. “That was a lot of information to digest all at once.”

“Yeah,” he breathes out, eyes moving up and down me with ravenous speed as he takes a step closer. I’ve never been so blatantlywantedbefore.

We’re standing close together, his eyes searching mine. His hand goes to the back of my head, and he kisses me. His warm lips are on mine, and everything narrows to him.Us.

This is a lot.

It’s a lot.

And I’m aware there’s so much that could go wrong. There are so many ways things can get messy and uncomfortable. I usually avoid that. I usually play it safe.