Until May (Until Her/Him)

“Hm.” He kisses the side of my head, and I bite my lip, then move up in line. When we reach the bar, we each order food and drinks, then go in search of a table and end up finding one in the back of the building, where there is a play area for kids along with a golf simulator.

“So, Aiden, what are your intentions with my best friend?” Toya asks as soon as we are seated, and I groan, because I should have expected her to start interrogating him the instant we were all alone.

“I’m going to marry her,” he answers without missing a beat, and my head swings his way as my eyes widen. “What?” He shrugs.

“You can’t say that.” I shake my head.

“I can if it’s true.”

“We haven’t even said I love you.”

“I love you,” he says like he’s telling me his favorite color.

“Don’t say that,” I snap, starting to get annoyed.

“Why not?”

“Yeah, why not?” Toya asks, and I glare at her, then look at him.

“Because it’s not true.”

“Yes, it fucking is. I love you,” he growls, and I shake my head again.

“Are you really telling me you love me for the first time in front of my best friend and in the middle of a beer distillery?”

“Is there a certain place I’m supposed to tell you that I love you for the first time?” he asks, and Tony laughs.

“Well, no, but I can think of a few other moments we’ve had that would have been better.”

“You’ll never forget the first time he told you,” Toya inserts like she’s being helpful, and I focus on her.

“You’re not helping.”

“When did you want him to tell you?” She raises a brow.

“I don’t know. Where were you when Tony told you for the first time?”

“In bed.”

“See? That’s better,” I point out.

“He had just come. I was pretty sure he was full of shit,” she says, and Tony huffs out a laugh.

“You guys really are no help.” I sigh, then turn to look at Aiden when his thumb and index finger grab hold of my chin.

“I love you,” he says softly, and my chest feels funny while my nose stings like I might cry.

“Thank you, but I’m saving my ‘I love you too’ until we get home,” I whisper, and his lips twitch before he leans forward and covers my mouth with his. And even with my best friend and her husband right there, I climb onto his lap to kiss him back, and it’s deep and wet and everything a kiss after hearing “I love you” should be, which totally makes up for him giving me those three words in the middle of a beer distillery.