Nothing Left to Lose (Guarded Hearts 1)

“You shouldn’t have bought me anything.”

“Open it,” he instructed, holding his hand out to me again.

I stepped forward and took the box from his hand, prying open the lid, holding my breath the whole time. Inside was a breathtaking, thin and delicate gold chain. Attached to it was a little, round pendant set with a green stone. It was so beautiful that my vision blurred as my eyes filled up.

“You said green was your favourite colour.” He took the box from my hand, fiddling with it and removing the chain. “Did you know that the colour green is supposed to make you feel calm and safe? I thought it was appropriate for me to give you an emerald considering it’s my job to keep you safe.” He stepped behind me, setting the chain around my neck before fiddling with the clasp.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. He’d brought me an emerald necklace? He seemed too good to be true, this boy. Once he’d secured it, I turned and shook my head in awe, reaching up to grasp the little pendant in my fist carefully. I couldn’t help but notice how he seemed a little unsure of himself, his smile a little weak.

“It’s so perfect. Thank you,” I whispered, knowing that my voice would crack if I tried to speak properly.

His shoulders relaxed and his smile turned more genuine, and in that second it dawned on me that he was worried I wouldn’t actually like it.

“You’re very welcome, Baby Girl.” He held out a hand for me to take. “We’d better go so we don’t lose our table.”

I sighed happily and placed my free hand in his, letting him lead me out of the apartment and to the car. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face as he drove to the surprise restaurant; not once did I let go of the little pendant. I was already in love with this necklace and didn’t ever want to take it off.

When we pulled up outside where we were eating, I burst out laughing and turned to him to see if this was a joke. “Seriously? You’re taking me to eat at… Harvest Grill?” I asked, grinning from ear to ear as I read the sign above the awful-looking restaurant. It actually looked more like a truck stop café than a restaurant you would go to on a date.

He held up one finger to silence me. “Ah, just wait and see! You think I’m crazy now, but keep an open mind, okay?”

I shrugged, already feeling overdressed as a guy wearing a pair of jazzy, green board shorts and a string vest walked out. I sat in the car, waiting for him to come around and open the door for me. That was another one of his ‘rules’ that was apparently for my safety. I didn’t see the point in it all, but he seemed more relaxed if I just went along with what he wanted.

As we walked into the place, I grinned, biting my lip so I didn’t laugh. The place was practically empty aside from two other people. Casting my eyes around, I noticed that the tables were covered in some sort of plastic cloth, the chairs were old and had a worn covering on the base of them, and as Ashton pulled me forward, my foot stuck to the floor in a couple of places. I was definitely overdressed.

In the corner of the restaurant, there was a reserved tag on the table. “Lucky we got here on time, wouldn’t want them to be overrun and have to give our table away,” I joked.

Ashton laughed, waving for the waiter’s attention. “Open mind, remember?” he muttered as the guy walked over to us.

By the time I was done eating, my cheeks hurt from all the smiling. As it turns out, despite the lack of ambiance in the place, I was actually having a fantastic time. The food was merely average, my chicken was a little rubbery and the fries were a little cardboard-like, but the company was faultless. Ashton and I chatted easily the whole time, laughing, joking and even flirting a fair bit too. It was the best date I’d been on by a clear mile.

When the waiter came and cleared our table, he and Ashton exchanged a secret look before he turned to me and grinned. “Now for the real reason we came here.” He nodded over my shoulder and I twisted in my seat, seeing the waiter coming back. On the table in front of me he set down a ginormous slice of chocolate fudge cake and a little pot of hot fudge sauce. My eyes widened in surprise as my mouth immediately watered. Ashton had remembered my favourite dessert and pre-ordered it for me?

Ashton leant back in his seat with a smug smile. “I asked around, apparently this is the best chocolate fudge cake in the whole of Arizona.”

I shook my head, bemused. He was so incredibly thoughtful. I hadn’t expected anything like this in the slightest. “Seriously, I just… you’ve put so much thought into this, huh?”

He shrugged as if it was no big deal. “Well yeah, I guess. I just wanted to make it special,” he explained. “Well try it then,” he laughed, pointing to my cake.

“Aren’t you having anything?”

“Nah, I need to watch my figure,” he joked, winking at me playfully. More excited than I should be over a piece of cake, I grabbed my spoon and cut off a huge mouthful. “Wait, wait!” he cried, as my spoon was half way to my mouth. “You have to try it properly,” he smiled and picked up the little pot of sauce, and poured it over my dessert before waving his hand, giving me the go-ahead.

After scooping a little of the sauce onto my spoon too, I greedily shoved it in my mouth. The sickly sweetness and richness of it made me moan in appreciation. It was easily the best thing I’d ever tasted. “Oh my God, you have got to try this!” I mumbled with my mouth full.

He chuckled wickedly. “Very lady like,” he teased, grabbing a fork and cutting off a piece, shovelling it into his mouth. “Holy shit, that is good!” he agreed with his mouth full too. I burst out laughing, covering my mouth with my hand as I laughed so hard I thought I was going to choke.