Sterling raised his eyebrows as he looked at her before opening the box. He blinked at the sight of the watch that was inside, then picked it up with a small smile.
“Thank you, Eden. I’ve actually been meaning to get a new watch. My old one kind of died,” he said softly, holding his wrist out to her. “Put it on for me?”
Eden looked at him, at his smile, and returned it with her own. She gently grabbed his hand with one hand and the watch with the other and carefully put it on him. When she was done, she lifted his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles softly. “Do you like it?” she questioned quietly, peering up at him.
“I love it. Thank you,” Sterling said softly. He smiled and took her hand in both of his, then pulled it over for a kiss to the palm of it.
“I’m glad you liked it,” Eden murmured, squeezing the hand that held hers. “I sort of realized we don’t exactly know that much about each other despite us dating.”
Sterling blinked, looking thoughtful for a moment. “You’re right… Well, what do you want to know about me? Other than what you already do.”
Eden hummed, trying to search for things to ask before she settled on one. “Did you ever sleep with stuffed toys, Sterling?”
“Stuffed… You wants to know if I ever slept with stuffed animals?” Sterling repeated, chuckling softly. “Well, I… Yes. Yes, I did. What about you?”
That’s…
“So adorable,” Eden’s smile widened, turning into a teasing one. “Who knew you slept with toys? That’s so adorable. I didn’t sleep with toys, but I had a small pillow.”
“Hey, I didn’t say that I still do!” Sterling protested, rolling his eyes.
“You don’t need to. How would I ever know you don’t anymore?” Eden mused. “You cuddle, Ainsley. Very much. It wouldn’t be surprising you still do.”
Sterling snorted and rolled his eyes again. “I only cuddle with you these days, thank you very much…”
“And what about the times you don’t cuddle with me?” Eden teased further, a small twinkle in her eyes. “What then?”
“All right, all right! So maybe I have one stuffed animal left,” Sterling huffed, looking away with barely pink cheeks. “But it’s sentimental. I can’t just get rid of it.”
Eden was awed by the pink on his cheeks. It was barely there, but Eden could still see it. It made her satisfied. For the first time, she had made Sterling Ainsley flustered, even if it was a little bit. His cheeks had been stained. She loved it. “That, Sterling, is so adorable,” Eden laughed, the sound escaping her lips a bit louder in contrast to the quiet one she usually let out. “You’re like a baby. Which animal is it? Wait—let me guess. A red panda.”
Sterling looked over at Eden at her laugh, blinking once. She had laughed again… Had he ever said that he loved her laugh? Even if he hadn’t, he forced the pink from his cheeks and murmured, “I love your laugh… Have I ever told you that? It’s just… beautiful.”
Eden froze, the laughter dying in her throat as she stared at him in surprise. Then her cheeks slowly started to stain and she covered her mouth, turning away, bashful.
“I—“ Eden cast her eyes on the table in uncertainty. What was she supposed to say to that? He loved her laugh. He said it was beautiful. She had never been told that before. “I don’t—I don’t know what to say to that…”
A soft smile made its way to Sterling’s lips, and he reached over to take her hand. He brought it to his mouth for a gentle, caring kiss, then held it to his lips for a moment longer.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he murmured against her. “Not anything at all.”
Eden returned her gaze to Sterling before smiling slowly.
“Thank you, Sterling,” she squeezed his hand gently. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”
Sterling winked before releasing her hand. “All right. So, have you figured out what you’re going to order?”
“Um,” Eden chewed on her bottom lip, flipping through the menu. “Uh… I don’t—I don’t know. What are you getting?”
Sterling hummed as he glanced over the menu, just glancing through it. “A double cheeseburger. Without pickles. And some fries and a strawberry milkshake.”
“You don’t like pickles?” Eden tilted her head to the side, quirking an eyebrow. “And um… I guess I’ll get chicken wings and a mango milkshake. And if I want fries, I’ll steal yours.”
Sterling laughed and looked over at her with a smile. “Of course you will. That’s what girlfriends are for, right? Stealing their boyfriend’s things. And no, I don’t like pickles. Not dill pickles, anyway.”
Girlfriend. Boyfriend. Eden couldn't help but smile a little at those words, biting down on her lip to keep it from taking over her face. "So… does that include clothes as well?" she inquired quietly. "Or just strictly food?"
Sterling blinked, raising his eyebrows. “If you want to steal my clothes, go ahead. I can’t promise that you won’t find my lips on yours while you’re wearing them, though.”
Eden's cheeks flushed despite herself, clearing her throat and rubbing the back of her neck. Why on Earth was she blushing so much? Couldn't she control herself at least that much? It was so confusing how he could get her flustered this easily when everyone else–or almost everyone else–had failed terribly.
"Ri–right," she stammered, eyes on the table. "How can you say those things so easily?"
“Say what things? The way I feel? The way you make me feel?” Sterling questioned, a soft smile working its way onto his lips. He chuckled and shook his head, amused by his girlfriend. “I can say them because that’s what I’m thinking, because it’s the truth.”
Eden fumbled with her fingers, keeping her eyes on her hands. Why was she suddenly getting a bad feeling, as if something was about to happen? Was it because she was finally starting to feel happy and it felt unreal? She unconsciously touched her neck over the collar of her shirt, rubbing her finger over it absently.
“Sorry, I’m just—“ she shook her head. “I’m just not used to it yet, I guess.”
“That’s okay. We haven’t been together for very long, so I get it,” Sterling assured with with a shrug. “But just know that I sometimes forget that what I’m saying might make you uncomfortable, so just let me know if it does.”
“No—I meant, I’m not used to this… affection. It’s not you,” Eden shook her head before shooting him a small smile. “Yeah. Thank you. I will.”