Match Made in Quarantine

37. Date Night

There was a mountain of clothes thrown on my bed, the amount of which could probably dress a small village through all four seasons.

I genuinely didn't even know I had accumulated such an insane amount. Online shopping was the tool of Satan. I grumbled to myself, trying to sift through everything in a rush. Despite throwing out my entire wardrobe, I still couldn't find a single piece I was satisfied with.

Earlier, I had almost left the room without even changing out of my usual home attire; I'd gotten so used to being casual around Maddox, I didn't even think twice about it. However, when I cracked open the door of my room, the faint smell of a musky perfume struck me and that's when I realized: this was date night, not game night.

So, that was how I ended up here, kneeling in front of my clothes-covered bed in complete desperation.

My main dilemma was that I needed to find that perfect middle; since we were just having date night at home, it would look weird if I was overdressed. After another twenty minutes, I settled on a violet dress with a flowery pattern. I put on a bit of mascara, a light lipstick, a tiny bit of perfume, and took a deep breath before leaving my bedroom.

********

Maddox was standing in the kitchen, opening up some food containers, and looking so handsome my legs almost gave out. He wore tightly fitted black pants and a slim-fitting black dress shirt, with the first three buttons open and the collar popped up. His hair was styled in a way that seemed natural but groomed, and the scent of his musky cologne did things to my insides that I couldn't focus on because I'd end up pouncing him.

He turned toward me with a grin, and when he took me in his eyes widened and he stumbled backwards, clutching the counter. Even from a distance, I could see his Adam's apple bob, as he let out a heavy breath.

"I'm gonna need a moment," he spoke in a voice deeper than his usual one, and clutched his chest. "You look so stunning, my heart almost gave out."

I chuckled, and nervously twirled a strand of my hair, "You, uh, you look really handsome too."

Maddox let out a painful sigh and held up one hand. "Oof, stop, or we won't make it through dinner," he muttered bending over as if he was in pain.

My cheeks flushed, and I cleared my throat taking a few steps toward him. Soon, my eyes took in the food that was opened on the counter and I stopped in place again. "Is that.... sushi?" It had been so long since I had some the sight brought instant happiness to me.

He cast a glance at the rich spread next to him and smirked, "Yup, you love sushi, right?"

Did he get that because of me? But, how did—

"Yeah, it's my favorite," I answered, a quizzical expression on my face, "How did you know?"

"You'd treat yourself to some after your exams, right? The garbage would be overflowing with containers from this restaurant the next day," he answered and chuckled, clearly not aware what the actual meaning of his words were.

This wasn't the first time I thought this but, he seemed to have been paying attention to me since way before the quarantine. I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes at him.

"What is it?" he asked, a smile on his face as he walked up to tower over me.

"You seem to remember quite a lot about me.... When exactly did you start liking me?" I asked, raising one dubious eyebrow. I moved closer to him, so our bodies were pressed together, in my effort to appear intimidating. The only thing I'd succeeded in doing was seeing how strained his shirt actually was as it attempted to hide his muscular body. And then I imagined those buttons that were still closed just mysteriously popping open one by one until—