The Date Auction by Wren Mingua

bothering me. Not at all,” he lied. The woman sitting across from him was a tall, blonde goddess from Sweden. She was nothing like the woman on the phone, who he had no intention of dating again. Apparently, she wasn't going to let him get away that easily.
    “Are you doing anything tomorrow?”
    He wished he would have had an excuse, but he didn't. “Uh... no. Tomorrow is good. Text me the details, and I'll be there.”
    “Alright. Great.”
    “I'll see you tomorrow.” Harry knew he sounded dismissive, but he was in the middle of a date. “Bye.”
    “Bye.”
    He ended their call and turned off his phone entirely. As he slipped his phone into the pocket of his coat, the Swedish goddess asked, “Was that something important?”
    “No, not in the least,” Harry replied, a bit coldly. “How's your food?”

Chapter Nine

    Alaina had insisted on having a “floor picnic,” which was, in essence, a picnic that took place in the middle of her living room. She had packed sandwiches, potato chips and fruit. Alaina's turkey sandwiches must have been sitting around for the better part of the day, because the bread had turned a bit soggy.
    “Do you like your sandwich, Will Will?”
    As he stared at his half-eaten sandwich, the wilted lettuce and gooey bread, William decided it was in his best interest to lie. “I do. It's great.”
    “You don't think the cheese is too sharp, do you?”
    The cheese was the least of her sandwich's problems. “No, not at all.”
    Alaina tossed a large potato chip in her mouth and attempted to talk while she chewed it, “Don't you shhink zhis ish romantic?”
    “Is this romantic?” William repeated her question and waited for her nod. “Uh, yeah. I guess it is.”
    “It's like a real picnic, isn't it?”
    “Yeah.” It was like a picnic, minus the sunshine and the fresh air—which was really the point of having a picnic in the first place.
    “We even have a checkered blanket and a picnic basket.” Alaina opened her wicker basket and peered inside, as if hoping something else would miraculously appear. “And I don't have to worry about bugs crawling in my hair.”
    William didn't think it was an appropriate time to point out the spider huddled in the corner of the room.
    “You know what?” Alaina continued. “I told my parents about you, and they're really excited to meet you.”
    William almost sprayed the Wild Cherry Pepsi he was sipping. As soon as he swallowed, he squeaked, “Really?”
    “Yeah. They said you sounded like a great guy. You want to meet them, don't you?”
    He had been Alaina's boyfriend for all of two days. He didn't think he would have to worry about meeting her parents anytime soon. The relationship was moving too fast— way too fast—but Alaina was so sweet and smiley and beautiful, and he couldn't stand to disappoint her. “Yeah, of course I want to meet them.”
    “Awesome. I think they'll like you. You're not like other guys I've dated in the past.”
    “Really?” He braved another bite of his soggy sandwich. “What sort of guys do you usually date?”
    “Big, muscle-y dickheads.”
    William looked down at his gangly arms and sighed. Did she realize she had inadvertently emasculated him?
    Alaina leaned toward William, simultaneously tousling his hair and giving him a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek. “I really like you, you know.”
    “I know. I really like you too.”
    “I love you, even,” Alaina reminded him. “You're really perfect for me. And you're so cute, you're practically too cute for this world.”
    “And you're too beautiful for this world,” he parroted her compliment. “You're like an angel on earth.”
    “Aww. That's sweet. But angels usually have blonde hair, don't they?” Alaina tugged on the ends of her hair with a frown.
    “I don't think they have to be blonde.”
    “But they're usually blonde. Blonde like you,” Alaina grinned at him. “When we have kids, I hope they're blonde like their daddy.”
    That was a