Beyond the Eyes: YA Paranormal Romance Page 7

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  My heartrate accelerated when it dawned on me I had a half hour before my date with Nathan. The thought of being alone with him made me excited and a bit edgy, and I restlessly roamed the house, not knowing what to do with myself.

  Insecure thoughts plagued me, like what if he changed his mind and never shows? Or, was I pretty enough for someone like him?

  “What’s wrong?” Carrie asked when she got off the phone with Matt.

  I stood in front of her. “Do I look okay?” I felt bloated and fat and wasn’t sure if my outfit looked good on me. I swear I could feel the bacon and egg sandwich on my hips now.

  “You look fine,” she reassured. “That sage green sweater goes good with the color of your hair.” She pulled some lip gloss out of her pocket and applied it to her lips.

  I yanked the hood over my head. “Does it look good like this?”

  “It looks good either way, but I like it better down.” She smacked her lips together and pocketed her lip gloss. Her lips looked all shining and glittery.

  I pushed the hood off and ran my fingers through my hair. “Do I look fat?”

  She sighed. “No, you couldn’t look fat even if you tried.”

  “I feel fat,” I complained, flopping on the couch beside her.

  “You’re not, so stop worrying. You look great.”

  I decided to tell her about Nathan acting weird about the cat, and afterwards she shrugged like it was no big deal, coming up with the same reasoning I’d had. Superstitious. She made me feel a lot better about it and that maybe I had conjured up a bunch of nonsense. And then I thought about the platform.

  “Before I passed out last night, did you see Nathan beside me?”

  She thought about it for a minute. “No, but I was too busy dancing with the people around us to notice. But he was right there when you fell, so he had to be dancing next to us.”

  “Maybe,” I murmured, but I wasn’t convinced. I knew what I saw.

  A car horn beeped outside, and I immediately jumped to my feet, startled.

  “That’s my mom.” Carrie jerked her backpack off the floor. “I can tell by the sound of the horn.” She gave me a quick hug. The strawberry scent off her lip gloss filled my nostrils. “I’ll talk to you later. And don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

  My heart galloped. And in a split second it takes a hummingbird to flap its wings, I wondered if Nathan and I were destined to be together, and in that same time span, I shut that thought out of my mind.

  Carrie stepped outside, but before she closed the door, she popped her head back in.

  “Nathan is here.”

  “He is?” My eyes darted around the room like a mouse in a room full of cats. I tried to steady my heart by breathing through my nose and out my mouth, telling myself there was nothing to be scared or nervous about.

  “Really?” A soft voice in my head said. “Have you forgotten he makes you want to do things to him you’ve never wanted to do to another guy?” I touched my forehead and told the voice to shut up.

  “He’s walking up the lawn,” she informed me, enjoying herself. She raised her eyebrows. “Enjoy having Nathan tonight,” she said, using her porn voice.

  My finger went to my lips. “Be quiet. He’s going to hear you.”

  She closed the door, and I heard her say hi to him.

  Oh no! I hope he didn’t hear what she said. I touched my burning face and rushed to the gilded wall mirror.

  Dark red.

  This wasn’t good. I had to do something quick to get rid of the redness in my face. I thought of something sad. My father. And then there was a tapping knock at the door.

  I took a deep breath and opened the door, attempting to sound cheerful when I said hi. I couldn’t help but notice how Nathan’s tan sweater hugged his muscular frame perfectly, and how it created that fluttering sensation in my chest again.

  “Hi,” he said with a bright smile, but then narrowed his eyes in such a way that told me he knew something was wrong. Great. This was so not how I wanted to start our date.

  “Come in. I need to get my stuff.” I stepped aside, trying not to focus on the feelings he stirred in me, or the sadness I had awakened inside myself.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Crap.

  I didn’t want to unload on him, especially on our first date. But when I saw the way he was looking at me, with genuine concern, I had to.

  “I was thinking about my father,” I said, swallowing back the sorrow.

  He took a step closer to me. “Do you want to talk about it?” He lifted his hand as if he was going to touch my face, but then dropped it.

  “Not really.” I turned away, feeling like an idiot.

  “I think you’re going to need your rain jacket.” He stood by the door watching me and nodded when he saw the look on my face.

  “That sucks. I was hoping it wouldn’t rain today.” I pulled my rain coat out of the closet. He took it from me, and when I gave him a strange look, he lifted it by the shoulders, the open side facing me, and shook it. I made a tsk sound, rolled my eyes, and turned around. “Duh. Sorry,” I said, feeling the heat in my cheeks. He must really think I was an idiot now.

  “That’s perfectly all right.” He slipped the coat on me. “Can I talk to you about something?” He looked at me, and his shoulders sagged. I could tell something was bothering him by the sudden awkwardness in the air.

  My chest throbbed as thoughts raced about what could be wrong: Did he change his mind about our date? Maybe when he went home last night he realized I was too young for him, and he could date somebody way better than me.

  “I want to apologize for my behavior last night with the cat. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He took my hand and sandwiched it between his. “I never want to see you hurt, and I hope you believe me when I say that.”

  His sincerity threw me. I glanced at his hands holding mine and back to his face. And this was totally wacky, but as I gazed into the deep blue sea of his eyes, I felt a strong connection with him. And in that brief moment I realized this was what I was feeling last night when we were together. Regardless, I still wanted to know why he reacted the way he had last night. I placed my hand on top of his and asked.

  He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it. A rush of raw, untamed energy went through my body that was unfamiliar to me, causing me to bite my bottom lip.

  “Many years ago, a stray cat like that one appeared at my doorstep, and I thought maybe it was the same one.” He released my hand, and we stepped outside.

  Low and heavy clouds covered the endless gray sky, and the smell of rain still hung in the air. With the barren black trees around us and no soul in sight, it seemed like we stepped into a futuristic wasteland.

  “So, you thought this was the same cat you saw in Missouri?” I asked when we were in the pickup.

  “I know it sounds crazy,” he said, sticking the key in the ignition, “but yes I did.”

  “That’s okay. There are things about me you might think is crazy.”

  “I don’t think so,” he said. “But I’d like to know everything about you.”

  “Well, I’ll tell you what. I’ll tell you about me, if you tell me about you.”

  He smiled. “You have yourself a deal Ms… What’s your last name?”

  “Reed.”

  “Ms. Reed.” His smile deepened, and I smiled with him.

  We began talking about the minor, inconsequential things about ourselves, such as what type of movies and music we liked. And when we reached the waterfront and strolled along on the river walk, we were still immersed in that same conversation, both laughing at his silly childhood stories as four young girls skated passed us on roller blades.

  “Your three brothers sound like a riot,” I said. “Where are they right now?”

  Nathan looked away, and I wondered if I said something wrong. But then he looked at me and said they were dead and so were his parents, stunning me. My heart immediately went out
to him, but instead of asking him what happened–which I really wanted to do–I told him I was sorry. I know losing my father was the worst thing that had ever happened to me, but to lose your whole family … I couldn’t even imagine what that would be like.

  “It’s okay,” he said.

  I decided to change the subject to brighten the mood and asked if he was in school or had a job, questions I knew Mom would ask me sooner or later. He told me he went to college in Seattle and then sold some land he owned, so he didn’t need a job. I told him I didn’t have a job either–even though I wanted one–but Mom told me school was more important. Then I went on about Carrie teasing me about being spoiled because she had to work a couple times a week at her mom’s antique store, but I did volunteer my help when they needed it.

  “When did you and Carrie become best friends?” he asked, interlacing his fingers with mine.

  Our hands felt perfect together and natural. The warmth of his hand in mine flooded through my bloodstream, and inside my head I did a happy Snoopy dance as I watched a commercial fishing vessel go by. In the distance a freighter navigated the foggy river and one of the smaller boats blew its horn.

  “We started hanging out in kindergarten,” I said.

  “That’s a long time.”

  “It is. We’ve been through a lot.”

  “I have a friend like Carrie. His name is Anwar.”

  That’s an unusual name. I wondered what nationality he was.

  “He’s African,” he said, as if he read my mind. “He helped us on the farm and became a part of our family. He’s in Kenya right now, but he’ll be visiting me soon.”

  “I’d like to meet him,” I said, thinking it would be cool to meet an African.

  He squeezed my hand. “I’m sure you will, but don’t let his size intimidate you. He’s a gentle soul.”

  I thought about Tree being six-foot five. “How tall is Anwar?”

  “He’s almost seven feet.”

  “Holy cow! I bet he’s going to think I’m an elf.”

  He laughed. “No, he’s going to see you as you are, which is the most beautiful girl in the world.”

  We stopped, and the people walking passed us seemed to fade away. When he pushed the hair off my face and softly glided his fingers down the side of my neck, beneath the collar of my coat, I shivered. His fingers trailed back to my cheek, stopping at the temple, and his thumb slowly skimmed across my lips. My heart was racing.

  A burning desire rushed through parts of my body, a desire I’d never experienced before. A desire to be with him and to feel his touch. I parted my lips, and his breathing slowed as he closed his eyes. When he opened them, they appeared a little brighter. And then he spoke in a deep, husky voice that softened my bones.

  “I know this may seem absurd since we just met last night, but I feel something between us I’ve never felt before.” He paused and gazed into my face. “I’d like to see you again.”

  For a second I stared blankly at him until my mind was able to process what he’d said.

  He wants to go out with me again.

  “I’d like that,” I said, my heart still racing.

  He smiled, bent his head down and kissed me.

  At first, his lips were gentle, but when I moved my body closer and parted my lips, he responded. His mouth moved in harmony with mine. He was an amazing kisser, and my stomach did a continuous flip as our kiss grew deeper, tongues connecting. His fingers found their way into my hair, and I hooked my arms around his neck, standing on my tiptoes, wishing I was taller. His hand drifted to the small of my back, lightly pressing on it. My body molded with his, and I shivered again. Then a male voice shouted from across the river. I jumped back and spun around.

  “Get a room!” A young blond-haired guy shouted from the deck of his boat. He smiled and waved, sticking his thumb up. Flushing, I waved back and turned to Nathan, reveling in the way my whole body tingled and how the pressure of his lips lingered on mine.

  “I hope I wasn’t being too forward, but I couldn’t resist my feelings for you any longer,” he said, peeking at me from beneath his lashes, the corner of his mouth curling when I moved toward him.

  I took his hand. “What you did was fine because I feel the same way about you.”

  He tilted his head to the side and had an adorable smile on his face. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  “Yeah, well, I wasn’t planning to,” I said truthfully, “but you kissed it out of me.” I picked up a stone and skipped it across the river, thinking how earth shattering that kiss had been. In fact, I wanted to do it again, and again, and again.

  “Why weren’t you going to tell me?” He sounded bothered by this.

  “Because I only met you last night and it seemed crazy for me to feel the way I do toward you. And I wasn’t sure if you felt the same way, even though Carrie told me you did.”

  “Carrie is pretty perceptive, isn’t she?”

  “Sometimes she is, but never with her own life, which is unfortunate.”

  “Is she dating Matt?”

  A couple kids went by on skateboards. The wheels clicked against the uneven stones, and they were complaining about not having a skate park here.

  “Yeah, but I’m not sure how much Matt likes her. I’ll have to ask him when I’m alone with him.”

  Nathan stopped, and a cold hardness crested over him, like thick ice over a gentle river. He turned to me, his face now serious. “Listen, Paige, I don’t want to seem overbearing but you need to trust me on this.”

  “What?” The nervousness in his voice confused me.

  He hung his head, sighed, and peered at me. “There’s no better way to put this without sounding like a Neanderthal, but I don’t think you should be alone with Matt.”

  I knew they didn’t like each other, but Matt was my friend, and nobody was going to dictate to me on whom my friends were, even if it was Nathan. I crossed my arms over my chest and asked him why, crushed he would ask this of me.

  “Because there’s something in him I don’t like, and I’m afraid he’s going to hurt you.”

  “Carrie is alone with him, and she’s fine. In fact, he kissed her twice yesterday,” I said, tapping my foot, feeling an invisible wall being placed between us. He frowned and looked up as if asking for help from above, but then I realized it was because it started to rain.

  Everybody around us rushed to the nearby shops for shelter, but I stayed rooted in my spot, not caring my hair and face were getting wet.

  He grabbed my hand. “C’mon, you’re going to get soaked if we stay here.”

  I gritted my teeth. “Fine.”

  I followed him to Shiver Me Timbers, a seafood restaurant that looked like a pirate ship from the inside. I always thought about the pirate captain Squint Eye Jack who came to the Oregon coast and did battle with Spanish galleons in the early 1600s, whenever I ate here. There were privacy booths in the back, and we sat there, away from the rowdiness of the other customers. The wooden plank walls had portholes for windows. Behind the glass were live fishes swimming back and forth, and the place smelled like fried seafood.

  Nathan and I didn’t say much to each other until after our waiter–a young, redheaded, freckled face guy, dressed in a pirate outfit–took our order and gave us our drinks.

  “Please don’t be mad at me. I just want you to be safe,” Nathan said, reaching across the table, touching my fingers.

  I glanced at our hands, forcing myself to focus on the issue instead of how he made me feel. “I’m not mad at you. I’m irritated because I don’t understand why you think Matt would hurt me. He’s alone with Carrie, and she’s fine.”

  “Yes, but you’re different,” he said without hesitation.

  I eyed him suspiciously. “What do you mean I’m different?” I withdrew my hand and took a drink of my Dr Pepper, knowing he was holding something back. I mean, he totally displayed the same signs as my mom when I’d ask her about my father: shifting in the chair, not answering ri
ght away, then ultimately avoiding my question.

  He leaned forward, an intense expression on his face. “Do you trust me?”

  I hated to admit it because it seemed foolish, but I couldn’t deny what we had between us. But still, he wasn’t making sense, and I wanted to know why he had a problem with me hanging out with Matt and why he thought I wasn’t the same as Carrie. He acted like Matt would hurt me, which was totally crazy.

  “Yeah, I do,” I finally said, “but please don’t answer a question with a question.”

  He dropped his gaze, then lifted it back on me, his eyes now guarded. “I can’t answer that question, Paige.”

  My hands gripped the edge of the table. “Why?”

  “I have to figure some things out first.”

  I ground my teeth and blurted, “You’re like the damn premonitions I get. Cryptic!” After the words escaped my lips, I became mortified. That was a deep secret I planned on taking to my grave, and now I blew it. “I’m going to the restroom.” I jumped out of the booth and half ran there, nearly knocking over a waiter with a tray full of food.

  I lingered in the empty restroom for a while, trying to get a grip on myself. If Nathan wanted to kick me to the curb right now … Well, who could blame him? I was a freak and so frickin’ stupid to think I could have a normal relationship and be able to hide this secret. I should have never gone on this date. What was I thinking?

  But I knew what I was thinking.

  I wanted to be with him. But it didn’t matter anymore. I totally screwed up. I told myself to get it together, and if I was destined to be alone, so be it. But as soon as that thought entered my mind, the wind knocked right out of me, causing me to latch onto the white counter.

  I felt pathetic because I shouldn’t be feeling this way toward somebody I hardly knew. It was nonsensical, but I couldn’t help it.

  God, I was a mess.

  I splashed cold water on my face and dried it with a brown paper towel.

  I stared at my dark green eyes in the mirror. They looked round and sad. “Get it together, Paige,” I whispered. “Your father and Brayden left you completely brokenhearted. Do you really want to go for a third?” No, I couldn’t go through that again because it would most likely destroy me.

  Maybe it was best this way.

  Yeah, maybe.

  Maybe subconsciously I wanted Nathan to know I had premonitions so it would be an easy excuse for me not to see him again. I mean, we just met yesterday, and I shouldn’t be feeling such powerful emotions toward him already, right? I thought about the soulmate thing, but then quickly blew it off. Soulmates, we were meant to be together, or whatever, it didn’t matter. I couldn’t see him because A.) He knew my secret and B.) I liked him way too much and wasn’t willing to take the chance of possibly getting burned by him.

  On that note, I straightened my back, threw the wet towel in the trash can and walked out. With my head held high, feigning a confidence that said: I’m an independent person who doesn’t mind being alone for the rest of my life, I marched between a row of tables and as I did so, a high-pitched ringing sound went off in my ears, like yesterday. I wondered why it was happening again and if it had anything to do with the premonition. But when I neared a dimly lit booth and glanced at a pale, dark-haired guy, my whole facade fell by the wayside.

  He looked like a heroin addict–skinny, and gaunt, but that wasn’t why I paused at his table. I paused because he sneered at me with disdain and mouthed my name, stunning me. Then I saw a yellow laser beam flash across his dark iris in a swiping motion. Horror ran through me. I rushed past his table, hearing his menacing laughter behind me. I shot a look over my shoulder, and he stood in the aisle, turning in the opposite direction, still laughing.

  When I rounded the corner, I ran into Nathan. He caught me by the shoulders. I swear the world had shifted me into its fun house, and I wanted to pound my way out, like what my heart was trying to do to my chest.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “I was getting worried about you.” He took a closer look at my face. “Why do you look so frightened?”

  I hesitated on the words that desperately wanted to come out of my mouth while quickly weighing whether to tell him or not. Pressing my lips together, I took his hand and pulled him over to our table where our food was waiting.

  “I’m sorry I took so long,” I said, still seeing that guy’s face in my mind. “And I’m okay, you scared me, that’s all,” I added, telling myself I wasn’t completely lying to him since he did scare me.

  He wrapped his arms around me. “You’re shaking. Here, sit and eat.” I slid into the booth. “The food is still warm. The waiter just brought it out.” He glanced at me from across the table but didn’t say anything.

  I took a drink and forced myself to eat my catfish. I wasn’t hungry and seriously freaked out about that guy, but at least having my mouth full gave me some time to collect my thoughts. And Nathan was clearly being patient with me, more patient than I deserved, while we ate in silence.

  The premonition I had the day before kept replaying in my mind and that guy’s laughter echoed inside my skull. I lifted my eyes and caught Nathan’s. I looked away, unable to answer his silent questions.

  What would I tell him? That some scary dude knew my name; that I saw a beam of light flash across his eyes; and that he might want to kill me? And what would I tell Nathan if he were to ask me why I felt that way and if I was sure he said my name and saw what I’d seen in his eyes? I knew exactly what I’d do. I’d tell him the truth.

  But seriously, if he were to look at me like a nutcase who belonged in an institution, I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I’d already exposed my freakish nature to him, so there was no way in hell I would tell him. This was my problem, not his, and I had to deal with it on my own. I didn’t know how because I didn’t understand any of it, but I had no other options. I clasped my shaking hands in my lap and tried not to think about it.

  Once outside, I was thankful the rain had finally quit, but a thick fog covered the docks and the edge of the river, and the cold air bit at my face. I stuck my hands in my pockets and walked beside Nathan. I was nervous about telling him I didn’t want to see him again, because really it was a flat out lie. I was also afraid of what might come out of my mouth. I mean, honestly, it would be my luck to unintentionally shoot my mouth off about that guy in the restaurant, and Nathan didn’t need to know that. He needed to move on with his life and date a normal girl.

  “Please don’t shut me out, Paige,” he said when we were in the pickup. “If you’re worried about what you said earlier, don’t be. It hasn’t changed the way I feel about you, and I would like to know more about it.” He slipped his hand in mine. “I want to know everything about you.”

  Surprised at what he said, I glanced down at his hand in mine. It felt so right to be here like this, to tell him everything. My decision to never see him again wavered. But then I reminded myself of the probability of opening myself up, and then losing him. Nathan deserved better, I told myself. And so, I gathered what strength I had, and released his hand.

  Reluctantly, I looked at him. “I don’t think we should see each other again.” When his face fell, I looked away and stared at my lap.

  “What?” He paused to take a deep breath. “Why would you say that?” He sounded genuinely upset, which made it much harder on me.

  I continued to stare at my lap. “We just met, and I don’t think it’s a good idea. It’s too much. I can’t take it.” Words tumbled out of my mouth that I could hardly catch. I sounded like a blabbering idiot. But it didn’t matter anymore how I came across to him because whatever was between us had to end. I crossed my arms over my chest and turned away from him. “Please take me home.”

  He touched my shoulder. “Don’t I have a say in this?”

  I pressed my forehead to the cold glass on the side window and closed my eyes. Why was he making this so hard? I wished I could be the kind of girl a guy like Nathan ended up with, but I w
asn’t. Hell, I didn’t even want kids. Yeah, I loved kids, but I only wanted to be responsible for myself, not for another life. And if anybody should be reproducing in this world, it should be Nathan.

  “Paige?”

  “Nathan. Please. I can’t,” I said.

  He gently squeezed my shoulder. “Listen to me. I know we met yesterday, but you can’t deny there’s something between us. Something powerful. If you want to take it slow, I’m good with that. Just please give it a chance.”

  I needed to think and set all emotions aside. I was a logical person. I mean, I had no doubt there was something between us, and what if he was the one? Sure, I thought he deserved someone better, but that wasn’t my decision, right? And what if I did shut him out of my life and regretted it later? But then again, what if I gave myself completely over to him, and then he left me? Was I willing to take that chance? I didn’t know.

  “I need some time to think about it,” I finally said, turning to him. I saw a hint of relief cross his face, but I could tell that wasn’t exactly what he wanted me to say.

  He peeked at me. “How much time do you want me to give you?”

  I shrugged, and gave him a weak smile. I wasn’t really sure how much time I needed. All I knew was I had to protect myself from getting emotionally shattered.

  He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a piece of paper and pen. He used his knee to write something. He tossed the pen back into the glove compartment and snapped it shut.

  “Here’s my cell phone number.” He folded the paper in half and handed it to me. “Call me anytime.”

  I nodded and stuffed it into the side pocket of my purse while he drove out of the parking lot.

  I turned to him, watching him closely. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course, you can ask me anything,” he answered.

  “Were you on the platform last night watching me?” I thought I saw the corner of his mouth twitch, but wasn’t sure by the angle of his face.

  “Yes, I was.”

  “Did you jump off of it right before I passed out?”

  He stared at the road and tapped his thumb on the steering wheel. I took that as a yes, but then he said, “Paige, that platform is too high for a human to jump off. And when you fell, I was right beside you.” He glanced at me. “Why?”

  I shrugged. “I was just wondering.” I shifted in my seat and looked out the window, watching the dark forest along the side of the road flash by. For some reason, Nathan skated around my question, and my gut feeling told me there had to be more to what he said, however, he made a good point about the platform being too high. So maybe I was reading too much into his actions.

  I thought about Matt’s glowing eyes and reminded myself about the logical explanation I came up with. But with this guy tonight, I couldn’t think of a logical explanation for what I saw. I stopped myself right there, knowing where this train of thought would lead to. I didn’t need to go there with Nathan around me. So for the rest of the way home, I occupied my mind by counting each tree we passed.

  When we reached my house and stepped out of his truck, I pointed to the cat sitting on the porch. “See. There he is.”

  “Was he here earlier today?”

  “No, but look at him now. It’s like he’s waiting for me. I wonder if I should give him a can of tuna.”

  “I’m sure he eats well out here,” Nathan said. “And besides, you don’t want to invite every critter in the forest to your house.”

  “Oh, yeah, I didn’t think about that.”

  He smiled. “That’s a sweet thought though.”

  We climbed the steps to the porch and the cat went straight to Nathan, rubbing his legs. He reached down to pet it, an idle smile crossing his face.

  “Is that the cat you were thinking about last night?” There was no way a cat could travel all the way from Missouri to Oregon on its own. But it seemed like he knew Nathan and was even purring when I went to pet him.

  Nathan patted the cat’s side. “I think he’s only being friendly.”

  I fumbled with my keys until I found the right one and unlocked the door. I flip the porch light on to get a better look. His face and paws were black, but he had a gray body with a strange black mark on it. I knelt next to him.

  “Did you see this?” My eyes found Nathan’s. “It looks like he has a huge star on his back, but it’s bent over his sides.” I smoothed out his fur to show Nathan.

  “He’s a special cat,” he said, but the timbre in his voice was saying something more I didn’t get.

  A gust of cold air blew through the porch, swaying the trees around the house, blowing my hair back. I pushed myself off the ground and watched the cat wander off the porch, disappearing into the trees.

  I felt awkward all of a sudden, standing there with Nathan. My eyes kept straying to his lips, and I couldn’t stop thinking about that earth shattering kiss we had earlier.

  I so wanted to kiss him.

  I looked up and realized he caught me staring at his lips. The corner of his mouth curled, and my longing to kiss him was mirrored in his eyes. He was about half a yard away, and although a cool breeze was nipping at my face, my cheeks felt hot.

  Aw, screw it.

  As if we read each other’s minds, we closed the gap. He cupped my face in his strong hands and pressed his lips to mine. My lips were hot against his, my tongue darting in his mouth. Something inside me sparked. It was hot and electric. I’d never in my whole life felt like this before, not even with Brayden. I kissed him harder, hungry for more, but then he jerked back, and covered his eyes with the tips of his fingers.

  “What’s wrong?” I pushed my hair out of my face, trying to steady my breathing. I noticed he was panting as well.

  He turned away from me. “I think the breeze blew something in my eyes.”

  “I have some eye drops in the house. Do you want me to get it?” I gestured toward the front door.

  He stepped off the porch and moved into the shadow of the trees, still rubbing his eyes. “No. I’m fine.” He dropped his fingers and squinted at me.

  I could barely see his face and wondered if he was really okay. I was about to insist on him coming in the house so I could take a closer look, but he spoke first.

  “I know you want some time to think, but can you start doing that thinking on Monday? I’d really like to take you to breakfast tomorrow.”

  What was one more day with him going to hurt? And then I could have the whole week to decide on what to do.

  “Okay. What time?”

  “How about 9:30?” He sounded pleased, which added a little boost to my dwindling confidence on relationships.

  “Yeah, sure,” I said, even though I wasn’t usually up that early on weekends. I would definitely have to set my alarm clock.

  Despite my reservations and everything that had happened at the restaurant, I found myself looking forward to tomorrow. I didn’t know what the future was going to bring, but as I waved goodbye to him, I felt a new high. I couldn’t help but smile, thinking maybe things might finally be going my way.

  Maybe.

  Chapter Four

  Torn