Hey there!
So... Are you guys ready for the non-date? ;)
Hold tight, it's another crazy long chapter :D
Oh, I also have a message for Lizz since I couldn't send you one as PM I decided to answer here to your question :) I'm not english but the "Jesus Christ on a bike" seems to be an exclamation like OMG, I just added the *drunk* part because I thought it was funny especially coming from Nicky, so yeah... Very glad you enjoyed it :D Thank you for your reviews and thanks to all the others too for all your kind words :)
Now, here we go with the chapter...
Enjoy
After I reassured the concerned driver that I was feeling okay and that I needed just some air before reaching the building where the exhibition was taking place, I managed to convince her to drop me a block away from it, it wasn't much but I hoped that the cool night air and the noise of the city would have been enough to distract me from the growing nervousness that was succeeding in making me lose the last drop of self control I had left.
Useless to say that taking a few steps and hearing the sounds of the distant traffic didn't help me as I had hoped it would.
How could such idea have worked when that sense of anxiety and anticipation had settled in my stomach since the previous day, since I heard that deep, slightly husky voice on the phone.
I registered the blow of the wind in my face that made me close my eyes for just a second, but I didn't hear its whisper in my ear, I didn't feel my body shivering for the cold, and when I tightened the coat around me it was a subconscious gesture.
The click clack of my high heels on the sidewalk was the only sound I could hear clearly, along with the ones of my increasing heartbeats.
I didn't raise my gaze to look at the front of the buldings or to even notice how nice and quite this part of the city was, and I didn't pay attention to the other few people that were walking on the sidewalk with me, just like I tried to not pay too much attention to the same questions that kept floating in my mind. The fact that I didn't have an answer for them didn't make me immune to examine the possibilities as I wondered, above everything else, how could someone have such an irresistible and magnetic power over my thoughts, especially someone that I had pratically just met.
But once again, the answer wasn't in my head.
It was in my shaking hands, but not for the cold.
In my unsteady steps because of my suddenly weak wobbly knees, but not because of the high heels I was wearing.
But most of all, the part that worried me more than all the others, were the signs that couldn't have been detected from the outside.
The ones that had the most devastating effect of me... A devastating, undeniable, delightful effect.
The wind blew again, bringing a slightly warmer wave of air that caressed my face more gently than the previous one, just barely brushing my cheeks as if it was inviting me to raise my gaze from the gray cement of the sidewalk where my eyes were fixed without looking as I kept walking.
But it wasn't the touch of the wind that made me almost snap my head up, but the scent that it brought along with it.
My eyes fluttered shut for the briefest moment, but long enough for my mind to send flashes of images of when and where I had smelled that fragrance.
I knew the answer before the first memory appeared, before my eyes could flutter completely open and before my heart could restart to beat again.
The small silent gasp that left my lips went lost in the air along with any other thoughts that just a few moments before were driving me crazy, when my eyes landed on her, standing a few feet away from me, and looking more beautiful than what I could bear to not feel myself falter.
And when she raised her gaze, as if she knew, just like any ever vigilant predator was aware of, that someone was watching her, it was the final blow that knocked all the air from my lungs and left me hopeless under the powerful effect that those two bright green gems were having on me with just a first glance.
I watched transfixed as her lips parted slightly to take in a small sip of air and how her expression matched my own of stupor and awe for a few almost imperceptible moments before she took the last couple of steps that were separating us, and then a big, wide smile appeared on her gorgeous face, showing her perfect white teeth and the brightest light into her eyes.
"Hey..."
It came out a little breathless from her, despite the new confidence that was showing with her broad smile, but it was something that made me feel strangely comfortable and that also made my chest swell with an unexpected surge of pride, knowing that under that smile, before it came out, even she had shown a hint of stupor when she had laid eyes on me.
"Hi..." I greeted her matching her own gentle tone, feeling a small grin forming on my lips as she looked at me, and then a soft blush warming my cheeks when I noticed her scanning her eyes up and down my body, seeing just a hint of my dress under my open coat before her eyes lingered a second longer on my exposed legs.
My smile only became bigger when her gaze returned to me and I saw, the appreciative look on her face, noticing also how her expressive green eyes had darkened into a few shades behind the black rimmed glasses. The sight was enough to send a warm shiver down my spine, but when she spoke, and that unmistakable look of appreciation was replaced by a softer one; her voice was gentle, yet tentative, but incredibly sincere when she surprised me by saying "You look... beautiful, Piper."
The way she looked at me, pausing a bit longer to look at my slightly parted lips as she swallowed before saying beautiful and hearing how my name left from those perfect, inviting red lips, was more than what I could bear.
The furious blush spread down my neck and I had to divert my gaze from hers for a moment when I saw a new smalled, but always amused smirk tugging at her lips.
"Thank you." I managed to reply to her compliment when I felt that my breathing was once again under control. My eyes returned to her and the words slipped from my lips before I could think twice about it and before the courage would have left me. "You look very nice too, Alex."
Very nice was an enormous understatement, but the bright smile that she gave me back told me she accepted it more than willingly and was worth a thousand times the blush that I could feel reaching the tip of my ears.
The make up she had chosen, the red lipstick, the black eyeliner that made her eyes look even more luminous and expressive, the different but simple hairstyle that made her soft locks just a hint wavy, landing gracefully over her shoulders and, when I looked down and noticed her lace up combat boots, I grinned, and all I could think of, was that she looked like an incredibly sexy rockstar, always mantaining that veiled hint of mystery that made her look so uniquely attractive to me.
Trying to keep my curiosity under control was hard when I started wondering what kind of dress she was wearing under her black coat, and most of all, despite how much I tried to push those inappropriate thoughts aside, wondering how much exposed skin I would have seen.
"Thanks...So, ready to go in?" She asked with a smile, lifting one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows and tilting her head towards the stone staircase that lead into the building a few steps away, offering her forearm to me in a very unexpected gesture that I couldn't help but find chivalrous.
I didn't answer verbally, just kept my gaze fixed with hers as I placed my hand on her forearm before she lead me towards the entrance of the building.
It was like, for the entire moment, since I had first laid eyes on her and then until I started walking once again, the surrounding, the sound of the steps of the other few people that kept walking beside us on the sidewalk and the noise of the traffic in the distance, had dissolved into nothing, but it wasn't something that should have surprised me so much...
Not since just a few days previous I noticed how her presence, her looks and the attention that she had showed to me, had managed to make me feel like I was the only person in that enormous hall at the museum. Just me, her, and two quitals of marble shaped into the form of an Amazon.
There was a man at the front door, whom stopped the persons who were entering to ask their names and compare them to a list that he was holding. To say that I was surprised when we reached the top of the stairs and he didn't ask our names but just smiled politely at us and opened the door saying "Good evening, ladies." would have been the understatement of the year, and when I saw Alex turning her head towards me only to throw at me a small innocent wink, I knew which was the answer for such a special treatment.
Despite the classical front of the building the inside of the structure was actually very modern.
So much space. Parquet floor with geometric design. And an high decorated ceiling.
It seemed to have two floors, noticing the wood stairs that lead on an upper floor on the distant corner of the main room, but the space was incredibly vast, and the room at the ground foor just opened in front of me as we entered, as if it was its official welcome.
The illumination was soft on the ceiling, with the special lights concentrated on the paintings on the walls.
I didn't even admire a single painting yet and I was already rendered speechlees by the location.
"Alex, this is beautiful..." I said amazed, barely registering that she was taking off my coat.
She chuckled softly when she heard the awe filling my voice. "This place was an abandoned art studio just a couple of years ago, but the best part after the reconsctruction is the upper floor..."
Her voice trailed off and it was enough to distract me from my scrutiny of the room to shift my gaze towards her.
She had taken a small step back and was looking at me with such an intense gaze that made me feel a sudden rush of warmth run through my body.
My cheeks became as red as my one shoulder cocktail dress as she examined every inch of my body, her eyes lingering a moment longer on the part that didn't have the strap and that left the area completely exposed.
Her eyes darkened, in that compelling way I had seen them darkening so many times and changing with so many different shades, in just the two times that I had seen her for work, and the effect it had on me was the opposite to immune.
"I think I need to rephrase what I said before when we were outside..." She paused and took a step closer to me, licking her lips before she leaned in and whispered mere inches from the side of my mouth. "You look stunning, kid."
Her warm breath caressed my cheek and my eyes flyuttered closed. Time seemed to stop as did the sounds in the room, to chatting of people to the music playing softly in the background. I almost expected, and secretly hoped, to feel those lips pressed against mine in a small gentle kiss, but to my immense disappointment, she pulled back.
"Would you like something to drink?" I had to blink a few times to clean my vision and to realize where we were when I heard her addressing to me, noticing the small, more innocent smirk on those full inviting red lips.
When I finally recovered, I considered her question for a moment longer, remembering that she had always offered me something to drink when I was at her place, and also remembering what she said to me about not being much of a drinker, and so I answered. "Yes please, whatever you take."
She furrowed her eyebrow in mild confusion but the smile never left her face. "It'll probably be something analcolic." She warned me lifting her eyebrows playfully.
"I know..." I answered knowingly, never diverting my gaze from hers and feeling a big smile already forming on my lips when I noticed how taken aback she seemed by my reply.
But she continued anyway. "You sure? There is an open bar," She said gesturing towards the small bar on the corner of the main room where a few other guests had gathered to drink and talk. "They have everything you want. Champagne, wine..."
"I'm sure..." I said convinced.
It was something so simple, yet the pleasantly surprised look that she gave me back was what widened my smile until I felt my cheeks hurt.
She knew it wasn't exactly about the drinks... But more about wanting to share this aspect of her, even if it seemed irrelevant.
"Alright," Here she diverted her gaze from mine, fiddling a little with her glasses before looking at my coat that she was holding around her forearm, and I had to bite on my lips to not let out a small chuckle. It was incredibly amusing see her acting a bit nervous.
"I'll take care of this," Her eyes then returned to me as did the confidence in her voice, but a little less into her bright smiling eyes. "Why don't you go and take a look around in the meantime?"
"Okay." I said with a nod and feeling new surge of excitement about the exhibition.
"I'll find you in a few minutes." She assured me with a soft smile before she turned and walked towards the other side of the room, unable to resist the urge to look down at her long, toned, creamy legs peeking out from underneath her coat, diverting my gaze only when a few people passed beside me and distracted my scrutiny with their loud chat.
The private exhibition was about Impressionism and Post Impressionism, two of my favourite periods, and the variation of the artists, that I noticed after just a first look around the main room, was incredibly vast. From most famous like Manet and Monet, to the urban landscapes of Pissarro, to the exercising dancers of Degas until the bright colorful representations of Cézanne and to the few macabre paintings of Sickert.
I could also tell that the elite of New York was present, where a few seemed more interested in discussing politics or business than actually enjoy the exhibition or talk about art. Luckily there were also the ones whom were interested and whom were friendly enough to greet me with a polite nod and a smile, feeling more than happy to return them.
I was so excited that I didn't know where to start, but I decided it would have been better to follow the path chosen by whom had set the exposition, which was also the chronological one.
I admired the tecnique and the incredible skill of Manet in showing the brightness of the light like golden rays, the accuracy that Pissarro could represent even with thin and small brush strokes, still being able to capture perfectly the smaller and more distant details.
"You didn't waste time, kid." That deep, slightly amused voice that was becoming more and more familiar and which effect on me could only have been described as addictive, startled me a bit and made me turn to look at Alex's smirking face.
"Here." She said handing me one of the two glasses filled with an half orange and half red liquid. "Passionfruit and strawberry. Alcohol free."
I thanked her trying to not show too much surprise, and wondering if it was just a coincidence that she had chosen two of my favourite fruits combined together.
She winked at me and brought her own glass to her lips. I repeated the movement without even realizing it, tasting the drink on my lips and once the flavor spread on my tongue, I couldn't suppress a moan.
The sweetness was just the one of the fruit and the light spakling sensation made it even more refreshing. But my reaction, made the raven haired woman at my side look even more amused.
"It seems that I've chosen something good..."
I blushed a little, but I still managed to answer her. "It's delicious, Alex... Thank you."
"You're welcome." She took another small sip before her attention turned to the painting in front of us, taking a small step back to have a better look.
My heart jumped forcefully against my ribcage and for a moment I was afraid that I wouldn't have been able to remain standing in my high heels as soon as I noticed that she had taken off her coat and was now standing beside me with a clinging black dress.
My eyes widened slightly and even if my mouth fell open, it seemed that my lungs were unable to receive even the smallest sip of air.
"Renoir?" She asked as she examined the Venetian landscape.
I had to swallow several times, really hard, to try to bring some moisture in my suddenly dry throat before I could offer an answer. "Y-yeah, I was just admiring his technique, and this work is just..." My eyes never left her body as I talked, noticing how the sexy black dress left exposed her long legs and how amazingly it hugged her delicious curves.
I saw her turning her head to look at me, still waiting for me to finish my sentence, and then our eyes met.
"...so beautiful."
The words left my lips before I could consider what I was saying.
The look she gave me back, the bright smile, the soft almost imperceptible blush that had me wonder if it was real or if it was the illumination of the room, were what made my heart start beating once again, much faster and louder than before.
She knew that I wasn't talking about the painting anymore.
And I was glad that for the first couple of minutes I had occasion to see at least a few of the exposed works, because from that moment, with just a few exceptions, my eyes remained fixed on her for the rest of the evening.
. . .
I didn't need words.
The appreciation was more than evident on her face and in the way she looked at me.
In the way her eyes widened and darkened in that deeper shade of blue that I had seen several times during our previous encounters, but that this time held something different. Something that I couldn't quite place, but that I knew was holding more than just appreciation and simple desire.
Whatever it was, seemed enough to start once again the storm of contrasting sensations that I managed to keep under control inside of me, and since I had no intention to become an hostage under their effect, no matter how intense they were, I decided that a conversation with my guest would have been what I needed to distract me, and luckily, she seemed to have the same idea.
"So..." She cleared her throat softly. "You mentioned that you've been here before?" She asked tentatively as she started to recover from her moment of stupor, and I remembered what I was saying to her when we first entered in the building.
"Yeah, last year." I nodded in consent. "They had arranged this exhibition of ancient sculptures." Then I chuckled when I remembered what had happened in that occasion, succeeding in capturing the attention of my guest with a curious look and a smile on her face that encouraged me to continue.
"That time I asked to my friend, Nicky, if she wanted to come with me," I started, and she turned to face me completely as I recalled the last time that I had invited Nicky to partecipate in something that involved art. "And, let's just say that art isn't exactly her favorite topic, and since I knew that fact too, half of the blame is on me for what happened..."
"Should I worry?" She asked with a hint of humour and a new smile already forming on her lips as if she knew that it was going to be something funny.
I took a sip of my drink before shaking my head. "I wouldn't say worry, no. But she got pretty bored during the evening and ended up drinking... a bit too much of what she was used to,"
I paused long enough to enjoy the beginning of an amused chuckle as she chewed the tip of the straw in her glass before I continued. "Anyway, the only thing I know, is that a minute before she was at my side, slurring something that after a while was actually taking a philosophical turn, and the next one she was flirting with the copy of the Aphrodite of Knidos."
As soon as I finished, the amused chuckle turned into a loud laugh full of mirth.
The sound of that authentic laugh reached my ears and settled immediately into my chest with a comforting sense of warmth that had me smile broadly.
It was such a beautiful sound, and her face, and the light in her eyes before they fluttered shut, reflected exactly how sincere her reaction was.
"Was she successful in her attempt to seduce her?" She asked through another round of chuckles, this time making me laugh out loud.
"I think that if it wasn't for me pulling her away, she would have charmed her... She can be very persuasive." I answered as soon as I recovered.
I watched her wiping away a small tear from the corner of her eye before she said "I think your friend Nicky enjoys art more than what she wants to admit. She just needed some liquid courage to realize it." She gave another one of those breathtaking smiles and this time, it brought the same fluttering feeling in my stomach that had kept me company when I was driving.
"Maybe," I said trying to ignore the sensation and the fact that was spreading further up.
"But I've never took a chance to invite her to another exhibition ever again."
The little embarassing tale had helped in lighten the mood and the conversation flowed easily between us after that moment with no awkwardness or embarassing silences as she moved from one painting towards the next in what had become a very crowded room in just a few minutes, that had the both of us standing more close to each other and that had me gently place my hand on the small of her back more than once.
It's to guide her through the crowd. I said to myself. Not to keep her closer to me.
An excuse that lasted just for the first three times, because when I noticed that also she was doing everything to stay just a little closer to me, that lame excuse was pushed out of my mind and I just started to enjoy the closeness that I couldn't deny was having a very pleasant and comforting effect on me.
During the evening she had explained to me in great details the characteristics of Impressionism, from where it started and in what period, which one were the influences that had inspired it, and how the artists had redescovered the landscapes, where the interest wasn't much on the draw but it was pointed towards the color.
She explained me about how the artists of this movement preferred plain air painting and how some of them had seen in the invention of the camera a tool to create their own paintings retracing the image of the picture, the outlines and the basic structure, before they released their creativity to alter the same landscape as they pleased with the addition of new elements and changing the original colors.
She was so incredibly smart.
So incredibly passionate and curious about what she saw that it was impossible to not find it a fascinating attractive trait.
"How are your studies going?" I asked after a while when we reached the second floor, hoping that my question wasn't too personal, not wanting to intrude too much, but feeling also curious to know more about her.
The fact that she beamed at me brighter than the sun was a good enough answer for me that she was more than comfortable about this topic and I released a inner sigh of relief.
"They are going fine... Actually," She paused looking down at her hands and biting softly on her bottom lip as if she was considering to or not to say something, before she finally raised her head and continued. "I've just given my last exam."
She seemed pretty excited about it, and I could just show a true interest. "Congratulation kid..." I smiled sincerely at her and she smiled back at me with a new soft blush coloring her cheeks.
"Thanks..."
The upper floor was much smalled than what I remembered, it felt more cozy, and it was also much less crowded, something that I didn't know if it should have pleased me or not, since I was enjoying having the young art student so close to me... More than what I wanted to admit to myself.
She stopped in front of a sea landscape.
"Do you like it?" I asked when I noticed that she remained quiet for some time in front of the painting.
She turned her head towards me when she heard my voice and smiled, but this time it wasn't full. It held a hint of melancholy and... sadness.
It had me immediately worried. But before I could ask if everything was okay, she spoke, her gaze fixed on the painting once again.
"It's so luminous..." She said shaking her head before sighing quietly. "There are so few ripples in the water and no clouds in the sky that the sunset just seems to melt with the sea."
I took a step closer and looked at the bright colors, at the last golden rays of the sun penetrating the surface of the water, and for a brief moment, I felt some of the melancholy that I had seen in her face a minute previous.
"Sorry," She apologized after a moment and her real smile started to return, slowly. "I just can't remember the last time I've seen a sunset on the sea..."
I smiled at her. "No need to apologize... Some artists can really express sentiments through their works, and this one is very realistic." But despite my answer and the big smile that I received back from her, for a few moments, I couldn't help but wonder if it was that thought that had her looking sad all of a sudden...
The air was a bit more chilly by the time that the exhibition was over and we were exiting, being welcomed by the much calmer and incredibly much silent night. And, luckily, it took me just a bit of persuasion to convince her that it was more than okay to accompany her back at home when I offered to do it, which was the other reason because I wanted to go with my own car; so that we could have remained for as long as she wanted without worrying about the hour for the driver to pick her up.
I wanted her to enjoy the evening and the soft shy smile that she gave me when she accepted my offer the second time, along with the same light shining into the those deep blue pools, told me that maybe, I wasn't the only one who felt more than a bit reluctant at the idea to end such a nice evening.
The drive was silent except for the soft music coming from the stereo, and I could feel every single one of those sensations, that I managed to keep pretty easily under control during the night, starting to resurface once again.
Her close proximity and the delicate scent of her perfume that filled the car mixed with the one of the leather made me grip the steering wheel a little harder as I tried to control my breathing and slow down the forceful beats of my heart.
But my efforts weren't enough, not when I noticed her looking at me and then diverting her gaze from my profile when I turned my head to look briefly at her and catch her a little too late, but just in time to see the beginning of a new blush spreading on her cheeks.
"Here we are..." We arrived too soon, the streets were strangely desolated and silent; the exact opposite than what I felt running inside me as I stopped the car in front of her apartment building and exited just to open her door, offering my hand to help her out; not the first chivalrous gesture of the night that earned me another one of those shy smiles in return.
"Thank you Alex," She said sincerely when we reached the front door of the building.
"For the ride and for your invitation to the exhibition."
A small smile tugged at my lips. "You're very welcome, kid." I answered as I looked right into her eyes, captivated by the light that I saw in there and that increased the intensity of the sensations that I was feeling inside of me, that made my voice slightly huskier and a few tones deeper.
"It's been a very beautiful night..." She continued taking a small, almost imperceptible step closer towards me.
And I found myself shifting slightly forward too.
The night had been incredibly pleasant for me. More than just pleasant actually.
Her presence, the way the conversation flowed easily between us during the night with no sign of embarassment or awkwardness, felt just so right and natural.
For an entire evening no dark thoughts had crossed my mind, and I knew it wasn't a coincidence that those thoughts happened to be a thousand of miles away when she was around.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it..." Without my consent, my hand came up to tuck a golden strand of hair behind her ear and I watched how her eyes fluttered shut and feeling how she leaned against my touch.
She was just so beautiful that I couldn't resist.
My heart started beating faster and when her eyes fluttered open once again, I noticed the new light that had appeared into them, but it wasn't something that I had seen before into them.
It wasn't just pure desire, or lust, or even arousal.
But it was a look that attracted me just like those other did, maybe more, and when she shifted her gaze to look briefly at my mouth as she bit down on her bottom lip, I knew exactly what she was thinking about.
I had seen her doing that same thing only a few nights previous...
It was the same thought that I was trying to push aside knowing that maybe it wasn't something I should be doing, but unable to stop thinking about how good it felt just kissing her, remembering the pleasure I received from such a simple contact, only this time, it wasn't just about receiving pleasure.
There was something more.
Something that had tried to push forward for the entire evening, after every new smile that appeared on her face, every laugh escaping from her lips, every shy look she threw at me.
I cupped her cheek in my hand and I gently traced her bottom lip with my thumb, slowly, feeling her warm shallow breaths caressing my skin.
We were so close that only a few inches were separating us and even if every cell of my body, every drop of blood in my veins and every molecule of oxigen in my lungs was telling me to lean in and press my lips to hers...
I didn't do it.
"Alex?" She whispered softly against my lips.
"Yes?"
She did.
It was so soft and tentative that for the first few seconds I thought I was just imagining it, I thought I was just dreaming it, but after a few moments, we started moving together in a gentle dance. And even with its softness, it was one of the most intenses kisses I had ever received.
My other hand came up to cup her face and our lips parted in the same moment to deepen the kiss.
I didn't kiss her first because I wanted her to choose.
Because I wanted her to have the power to decide what to do.
I was no longer guided by my thirst of control or by the other wild, primal force that lived inside me; I wouldn't have been able to resist if I was under their effects, and I couldn't permit to that part of me to ruin that moment.
This wasn't about a physical need.
It was something deeper.
Something that had been hidden in place inside of me for so long that had sunk into a cold, icy abyss, deluding myself that all I needed to feel was the warmth of my body to have the illusion that I was still alive.
But I was wrong.
My hands and my soul where stained with the blood of hundreds of lives because of what I had chosen to do. It didn't matter that they deserved what I did to them.
Death and loss had drained a great part of the human in me, and rended me an empty shell, no different from a cold blooded animal long before I started doing this job.
It wasn't the warmth of my body, or the feeling of another one pressed against mine that would have ever made me believe that I wasn't any different.
...It was the one I felt spreading inside me in that moment.
Reluctantly, we pulled away, no longer able to resist the need of air, but still remaining close, breathing each other essence as we rested our foreheads together.
"What are we doing, Alex?" She whispered breathlessly against my lips, not sounding confused or showing a hint of regret, holding her hands on my waist to bring me a little closer as she softly nuzzled her nose against the side of mine for a brief moment.
How I wished I had an answer to that question, but all I had were a storm of sensations that had woke up some parts of me that were long forgotten.
"I don't know..." I answered at last, pulling back just enough to look into her eyes, feeling as my heart skipped a beat when I saw the intensity of the emotions flashing into them.
But just because I didn't know, it didn't mean that I didn't have every intention to figure out what was happening between us.
Because I knew she felt it too.
I had just seen it.
I took in a small sip of air before I pulled back a little more, hoping that what I was going to ask her, even if the controlled part of me was already telling me that it wasn't a good idea, would have earned me the answer I was hoping for.
"Take the day off tomorrow and come away with me, Piper."
I watched as her eyes widened but she didn't show any sign of reluctance when after a few long moments she asked "Where?"
I shook my head as I traced her cheek with my fingertips. "Doesn't matter... I just," My voice betrayed me a little and I diverted my gaze for a second, thinking about what to say butrecovering quickly when the words came to me. "...want to know more about you."
She had no reason to accept, I knew that.
We barely knew each other. That is why, if she was going to turn me down, I wasn't going to insist, but I knew I would have regretted it if I wouldn't have at least tried to ask.
And even if I was hoping that she would have accepted, I wasn't expecting to see that new light shining in her endless blue eyes or the penetrating look that she gave me right before she surprised me by capturing my lips with hers in a much longer, much tender kiss.
Once again, words weren't needed.
And I could only smile into that kiss when I felt her body melting against mine.