Chapter 14. Waiting
By their third day together, Jack realised he was falling in love with Kate again. Not in the same, blind way he'd loved her as a child, when he was too young to see the flaws in her character, but in a new, frighteningly complex way.
His heart leapt every time she smiled at him, every time their bodies brushed against each other as they walked side by side, and broke each time she let her guard down, allowing him to see how hurt she really was inside. In these moments, he was torn between wanting to take her into his arms and kiss her until she forgot everything but him, and just being her friend, even if that meant keeping his distance for the rest of their lives.
Even though she'd broken up with James, Jack wasn't sure she shared his feelings. She seemed to enjoy his companionship as they walked around town, or just sat in his motel room, talking, or watching TV, but after that first night, she'd never expressed an interest in anything more. He caught her staring at him sometimes, watching him drive, or eat, or laugh, or perform any number of seemingly mundane tasks, but she'd smile warily when he looked at her, changing the subject to something impersonal or unimportant before he had a chance to speak.
As much as he was beginning to want more than the platonic friendship they'd fallen back into, Jack was afraid to do anything to change their relationship, at the risk of losing her trust. From what he'd managed to piece together, he was the first man who'd ever spent time with her without taking anything in return. He didn't want to confirm her fears about him by presenting her with an ulterior motive.
If that meant waiting until she was ready, then he would wait, as long as it took. They'd waited more than half their lives to be together. A few more days, weeks, months, even years, wouldn't hurt.