The way he drank in my appearance with parted lips and a blush smattering across his cheeks, he clearly liked what he saw.
A few drops of rain began to drizzle as our gazes twined with one another. The air immediately charged with an invigorating energy. It transformed the lump in my throat to a hundred little butterflies in my stomach.
Why was I feeling this way? What was happening to me—us?
The atmosphere shifted and the wind wrapped around our bodies like an invisible tie holding us together, spellbound in the moment.
Cade was the first to speak, his voice low and a hint raspy, like a gritty sounding lullaby. “It’s Ella, right?”
I liked how he enunciated each syllable in my name, caressing it on his tongue as though learning its flavour.
I blushed too. “U-Uh, yes. H-Hi.” I was stuttering, tongue-tied. Rarely did I react this way with boys. I was an extrovert, bubbling with confidence and endless chatter. “That’s me.”
Cade cleared his throat, still staring at me in awe. “How are you?”
“I’m good. You?” When he gazed at me longer than expected, I realized he was probably waiting for me to pay him first. I fumbled with the zipper of my purse, reaching for the cash. “Um, this is for you.”
I extended the bills towards him. He eyed them confusedly for two seconds before his lips set in a grim line.
“Right.” He reached inside his hoodie pocket for a baggie of weed. “This is yours.”
Electricity zinged between us when our palms touched.
I sucked in a sharp breath, feeling off-kilter.
Words ceased to escape us both. I would have given anything to know what was going through his mind. My heart sped up in beats the longer we stared at one another. He looked like hewanted to say something, his gaze warm and curious.
My goodness. He had such precious blue eyes. A girl could gaze into them forever.
I didn’t have forever, though. My friends were waiting for me at Marnie’s Shack, the retro-themed dessert spot right across the street. I felt my phone vibrating with their incoming text messages.
“Thank you,” I finally said with a faint smile. “I should go. I’ll text you again when I need more, if that’s okay?”
His eyes fell to my lips like he couldn’t help himself. “Yeah. Sounds good.”
Neither of us moved from our positions. Not even when the rain started pounding harder against the ground, soaking us to the bone.
Was it wishful thinking to assume he didn’t want me to leave?
My phone blared with the familiar ringtone of Darla calling. Cade and I both flinched at the sound. I declined and retreated a few steps. “All right, well, see you around.”
Stop me. Say something. Give me a reason to stay.
Cade chin-nodded and whispered in what I’d like to believe was a reluctant manner, “See you.”
After our goodbyes, I walked away, though I couldn’t help but glance over my shoulder. He was watching me, making sure I reached my destination safely.
Later when I was with my friends, I realized I hadn’t seen Cade smile. It bothered me more than I’d like.
After that encounter, Cade stayed on my mind for days. I wanted to see him again.
And then it happened. Our second meeting. The one that altered my brain chemistry.
In August, I saw him sitting in my garden while I stood on my balcony, an awestruck expression on his face as he gazed in mydirection.
He looked at me like I was the answer to every question he’d ever asked the universe.
The confidence that had been previously missing on our first meeting returned to me tenfold and I winked at him.
