“What?”I asked, self-conscious under his gaze.
“Nothing,” he said, though his voice had dropped lower.“I just like seeing you relaxed.”
I let out a breathy laugh, shaking my head.“I don’t think I’ve felt that in a while.”
“Maybe it’s time to change that.”
The words hung between us, quiet but charged.
Before I could think too hard about it, I stepped closer.“You know, you’re dangerously good at saying the right thing.”
He smiled, just barely.“That’s because I don’t say much.Can’t say the wrong thing if I don’t talk in the first place.”
I laughed and shook my head.“No.You save them for when they count.”
“Maybe.”His voice dropped slightly.“Or maybe I just wait for someone who’s worth saying them to.”
That made my heart stop for half a second.
He didn’t move closer, but his eyes met mine, calm and unflinching.The distance between us didn’t feel like a distance anymore.
I reached for him before I could talk myself out of it.He caught my hand halfway, fingers sliding against mine, and then he leaned in.The kiss was soft, but it didn’t take him long to deepen it when I responded by leaning closer to him.His thumb brushed against my cheek as if he couldn’t believe I was really there.
When we finally pulled apart, his forehead rested against mine, both of us breathing softly.
“You okay?”he murmured.
“Yeah,” I whispered.“I think so.”
He smiled faintly.“Good.”
We ended up on the couch together, legs tangled, my head resting against his shoulder while a muted movie flickered in the background.His hand traced slow, absent circles over my knuckles, and every few minutes, he pressed a quiet kiss into my hair.
I loved how quickly the day went from lonely, to overwhelmed with laughter, to this relaxed calmed state.I was so relaxed that I was already dozing by the time Justin gave me a quick kiss goodnight and headed over to Seth’s for the night.I almost asked him to stay for the night but thought better of it and reluctantly let him go.
Chapter Twenty-Four
