As he drove her home, Aliza watched the city lights blur past, her heart full in a way that felt both exhilarating and terrifying.She didn’t know where this thing between them would lead. But she knew one thing for certain—she wanted to find out.
Elias
Elias sat in his car outside Aliza’s building long after she’d gone inside. The engine was still running, soft and steady, but he hadn’t made any move to head toward home. His hands rested on the steering wheel as he stared at the dark windows of her apartment complex, replaying the night in his head like a movie he didn’t want to end.
That kiss in the park was the main feature that played mostly through his thoughts, and he wondered why he had insisted on taking her home instead of back to his place. He was rusty—out of practice, and maybe that had him on guard. He wanted to take more from her, but he knew that moving too quickly might just scare her off. She seemed innocent, and that thought scared the hell out of him. The question was—just how innocent was she?
The kiss hadn’t been explosive or reckless—but it had been real and honest. The kind of kiss that left him feeling grounded instead of off balance, and that was new for him. For years, his life had been clean and compartmentalized. He had his work life and his home life. There were no complications. There was no one close enough to disrupt the carefully ordered world he’d built around himself. And in the space of two dates, Aliza had slid right past all that like it didn’t exist.
He reluctantly drove home, showered, and crawled into bed, but sleep was slow to come. His mind kept circling the same thoughts. She was too young for him. She’s still figuring herself out. She would never fit into his life or his world. And yet, she didn’t seem to be any of those things when she looked at him. She didn’t feel like someone playing at being a grownup. She felt like a woman who knew herself well enough to know what she wanted.
At some point during the night, sleep found him. The next morning, Elias walked into St. Jacobs with a faint smile he couldn’t quite suppress. Unfortunately, his good mood didn’t go unnoticed.
“Well, if it isn’t Romeo,” Harris called from the nurses’ station. “You look like you got lucky last night. I’m guessing you had another day with the young hottie who bid on you.”
Elias rolled his eyes. “Do you ever stop talking?”
“Nope. Especially when I find the whole situation entertaining,” Harris said.
Jonnas appeared beside him, coffee in hand. “You look rested,” he noted dryly.
“Thanks, I slept well,” Elias replied.
“That’s not what I meant,” Jonnas drawled. Elias ignored him and headed toward his office. His friend didn’t seem to take the hint that he wanted to be alone and followed him.
“So,” Jonnas pressed once the door shut. “How was date number two? I’m guessing that you slept alone, judging by how rested you look.”
Elias hesitated, then smiled despite himself. “You seem upset about my sleeping conditions. But if you really want to know, the date went well, really well.”
Jonnas grinned. “But not well enough that you got laid,” he mumbled under his breath.
“Don’t be an ass,” Elias drawled, sinking into his leather chair behind his desk. “I might be in trouble.” He sipped his coffee, not wanting to say too much for fear of jinxing things with Aliza.
“Because you like her?” Jonnas asked, picking up what he was hinting at.
“Because I really like her,” Elias admitted. “I don’t think that I’ve been this enthralled with any woman in a damn long time.”
Jonnas leaned back against the desk. “You sound terrified when you should sound happy. I mean, isn’t it good that you like her so much? Or wait—does she not like you back?” This whole conversation made the two of them sound like teenage boys discussing girls in high school.
“I am terrified,” Elias admitted. “I keep thinking about everything that could go wrong. The age difference, and her being in school still. My life is pretty set. I mean, I have work, and my home life. What if adding her to the mix messes up the balance in my life that I seem to crave?”
“What happens if things between the two of you actually go right? You’re focused on what’s going to go wrong and haven’t thought about things going right between you two. What if she’s the one and you’re too focused on all of the obstacles you’re putting in the way?” Jonnas was always the voice of reason in his life. The guy was a wild card—running amok in his own life, but when it came to giving advice, he was pretty solid.
Elias was quiet for a moment. “I don’t usually let myself think about what could go right, because it usually doesn’t,” Elias grumbled.
Jonnas chuckled. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic. Maybe you should think about things going right. Change your mindset, and maybe, you’ll see that things don’t always have to be doom and gloom.”
Elias exhaled slowly. “I don’t want to be a detour in her life. What if she’s only looking to have a good time? I’m too old for that kind of relationship. I’d like to find someone and settle down—maybe even have a few kids.”
“The great Elias Kingston wants to settle down and pop out some kids? Maybe you are a destination,” Jonas said. “Or at least a damn good stop along the way. But maybe, you’re not. What if she’s looking for the same things that you are? Have you asked her?”
“After only two fucking dates, no,” Elias breathed. “I mean, we’re still getting to know each other. If I start asking questions about our future together, I’d scare her off.”
“Exactly,” Jonnas said. “You’re just getting to know each other. So, why not take things one date at a time and figure out what you both want? What do you have to lose?” he asked.
Elias chuckled. “You should charge me for this. You’re a hell of a lot better at this than my shrink.”
“Please, I do this for the entertainment,” Jonnas drawled. Elias glanced at his phone, resisting the urge to text Aliza for the tenth time that morning. He woke up with her on his mind and decided that texting her good morning was a good idea. Then, when she didn’t answer that text, he texted her asking her how she was doing. Eight more texts later, he had asked her about her plans for the day, and even if she had dinner plans, with no response from Aliza. Maybe he was being too pushy, or maybe she had decided that he wasn’t what she wanted and was ghosting him. At least, that’s what he thought it was called when someone stopped communicating and disappeared from the person’s life. The thought of never seeing Aliza again did strange things to his heart, though.
