“Haha, did Dominic tell you we are dating?” I question, trying to understand what she meant.
“Not precisely, but I saw you two some weeks ago. I can tell from how Dominic looks at you, he likes you, and from how you look at him too, it’s clear. You have a thing for him,” she hits my arm jovially.
“Ah! Well, we’ve both been busy, and nothing is really going on. I mean…” I pull a nervous laugh.
“You are lucky. Dominic is a great man; he deserves a great woman too. And you two are fit for each other,” Tess continues.
“Yeah,” I nod simultaneously.
She stands up sharply. “I have to go now; I’m leaving Crystal Mill tomorrow. I haven’t packed my bags yet.”
“Oh, tomorrow? That’s so soon. We will miss you!” I pull her into a big hug.
“I will miss this place too!”
We break the hug gently, and I walk her to her car. I can’t believe she’s leaving tomorrow; Tess is such a good person. She helped me with the cabin’s interior design. “Be safe!” I wave, watching her car drive off.
I sigh loudly, thinking over what Tess told me. She’s right; I have feelings for Dominic. But I’m not sure he feels the same way. How does he look at me?
I glance at the wall clock; the time is 5:43 pm. Dominic’s café closes by 6:00 pm on Thursdays. So, he’d still be there, probably wrapping up the day’s activities. I should go there early if I want to see him.
“I should be able to make it there before 6,” I tell myself as I contemplated taking my car or trekking. I opt to trek since it is a few steps away from here.
Dominic was closing the café’s door when I got there. “Hey,” a smile spreads across my lips as I walk to meet him.
He turns around slowly. “Rose.”
I stand on my toe and wrap my arms around his neck. “I missed you!” I confess.
“I missed you too!” he hugs me back. “I planned on stopping by too,” Dominic expresses as we break the hug.
“Mm, I guess we are on each other’s mind.” The words had fallen from my lips before I realized how heavy it sounded. I pause to express his facial expression; trying to understand if he feels the same way as I do; I crave to make this happen between us honestly. If what Tess said is true about how he feels about me, then I’d like him to say it. And if he does not say it first, no law says the man has to make the first move, I will tell him how I feel.
Nine
Dominic
“Mm, I guess we are on each other’s mind,” Rose utters, a smile dancing on her lips.
The ache in my chest intensified when she said that. I have been thinking about her throughout the day; throughout the day? No, I think about her every damn time. At night before I sleep, in the morning when I wake up, I think about her. It’s crazy, but I knew this would happen from the very first moment I met her. I knew she was different from all the other girls I’ve met. The force of attraction that attracted me to her is bigger than anything I’ve felt. I want to make her mine. I want to. Friendship is not enough; I want more.
“We are,” I respond, pausing my eyes on her full lips. If only she could read my mind, to see how much I crave to claim her. How much I yearn to call her mine.
“I was worried you might have closed for the day. Lucky me!” she smiles again.
My heart flutters in my chest against my will; I clench my hand into a fist to suppress the urge to take her lips in my mouth right there; she’s doing unimaginable things to my inside. It’s probably because I’ve missed her so much. These past few weeks have been difficult for me – trying to convince myself that she is not the right one for me. But it’s not working, it is not. Usually, I don’t have a problem getting over a woman once I realize they are into somebody else, but this one is different.
Most times, when I drop by at the cabin and see Simon there with her, assisting her, the only thing I feel is jealousy. On some days, I try to convince myself that they are not in anything, and Rose does not like him. Some other days, I find myself praying they break up. It’s crazy, but I can’t help myself from having such thoughts. There’s only one thing I desperately need, and it’s this woman. I’ve crushed on various women several times, loved some, but I have never experienced anything as strong as this; never.
“I need a cup of coffee, I guess I’ll have to come back tomorrow since—”
“I live close to this place, if you don’t mind coming over for a cup of coffee,” I cut her mid-sentence.
“Of course, I would love that.”
Fifteen minutes later we are in my cabin. I’m nervous and begging my body to cooperate with my brain. Dominic, you can’t do anything rash.
“Wow, nice place. You must be a sucker for cleanliness!” Rose exclaims as she looks around observantly.
