HARMONY
Crois had to be certifiable.After he shot up from the table at breakfast, Harmony thought he’d sneak out the back door. It wouldn’t have surprised her.
She should have known better than to order her favorite breakfast from Peggy Ann’s Diner. She might not be adventurous in her food choices, but she could be… enthusiastic.
Vega had become used to it and just ignored her if she became ‘too much.’
But she’d learned to control herself.
For the most part.
Why she’d relaxed like that around Crois? She had no idea.
She should have been more controlled.
She could have blamed it on the lack of sleep, but that didn’t quite ring true in her head.
Sigh.
Still, he’d come back to the table and while he’d smiled and joked with her, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was a little forced.
By the time they left the diner she was worried that she’d ruined everything.
Crois walked her to his car and before he reached for the passenger door handle, she put her hand out and touched his arm.
He froze in place, his head turning to look at her with a strange expression on his face.
When his gaze met hers, she pulled her hand away. “S…sorry.”
He straightened to his full height and leaned in toward her, just an inch or two in reality, but she felt her heart pounding in her chest. “What’s there to be sorry for?”
She swallowed but her ears felt stuffy like she’d gone up into the clouds. It took her a moment to answer. “For touching you like that,” she gestured at his arm. “And for… and for whatever made you leave the table earlier. I… I don’t know what to apologize for, so I’m apologizing for all of it.”
Harmony pulled in a breath when he turned, moving her between the car and his larger form.
“You,” he lifted a hand and tapped the tip of her nose with his fingertip, “have nothing to apologize for. What happened in there was all on me.”
She gave him a look, narrowing her gaze on him. “I don’t know…”
“I love that you love those pancakes. Even better than that, I think it’s awesome that you didn’t hide how much you liked it from me. My problem is that my eyes are open now, Harmony. I see you. I… want to see more of you. And that means that you don’t have to hold back from me.”
She was blushing to the roots of her hair. “It’s… silly. Childish.”
He reached out and she thought he might touch her face. Or maybe put his hand on her shoulder. Instead, he set hishand on the roof of the car. “If you were childish,” he smiled, “we wouldn’t be standing here, Harmony. I might be a guy who seems to be a little crazy on the outside. I’m also a man who knows good when I see it. And you, Harmony Morgan, EMT extraordinaire, are good all over.
“If you think that I have a problem with that, with you… tell me. I’ll answer whatever questions you have. And I know that I think… I think you’re fascinating. It’s the reason why I wanted to take you out to dinner… Well, it ended up as breakfast, but I would have taken any option that you’d give me.”
Harmony breathed in through her nose, filling her lungs. It was hard to talk to him about this. Hard to explain.
“I’m not sure-”
“About me?”
She heard the hurt in his voice and felt even worse than she had a moment before.
She shook her head. “More about me. I’m just… I came here to get away from pressures about my life. I never expected… I didn’t plan to meet someone and… start something.”
“Well, you met me a while ago,” he lowered his voice and moved closer, just an inch or so. “So, this isn’t a love at first sight thing.”
