Staring straight ahead, he nodded. “When you need to clear your head or just reset, this is the best place to come.”
“Does no one else know about this place?”
“I’m sure they do, but they didn’t hear about it from me.”
“You keep it to yourself so it can stay peaceful.”
“Exactly.”
After basking in the solitude of it for a moment, I nodded. “This fits you,” I murmured.
“How so?”
“Have you ever been told you have a calming spirit?”
He shook his head slowly. “I don’t think so.”
“Maybe it’s just me.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “But you feel calm.”
“Thank you?” There was a questioning tinge at the end of his response, but I didn’t elaborate. “What does that mean?”
It meant he felt like calm in the chaos that was my life. It meant it felt like his presence soothed every ache and pain bottled up in me. It meant that with him, I could just be me and escape everything else. But since I’d known him for all of five minutes, there was no way for me to say that he felt like a safe haven and not make things weird.
Heat crept up my neck. “I can’t explain it…”
… without looking delusional, I finished silently.
“But it’s a good thing?” he pressed.
Shifting my gaze away from him, I nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, then I’m glad I feel calm to you.”
We sat quietly, staring straight ahead for a minute, taking everything in.
“I can clear my head and think out here,” Lamar said, breaking the silence.
“I can see why you’d keep it to yourself.” I watched how the sun reflected off the surface of the water. “Are you worried I’m going to spread the word about your spot?” I asked jokingly.
“Nah, you wouldn’t do that.”
“Because you know I don’t talk to anybody in the area?” I guessed, amused.
“Because I trust you.” I felt him staring at me. “And I don’t think you’d do me like that.”
When I turned my face toward him, we locked eyes.
“How do you think I’d do you?” I asked, my heart beating faster.
“Right.”
I licked my lips. “Is that why you invited me out?”
“Partly.”
My stomach flipped.
Biting my bottom lip, I waited for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, I pressed: “What was the other part of the reason?”
