What the fuck does that mean?
My head is going to fucking explode.
“Can you show me the zones for the hollow heart field?” he repeats, and my brow furrows.
After everything that happened between us, he’s asking about field zones? The same zones he’s made very clear hedoesn’t like and doesn’t understand. And it’s the middle of the morning. Isn’t he supposed to be out running the planter?
My eyes drop briefly down his dirt-streaked jeans and worn hoodie before I force my attention back up to his eyes. “Are you not planting today?”
“I was. But…” He steps closer and leans over the desk, bracing both hands on the surface as he looks straight into my eyes.
Jesus fucking Christ.
“Please, Levi.”
Well, fuck me.
I nod, and he pushes himself upright again. There’s a restless energy in him, almost like excitement, which is really fucking confusing. The last time I saw him, I had just kissed him, and he shoved me back and stared at me like he was afraid I might try it again. Like it was the last thing he wanted.
But right now, I don’t see any of that. It’s like he’s pushed that kiss out of his mind, and it didn’t even happen.
So I guess we’re just ignoring it.
That… sucks.
I’ve barely had time to process what any of this means or how the hell we’re supposed to move forward from here. But if pretending it never happened is what he wants, then I guess we go back to being friends.
I’m not sure I can do that, but I’ll try. Because I can’t lose him as a friend over this. And if he’s giving me a second chance at being friends… or a third, I suppose… then I’ll take it. No matter how hard it’s going to be to pretend I didn’t like kissing him.
I gesture for him to pull a chair up next to me as I open the mapping software and bring up the Geographic Information System layers for the hollow heart field. I built the zones using the data we have, which is about as far as I’ve taken the analysis so far.
We never did go over the report.
As he sits down beside me, I have to remind myself to breathe and keep my attention fixed on the computer screen instead of letting my mind drift back to the way his mouth felt against mine. But the memory presses in anyway, vivid and unwelcome in the worst possible way. I remember the warmth of his lips and the way his tongue slid against mine, sending a rush through me that felt so fucking good I wanted more immediately, even while I was freaking the fuck out.
I squint my eyes at the screen, afraid to even look at him. Because if I do, I’ll be tempted to lean in and steal another kiss. Even though he made it quite clear last night that he doesn’t want that.
But he’s here…
For the field.
He’s here for the field. That’s it.
I angle the laptop towards him so he can see the zone map. He leans closer to study it, and despite everything I try to do to keep my attention where it belongs, my eyes drift to him anyway. I watch the way his gaze moves across the screen, and how his brow tightens slightly in concentration as he pulls his lower lip between his teeth while he thinks. He’s sitting so close that if I shifted in my seat, my shoulder would brush his, and I quickly force myself to drag my eyes away from him.
“This isn’t right.”
I look back at him with a furrowed brow. “What?”
He shakes his head and gestures toward the screen, meeting my eyes with a look of determination. “The middle zone is one zone, not two.”
My gaze slides back to the screen, where the two zones that make up the middle of the field cover almost the entire centre section.
“It’s two,” I say slowly. “I used soil properties, electrical conductivity, yield stability layers…” I shake my head and glance back at him, unsure what he’s talking about. “These are two different zones based on the data. They’re set up for correct yield optimization.”
Silas shakes his head. “No. They may be right to optimize yield, but they’re not right to explain hollow heart. So they’re not right for planting.”
I blow out a breath and study the screen for a moment, trying to think of how to explain this in a way that will make sense to him.
