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After a few seconds, Aaron opens the door and he smiles at me. “At last, I thought you would never get here. I was starting to get worried.”
He looks at Jane and I see something pass between them—a mysterious look. I wonder if anything happened between them, something I had somehow missed. I feel disappointed though, because I thought maybe Jared would be arriving later, but with Aaron already here, it would mean he is not coming at all.
Following Jane into the house, I suddenly feel alone.
Aaron leads us into the house, and I notice my small group of friends sitting scattered around the lounge.
Jane leaves me and pulls Aaron by the hand toward the kitchen.
I do not follow them, because it looks as if they want to be on their own and this makes me even more curious, so I remind myself to ask Jane if anything happened between them.
I stand in the doorway leading into the lounge, deciding where to sit.
Sarah looks beautiful, just as I knew she would, and she is standing with Connell at the stereo arguing which CD to play. She is openly flirting with him.
John and Siobhan are sitting together on the couch.
With sudden horror, I realize I am the only odd one out. I could not bear to think of the embarrassment if Jane and Aaron did get together tonight. Of course, I want Jane to be happy, but... I jump as I feel arms circling around me from behind and folding over my stomach. At the same time, a voice I only heard a few days ago for the first time, but would recognize anywhere, whispers in my ear, “I’m sorry.”
Breathe.
He turns me around in his arms and smiling an innocent smile, he gently pulls me with him, while walking backwards down the dark hall. He looks at me, searching my face, and I look down.
“You’re an awful person,” I whisper angrily.
“You don’t really believe that, do you?”
“No, but I should,” I answer, barely audible.
“Besides, Jane and Aaron carefully orchestrated you being here tonight, so you wouldn’t want to disappoint them now by not forgiving me?”
Bending his head toward me, his lips touch mine softly. They taste like vanilla and chocolate ice cream.
Good strategy.
I move away from him. I do not want him to know that I want him to kiss me. I do not want him to know I have already lost my heart to him.
Would think you had more sense, Elizabeth!
Jane pushes past us, as she walks out of the kitchen. “Jared, your ice-cream is still on the kitchen counter, and the movie is about to start.”
Gently he lets me go and says, “Hope you scare easily.”
Taking me by my hand, he leads me into the lounge. There is only a single chair left and he sits down on it, pulling me down so that I am sitting on his lap.
“I could get so very used to this,” he says softly in my ear, hugging me close.
The voice in my head cautions me to only enjoy the attention, but not to fall any deeper in love with him.
We watch a horror movie, and no, I do not scare easily. Jared loses interest halfway through the movie and starts tracing his fingers in circles on my back. I tuck closer into him, goose bumps once again betraying me. He rests his face in my hair and breathes deeply. I am so distracted I miss the plot of the movie completely.
When the credits start to roll over the screen, he whispers in my ear, his lips trembling against my skin, “I don’t know about you, but I am not in the mood for sitting around chatting or watching any more movies. I would rather like to get to know you better, like what your star sign is. I already know your favourite colour, movie and book.”
I turn back toward him, smiling warily. “So, you were paying attention on the beach?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” He grins.
Smoothly he pushes me up into a standing position and gets up off the chair. Taking my hand in his, he leads me out of the lounge. From the corner of my eye, I catch Sarah giving me the death glare.
Jared opens the door leading onto the porch and as the sub-zero wind blows in, Connell yells from the lounge, “Close the door, it’s bloody freezing.”
Jared quickly pushes the door shut, looking self-conscious as hysteric laughter wafts from the lounge to us.
Everyone in the lounge starts talking at the same time and I hear Connell say he is going to light a fire and Sarah asking for music requests.
Without saying anything, Jared takes me by the hand, and I follow him up the stairs and into a room off the upstairs hall. I assume it is Connell’s room. It is messy!
Jared moves all the stuff on the bed onto the floor with one hand, and then he sits down on the bed, still holding my hand.
He looks up at me apologetically. “We can’t talk in the lounge and you would catch your death if I took you outside. You have not gotten used to the winters here and they can be harsh. We could sit on the floor if you preferred and...” He smiles his crooked smile. “I promise I won’t lead you into temptation.”
I sit down beside him on the bed, folding my one leg in under me and then I turn myself so that I am facing him.
Letting go of my hand, he leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, entwining his hands in front of him. Looking back at me unsure, past his arm, he takes a deep breath and then he says seriously, talking fast, as if he needs to get something off his chest before he loses his nerve, “Before we can talk about anything else, I have to make sure of something and if I seem to come on too strongly, I am sorry. So...” He pauses briefly, and then he starts, “I am sure you have already heard all the rumours about me and...” He trails off again.
I nod my head yes.
He looks vulnerable. “So, you must realize my heart is on the line here, because after her I swore, I would never put myself in such a vulnerable position again. I would never again allow myself to feel anything remotely linked with love.” He looks away from me and down at his hands. He continues, almost in a whisper, “But, I think no matter what I do, how much I try to protect myself; I have no chance against you.”
