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“Pleasure. Nothing like a warm breakfast on days like this.” He moves away from the island and takes our plates with him. After he puts the plates in the basin, he asks, “Do you want to watch some football?”
I know he means soccer and it is not actually one of my favourite pastimes, so I say honestly, “Not really, but I’ve never really sat down and watched a whole game, so for all you know I might enjoy it.”
“We don’t have to,” he starts.
“But then I would never know if I enjoy it or not.”
He smiles that heart-melting smile of his and taking my hand in his, he leads me to the lounge. My eyes glance at the expensive looking paintings on the walls.
The lounge is decorated in warm beige and brown colours. Two long couches are placed in an L-shape, facing a large television against the opposite wall.
Aaron is already sprawled out on one couch and when we walk into the room, he looks up at us through one eye.
“Good morning,” I greet him friendly.
“Hiya,” is all he seems to manage.
“Aaron is not used to late nights,” Jared explains, while he lies down on the other couch, moving to the back and pulling me down with him.
I lie down with my back to him, facing the TV. He drapes his arm over my waist, and with his other arm under my neck, he pulls me closer to him.
Once we are both cuddled together, he whispers in my ear, “And neither am I, in case you were wondering.”
In a low voice, I say seriously, “I am really sorry for my earlier out-burst. I don’t know what came over me. Usually I am so good at keeping my emotions under control. Besides, isn’t love supposed to make a person feel elated, not sad?”
Only when he turns me over to face him, do I realize what I had said. I was too forthcoming with information relating to love. I stare at his chest embarrassed.
He talks into my hair, close to my ear, and he murmurs, “So what you are trying to say, Elizabeth, is that after a mere three days, you really like me?”
“I know, silly isn’t it?”
“You didn’t answer my question,” he insists.
I look up at him. The smile is gone from his face. Seriously, I whisper, “If feeling this is how I want to feel forever, if never wanting to be without you for a single moment, to feel this comfortable with a virtual stranger, to have this sense of acceptance, of feeling a greater purpose in the workings of the universe bringing us together, then yes, I do.”
Smiling slowly, he gets that dreamy look in his eyes again. He looks over my shoulder toward Aaron, who grunts, “Yes, I’m awake.”
We laugh together softly.
Jared hugs me tightly to him and sighing deeply, he kisses me on the forehead before he starts to watch the football game over my shoulder. He asks concerned, “Don’t you want to watch?”
“Nah.”
I turn my head so my ear rests against his chest. Listening to his heartbeat, I realise nothing could ever come between him and me. Jared is the first boy to ever tell me he likes me, the first boy to tell me he is giving me his heart. It happened so fast, too fast, so it is only natural I would feel unsure and am scared it is not real. It is normal for the earlier feelings of jealousy and uncertainty, which engulfed me.
I fall asleep in his arms.
“We better get you home,” he whispers against my ear. “Although, how I could let you go, I don’t know.”
I pull him closer to me. Lifting my head, I sleepily look for his lips with mine.
He tosses the blanket Aaron must have thrown over us, while I was sleeping, over our heads and he pulls me into him so suddenly my breath bursts from my lungs. He kisses me softly, exploring my lips with a passion that almost scares me and when he pulls away, he leaves me panting.
He starts to laugh.
Frowning, I ask huskily, offended, “What’s so funny?”
“Unlike you, my love for you makes me feel extraordinarily happy,” he replies seriously and then he moans deep in his throat and kisses me again. He whispers softly against my lips, “You should come with a warning.” His lips touch my forehead and he says, “I don’t want your parents to dislike me before I have even had the opportunity to meet them. We must go.”
Reluctantly I get up from the couch and stretch. I look out through the large French windows. The rain has stopped, and all the grey clouds have dissolved away, the sky is clear blue and the sun brilliant.
We walk out to Jared’s car and I ask, “So, where are your parents?”
“At the club, every Sunday for the entire day,” he answers dismissively. It looks as if it is something he does not want to discuss.
We drive to my manor laughing and talking. It is so much different from when we arrived at his house this morning, and I never want to feel like that again. I am going to have to be in better command of my emotions, especially this uncontrolled jealousy I feel toward Sarah.
We stop in front of my manor and he asks, “Are you going to invite me in?”
“Of course, but first we have to take advantage of this glorious weather.”
“Are we going for a walk then?”
“Yes, up to it, after lazing about all morning?”
“With you around, I am always up to anything.” He smiles playfully.
My special place is in the shade and I want to feel the sun on my skin, let it soak into my bones, so I guide him in the opposite direction.
He takes my hand and not far from my manor, walking through the waist high grass, he says, “Let’s sit.” I stop and look around for something to sit on, while he starts to sit. “Let’s just sit here.”
“What about snakes?”
He laughs. “No snakes in Ireland.”
“Oh.” I sit down next to him, feeling silly.
It is as if we are secluded from the world. I cannot see over the grass, gently swaying in the breeze above us, and when I look up all I can see is the blue sky and the sun’s halo. I turn to look at him and his head is already turned toward me. Looking at me sincerely, he says, “I want you to know I do see you. I see the real you. It’s weird, but from that first day I saw you walking through the school gate, I felt it. Your every emotion—I felt you.”
