Page 51 of When Love Is Unexpected

"If I kiss you, our friendship will get complicated. I live thousands of miles away, and you're starting a new chapter in your life. I don't want to be a distraction."

"It's only a kiss," she says.

"Really?" I say, "It's only a kiss?"

I raise my hand and rest it in the crook of her neck. She leans into it and closes her eyes, inviting me to kiss her.

I lean down and kiss her forehead.

"You missed," she says, touching her bottom lip. "X marks the spot."

"You're killing me, Laila."

"And you're teasing me," she counters.

Chapter 11

Laila

When the song ends, he lets me go, and I instantly miss him.

"The steaks must be cold," he says, walking into the kitchen."

"It's okay," I say, pulling myself onto the countertop and crossing my legs. "We'll make some steak salads. Just cut them into thin slices."

"Your wish is my command," he says, pulling a knife from the butcher block.

"Not true!" I say.

He puts the knife down and looks at me. "Go ahead," he says, "ask me for anything."

Gotcha!

"Okay," I say. "You said kissing is your love language. I want you to show me how well you speak it."

"Trust me," he says. "I'm fluent."

When he walks over to me and gets really close, my heart starts fluttering like a butterfly caught in a net.

I wait for him to make a move, but he doesn't budge.

I stare at him. He stares back.

When he lifts my chin, I close my eyes and pucker up, ready for my kiss.

When nothing happens, I open my eyes. His turquoise-blue eyes are looking at me, assessing me.

"The freckles on your face have always begged me for a kiss."

"Always?" I ask.

"Since the first moment I saw you."

"That was a long time ago," I say.

"That's how long I've been waiting," he says.

Our eyes are locked on each other, conveying a message only our souls can interpret.

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