Page 54 of Keep This Promise
HOLDEN
It’s two in the morning, and I can’t sleep. All I keep thinking about is this not-date-date we’re going on and how much I want to kiss her. When we put Eden to bed tonight, there was this moment where I thought that maybe it was going to happen, but she pulled away.
So, here I am, wound up and irritated. No use laying here and driving myself crazy. Tossing my legs over the side of the bed, I get up and head out to the kitchen. Maybe a glass of milk and cookies will do the job. Those, a bag of chips, and some gummy bears might get me through the night.
I realize this makes me sound like a teenager, but I am who I am.
I tiptoe, careful not to wake Sophie or Eden, but when I turn the corner in the kitchen, I walk straight into someone.
The gasp is loud, and then cold liquid is dripping down my bare chest. On instinct, I reach out to grab Sophie before she can fall to the ground.
“I got you,” I say as her hands grab my shoulders.
Once she’s steady, I release her and glance at my chest and then at her.
We are both covered in juice.
“I’m so sorry.” She grabs the dish rag and starts wiping my chest off. “Eden had another accident, so I cleaned her up, got her to bed, and came in here to get a drink because I couldn’t sleep . . .” Her other hand rests over my heart, and her touch, that warmth from her fingers, causes other parts of me to awaken.
I grab her wrist, pulling her hand away so she stops touching me. I’m losing my mind with her hands on my skin. “Is Eden okay?”
“She’s fine. She must’ve drunk too much before bed.”
“Good, I’m sorry about the mess. I shouldn’t have snuck up on you.”
“I should’ve put a light on.”
We’re here, in the dark, where I can’t see her, but I can sense her. All of her. I can hear her soft breaths, smell her delicate rose and sandalwood perfume, and feel the heat of her body still close to mine, and I want to kiss her.
I want to pull her close and taste her lips.
I release her wrist, afraid that if I keep that connection, I won’t stop myself.
But when I do, Sophie brings her hand back up to my chest. The only sounds are the two of us breathing a little louder than before.
“Maybe it’s better to stay in the dark,” Sophie says softly.
“Why is that?”
“No one can see what we do.”
“That’s not true, gorgeous. There is nothing in the dark that can avoid the light forever. What you do there doesn’t stay hidden just because you can’t see it.”
I feel her breath on my chin and imagine those blue eyes searching mine.
“We happened in the dark . . .”
When her fingers slide up slightly, I can’t stop myself from touching her. My hand is on her back, tugging her closer. Sophie comes willingly, and as much as I want to kiss her—and I want it so fucking bad—I know that if I do, I’ll somehow screw up any chance I have with her.
She has to kiss me. She has to be ready and able to trust because I don’t want her to ever feel shame over us or what we did.
So, instead of doing the one thing I want, I place my other hand on her back and move slightly.
“Dance with me, Sophie.”
Her forehead touches my chest, and we sway a little. “Dancing in the dark is what got us in trouble.”
I chuckle against her ear. “I think it was the bathroom, love. I don’t remember dancing then, but I’ll always remember tonight. When you spilled juice on me and then danced with me barefoot in the puddle.”
