Page 30 of Caught Stealing Your Heart
I shoved my straw into my coffee and took a gulp, pondering on her question. “Because this isn’t real. None of it is real, Pai.”
“It’s very much real. You sulking like you are shows it’s real. You admitted the feelings you have for her are real, so why not treat everything as such?”
Leave it to Paisley to make everything make sense for me. “What if she doesn’t feel the same?”
“Oh, trust. She does. No real woman would go out her way like Leilani does for you if she didn’t care for you in the sameway. Both of your actions speak loudly, and I think the two of you are good for each other. Don’t allow your pride to get in the way of something that could be good for you.”
I heard Paisley, loud and clear, but what she said wasn’t so easy for me. I was the one who approached Leilani with our arrangement, so I should’ve been the one to stick to it. Who would I be to stop her from being with who she truly desired to be with?
Brandon’s mouth was moving,but I wasn’t hearing anything he said. My eyes were glued to my phone, wondering why Banks hadn’t texted me back. We’d hardly talked over the last three days, and I was missing him something terrible. Every time I asked him what was wrong, he either wouldn’t answer or would change the subject.
I didn’t understand.
He never had a hard time expressing himself to me until now, and I couldn’t help but to wonder if it was something I did.
“Lei? Did you hear me?”
I whipped my head up to give Brandon my undivided attention. He sat across from me, looking handsome as ever. His pools of syrup pierced through me as his thick eyebrows werelowered over them. He thumbed his nose and crossed his thick forearms over the table.
“I’m sorry.” I apologized, brushing my locs back. “My focus was elsewhere. What did you say?”
That raspy chuckle I once loved erupted from Brandon’s throat. He wet his bow-shaped lips with a swift swipe of his tongue over them. “I can tell. You good?”
“I will be. Now, what were you saying?”
“Do you want to talk about what’s on your mind first?”
I twisted my lips, tapping my fingers against the table. I glanced down at my phone once more and sighed. “Have you ever unintentionally fell for someone?”
“Yeah. You. And honestly, I don’t think we ever intentionally fall for anyone. It just happens.”
“And what would you do if that person starts pulling away from you with no explanation? Everything was going so good and then…”
“You’re talking about Banks, aren’t you?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“I sensed that on your live the other day. You only paint in blues when you’re feeling down.”
“I’m surprised you remember that.”
Brandon smiled, revealing the deep dimples in his hair free face. He rubbed his chiseled jaw and admitted, “I remember everything about you, Leilani. You’re one person I’ll never forget, one person who will always have an impact on my life.”
“And the feeling is mutual, Brandon. It is, but not in the way you think.” I had to make it clear. I would always have love for Brandon, but we would never be together again.
“I understand. I do. To answer your question, if you truly care about the person pulling away from you, find a way to pull them back in. That was where I messed up with you, Leilani. I think that’s where we messed up with one another, honestly.And before you say anything, I know this isn’t about us. I’m simply using us as an example of how things can go.”
“Well, it’s not as easy as it seems to pull someone back in when they don’t want to be. I don’t know, Brandon. Maybe I need to let things go.”
It pained me to say that. Letting Banks go was the last thing I desired to do, but I wasn’t sure what else to do. He’d completely shut down on me.
Brandon reached over and gently placed his medium brown hand on top of mine. For a moment, we got lost in one another’s eyes. What surprised me the most was that I felt absolutely nothing. His touch used to send an electric shock through my body. His intense gaze used to make my pussy purr. Brandon used to make my body react in ways that only Banks could now.
I slid my hand from underneath Brandon’s, picking up my glass and taking a sip of my mimosa. “So what were you saying before I got all sentimental, Brandon?”
“Well, what would you say if I told you I’d gotten connected with Blaque and showed him some of your work?”
I almost choked on my mimosa. Brandon leaned over and patted my back as I coughed. “Are you serious?” I questioned after catching my breath.
