Page 6 of Knot Falling in Love
He thumps his chest, side-eyeing me, "Just went down the wrong way." Clearing his throat, he gestures to the kitchen island, “I made grilled cheese. I even cut it in that weird way.”
That’s when I finally notice the two sandwiches in front of us, one cut straight down the middle, while the other is sliced from corner tocorner, just how I like it. He even heated up a mug of tomato soup for me to dip it into.
“It’s practical.” I say, grabbing one half of my sandwich, and dunking it into the soup. “And there’s zero risk of having tomato soup smeared across your face before a very important meeting.”
“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”
“Unfortunately,” I glare at Elijah, then take a bite, and my eyes nearly roll back. The processed cheddar is still warm and gooey, and coupled with the rich and slightly sweet tomato soup, it tastes like heaven.
When I look up, Elijah is watching me, his eyes focused on my lips. I quickly cover my mouth with my hand, “What? Please don’t tell me there’s soup on my face?”
“Nothing, no, you’re soup free,” he laughs and pushes off of the countertop then grabs his sandwich, settling right beside me.
We stand there eating for a few minutes in awkward silence, though I can almost see the gears turning as he dips his half-sandwich into the soup. Being close to him is overwhelming, but it’s the quiet that makes it unbearable.
“So, how are things going with the shop?”
Elijah sets his plate down, raising an eyebrow, “Are we doing small talk now?”
I stare back, mouth open, feeling like I missed something crucial.
He continues, “Things are good. Axel and Rodd made it all look so easy, so that was a bit of a shock, but we’re managing. I’m lucky to have the crew that I have.”
“I can’t believe it. You’ve been all over the world, and with your experience, you could probably set up anywhere, but you came back.”
“I came home. There isn’t any place in the world that compares to Ghostlight Falls.”
Isn’t that what I’ve been wrestling with this whole time? Rejecting the comfort of my home because of the pain that’s associated with it. Pushing away one of the few people who has had my back most of my life because of one off-hand comment.
“I know what you mean.” I try to keep the words from sticking in my throat.
“Can I ask you something?”
His voice is so soft I almost think I’m imagining things until he’s staring down at me, erasing half of the distancebetween us.
“Yeah.” I blink, “Sure.”
“Why did you leave?”
The question settles over my shoulders like a shroud, the look in his eyes making empty promises that remind me of the way he’d look at me when we were younger. He was always so interested in what I had to say, even when it was practically nonsense, but there’s something extra there that I can’t explain. Something I don’t dare to put into words.
I laugh it off. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? Leave the small town where you grew up?”
“This isn’t exactly a rom-com, Maisie.”
“Even if it were, that doesn’t automatically make you the hero, Elijah.” My voice cracks.
He quirks his brow and smiles at my admission.
It was never a secret. I’ve always had a horrible poker face, so he must have known exactly how I felt about him before Chet’s announcement all those years ago, but now he knows I’m still harboring those feelings.
“Don’t laugh at me.”
“I wasn’t going to laugh,” He takes a stepforward, gripping either side of the countertop, powerful arms caging me in.
It feels like Christmas and my birthday all rolled up in one, with every explicit fantasy I’ve ever had about him hanging unspoken in the air between us.
I’ve dreamed of this. Dreamed of him.
