Page 10 of Connected By Souls

Emma

Duckingbehind the curtain and praying to God he didn’t see me watching him, I slide down to the floor as my legs give out from underneath me. What in the hell just happened? Shaking, I run my fingers through my hair, trying to get a grip on my emotions, but all I can see are those familiar blue eyes staring back at me. Eyes that I know but have no idea how.

Nothing could have prepared me when I opened the door. He was dressed in faded jeans and a t-shirt that clung to his chest, giving little to the imagination of how sculpted he was underneath. He must be around 6’3 since he still towered over my 5’7 frame. I noticed some tattoos on one of his arms but didn’t get a good look at them. They made him look even more sexy, if that was even possible. His hair was dark and a little longer on top, causing it to fall in his eyes every once in a while. I had felt the strongest desire to reach out and touch the silky waves, almost knowing what they would feel like, but I stopped myself before coming off as some crazy psycho that he just met.

He had looked just as surprised as me when I opened the door. I noticed the way he gripped the door frame for support and was staring at me with the same intensity I knew I was giving him. How can someone I just met feel so familiar but scare the hell out of me at the same time?

Pushing myself back up, I go to the cabinet and pull down a wine glass, pouring some red to the top. With shaking hands, I take a big sip, willing my body to relax. I grab my favorite comfy throw and go to the back deck. Even though it is still hot and humid, the sun is starting to set, and I have a chill in my bones that I can’t shake.

Wrapping myself up on the lounge chair, I sip my wine while the sun's rays slowly turn to night. Feeling the pull to Noah, I shake my head. I was hurt once by a guy, and losing my parents almost killed me. I can’t take the chance of loving someone again that could leave me. I wouldn’t survive next time. It’s safer for me this way. For all I know, he could be going back home to his girlfriend or wife. I didn’t see a ring on his finger, but that doesn’t mean anything nowadays.

Listening to the sound of the waves, I close my eyes and will my heartbeat to slow down. I assume this is the hot handyman neighbor that Nora from the grocery store told me about. So I have a hot neighbor, big deal. I’m sure lots of people have hot neighbors. With looks like that, he’s probably a player anyway. Oh God, what if I have to watch girls go by my house at all hours of the night? There’s no way in this small town that he doesn’t have them lining up. I can do this. I can be strong and resist the temptation. I need to focus on myself and my writing. I don’t want or need a distraction. And he is a distraction with a capital D.

Hearing the ding on my phone, I open my eyes and look down at my lit screen as a text message pops up fromMr. Bennett - handyman. My pulse races as I open it up.

Noah

You never answered my question.

What question was he talking about?

Emma

What question is that?

Noah

If you live alone or have a boyfriend.

My heart is pounding in my chest. He wants to know if I have a boyfriend. Does that mean that he’s single? Not that I care. At least, I try to tell myself that.

Emma

That’s two questions, and you never asked the second.

Noah

Do you? Have a boyfriend?

I can end this right here and tell him I’m in love with someone and we’re doing long distance or that I’m just not interested in him, period. I could be dying from some rare disease and came here to live out my last breath, but I can’t force myself to lie.

Emma

No, I don’t have a boyfriend.

Noah

Good. This will make things way less complicated. I’ll see you on Monday. Night Emma.

Glancing over at his house, I can see a light on. What does that even mean? Less complicated? Do I respond? Deciding to ignore thegoodandless complicatedpart, I answer back.

Emma

See you on Monday.

Setting my phone back down, I take another sip of wine before heading inside to make dinner, even though I have no appetite, thanks to the butterflies in my stomach.

I manage to eat a few bites on my plate, and after an hour of trying to get to sleep, I throw back the covers and decide to take a walk on the beach, hoping that will make me tired. I need to burn off some energy that keeps flowing through my body, making me on edge. My thoughts are still racing about Noah as I head in the other direction, away from his house, to try and make sense of everything.

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