Page 45 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

She smiles up at me, and I swear my heart skips a beat. Seeing her in my space feels so natural. I realize at this moment that I never want my space to be empty of her presence.

Standing up, she places her hands on my waistband, tugging me closer. Going up on her tiptoes, she plants a gentle kiss on the corner of my mouth. I turn my chin just enough to slant my mouth against hers in a tender kiss. I want my kiss to promise more later and leave her wanting.

She smiles against my mouth and says, “Don’t worry. I need to get to work anyway. We are down to only two weeks until opening day. We are getting close, but I want to be ahead of schedule.”

“How are your hands this morning?” I ask, my voice rough with worry.

“The scratches weren’t deep. I’ve been taking care of them diligently during the day. They barely hurt and just look scraped. I’m tough, Lachlan. Some scratches won’t keep me down,” she says, looking like the superwoman I know she is.

I rub her back, swaying from side to side, and hold her to my chest. I bury my face in her hair and inhale deeply. I commit to memory the feel of her body in my arms and the smell of her hair against my face.

“I’m glad you’re okay. Call me later, though?” I ask.

She nods. “You can count on it.”

There is a deep pause. Neither of us is ready to move. After another moment, we both release each other and step away. Aislinn smiles, and her eyes twinkle with a mixture of heat and adoration. I don’t want to blink for fear she will flicker out of existence.

Instead, she lifts her fingers and gives a little wave, then turns and walks away. Her stocking feet pad down the hall, echoing with each step. When she turns left toward the front door, she whistles for Chloe. The sound of nails clicking against the wood grows softer until I hear the distinct click of the front door.

Sighing, I change into a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt. I finish getting ready and see it’s 7:55 a.m. A little more than ten minutes, but I guarantee Ingrid won’t mention my tardiness. Her fear of talking about intimacy outweighs her desire to inform me of how late I truly am this morning.

Callum comes up behind me and pats my shoulder, “Barbeque at your place tomorrow? I’ll grill while you make pizza.”

A slow grin spreads across my face, “You know it. It isn’t a Saturday without a grill session. I have plenty of beers in mypantry, which I will put in the fridge tonight. I’ll ask Ingrid if there are enough s'more supplies left over from last Saturday.”

His eyes crinkle, and he smirks, “You inviting Aislinn?”

Without thinking, I reply, “Of course, man. I will check with her later to see if she can come.”

He purses his lips in a flat line as he glances toward the sky. “You don’t think you’re moving too fast, do you? I mean, come on, I haven’t seen you consistently date a girl, let alone fall hard for one in…” he trails off, deep in thought. “Honestly, I have no idea. Who was your girlfriend in college? Carly or Cara? You didn’t even seem interested in her beyond having a date to parties so girls wouldn’t throw themselves on you.”

Smiling, I cross my arms across my chest. Cara was a sweet girl. Soft-spoken, smart, and kind. The best part was we were both interested in our studies, and our interest in each other was mutual. Neither of us was head over heels in love. We were attracted to each other. Sure. But the best part was people left us alone. I don’t think many people realize what a quiet guy I prefer to be. They see my large frame and face and misjudge my desire to be out and about. I prefer riding solo on a trail to a frat party.

Being an athlete with Callum all through high school, there was a certain expectation others had of us. Callum fit the mold perfectly. You had a party, invite Callum. Dying to go clubbing, Callum is your guy. Big groups of people and all the attention made me uncomfortable. Cara solved that issue.

We met freshman year in Psych 101. She was pretty, no doubt about that, but there was no incredible spark of electricity when we touched. No butterflies in my stomach when our eyes met in the library. My palms didn’t sweat with nerves when we attended a party.

Honestly, it was sort of ironic that we agreed to play the role of devoted significant other during our first year of college and brainstormed all of this during the first few weeks of Psych 101. It took all the pressure off us to adhere to social college norms. If she had a sorority event and needed a date, I attended as the doting boyfriend. Turnabout was fair play.

Cara and I are still friends and talk on the phone every couple of months. But she is now living in New York with her husband, Tod, and baby. Cara met Tod when she was getting her doctorate at NYU. She first started gushing about her new boyfriend, describing sensations I had never experienced with anyone. Zaps of electricity, tunneled vision, unexplainable desire to see them anytime and anywhere.Over the years, I had been on dates and had a few short relationships, but nothing noteworthy. I’ve always wanted what Cara described, but over the last year had assumed it wasn’t in the cards for me.

Until Aislinn, that is. Our exchange in North Bend will go down as my first memory of instant attraction. Driving away from her last known location felt like the dumbest thing I could have done. Seeing her again felt like it was kismet. A destiny I couldn’t turn away from a second time. Almost like the stars had aligned and decided it was time for us to meet. When we didn’t fall at each other’s feet and drop everything we were doing to be together in North Bend, I think fate decided to throw us together until we saw what it saw, a perfect match.

I wasn’t going to screw up the second chance I’d received.

Blinking, I realize Callum is smiling at me.

“Forget I said anything, man. You are past the point of no return.” He claps me on the shoulder and continues to wherever he was heading when we stopped to talk.

Placing my hands on my hips, I look up to the sky. Callum’s right. I’m past the point of no return, but I have nodesire to return to life without Aislinn. What I found is a future worth fighting for, and I won’t throw it away like an idiot.

Before I forget, I pull my phone out of my pocket and shoot off a text.

Lachlan: Every Saturday, we BBQ at either Ingrid’s place or mine. This week it will be at mine. Can you make it?

Aislinn: Would love to, but I was going to see my brother, Leo, and Paisley.

Lachlan: Bring‘em with you. The more, the merrier. Callum will be on the grill.

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