Chapter 5
1741 Words
The next few days Jena had been inviting Liam and Owen over for drink after dinner, I would hear them at the door and disappear up the stairs before Owen could stop me. I just couldn't get Friday out of my head. The way his arms felt around me. The way his breath felt on my neck when he spoke. The way he smelt. The way he looked at me. It was hard, but I couldn't trust it or myself so I kept my distance. I would retreat to the same spot every time, on my balcony. After doing it Saturday, Sunday, and Monday night I think he caught on. Tuesday night he watched me a little closer than he should have and said he was heading back to his house. He knew I heard him, that why he was waiting for me when I came downstairs after thinking he left.
"So it is just me." Owen said when I reached the bottom step.
"I'm sorry?" I kept looking forward and walked into the kitchen. I busied myself with making tea, I was filling up the kettle when he stepped up behind me and caged me in at the sink.
"Why are you avoiding me?"
"Who says I'm avoiding you?" I asked, feeling him stepping closer to me. I tried to move away from him, but I was worried that I would be bent over the sink in no time so I spun around to face him. He was so much closer than I had anticipated. His head was bent like he was getting ready to speak directly into my ear. But instead, if I were to tilt my head back just the slightest bit, his lips would brush mine.
"Your actions prove that you're avoiding me." His voice was soft, softer than I was expecting given that he wasn’t wrong. And I was being a bit of an asshole. "I saw you watching us, I knew you were listening. I was testing a theory."
"You tried to trick me?"
"I haven't tried to do anything. You won't let me." He shot me the same smirk from the other day, the one that caused the butterflies. "Go for a walk with me."
"I don't understand you." I shook my head, the tea kettle in the sink behind me forgotten. "Are you a chubby chaser or something?"
"A what?" The phrase made him laugh.
"A chubby chaser, you know a guy who has a fetish for fat woman?"
"No. And who the f**k said you were fat?" Owen stepped away from me giving me a once over. "I don't want to hear you saying s**t like that about yourself."
"Wow, what makes you think you have a say in what I say or how I think about myself?"
"I don't care what you think in your head, I just don't want to hear you say."
"Why? It's true." I shrugged.
"Thick, yes f*****g please. You are thick in all the best f*****g places. But you are not fat by any means." He cupped my jaw in one hand and my neck with the other. "Dylan, I meant it when I said you were the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I meant it when I said I had a gorgeous date. I am so f*****g attracted to you, I can't think straight but I get the hint that you're not interested. So I want to know if we can be friends?"
"Strictly friends?" I looked up at him from under my brow.
Owen sigh. "Yeah," he let his hands fall to his sides. "strictly friends." He nodded and shoved his hand in his pockets.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because I want to." He shrugged. "You said you'll be here for six months?"
"Yep, maybe longer if I can't complete my project."
"What project?"
"I'm an author. I owe my publishers two books but they said they'll take one really good one by the end of January."
"Shitty but really impressive." He grabbed the tea kettle from behind me and turned towards the stove.
"It's not too bad, I have half of one done. They said I needed a getaway, free of distractions, worries, stress." I shrugged.
"So they hooked, on of the most independent people, I have ever met up with a house, car and a full house staff." He nodded. "Makes sense." He smiled. "Would I know any of your books?"
"Not likely." I looked at my feet and shook my head.
"Are you one of those romance novelist?"
"Kind of, I have a few murder mysteries and sci-fi. But my best sellers were the romance, yes."
He took his phone out. "Under Dylan Jones?"
"No." I shook my head again. "D.B. Jones."
"Wow, you have quite a few best sellers. I'm really impressed."
"Don't be. Sometimes throwing myself into another world is better that the one I'm living in."
"Hopefully, I can change that."
"Do you think he's worth it for her?" I nodded to Jena and Liam when I heard her giggle. I was trying to make it not so obvious that I was trying to ignore his previous statement.
"I think she's changing him." He folded his arms across his chest. "He's calmer with her around."
"Do you think he'll pursue her when she leaves on Saturday?"
"I think they are just focusing on being in the moment together." He looked down at me the moment I looked up at him. He must have been realizing how close we were standing. "What are your boundaries?"
"My boundaries?"
"Personal space preferences, am I allowed to hug you, can we lean next to each other or against each other, can I touch you in general?"
"Arm to arm is okay, I guess. Leaning sometimes is inevitable, depending on the situation. And touch me how?"
"You missed one." I looked up at him. "Hugging, is that just completely off the table?"
"No." I shook my head, knowing I would regret this the moment it left my mouth. "I'm a hugger. So even if I said no, I'm sure I'd give in after a while anyway. And touch me how?"
"Hold your face to get you to actually look at me, like I just did. And maybe, if I get lucky enough to watch a movie with you or convince you to go for the walk, just maybe I can hold your hand. I'm not asking for you to completely cross lines. I'm just seeing what's acceptable."
"We'll see." I pushed off the counter and reached into the cabinet over the counter for two mugs.
"So kissing you is off the table?"
"Do you kiss Liam?" I asked and slowly turned back towards him.
"No, but I can if that means i get to kiss you."
"I'd rather you not on both accounts."
"You don't want me to kiss you?"
I turned and looked him in the eye. "No, Owen." I said sternly and without hesitation but I knew the moment my eyes gave mw away as they fluttered from his eyes to his lips and then back. "I do not want you to kiss me "
"See, Miss Jones," He smiled and I, once again, rolled my eyes him. "I think you do but you just won't allow yourself to admit it." He leaned down and pressed his lips to my ear. "I think you're afraid that this could be a lot of fun. I think you're afraid that our attraction to one another might lead somewhere."
I turned my head just enough to look in his eyes again. "Why wouldn't I be? Every man before you had a hidden agenda that either left me heartbroken or emotional and mentally scarred."
"They were boys, not men." He smiled and ran the tip of his noses along my jaw. My eyes fell shut and my knees grew weak. "If anyone leaves the other broken it'll be you leaving me."
"But that won't matter," I said, my pitch rising. "because we're friends." I turned to the stove as the tea kettle began to whistle.
"Okay, well as your friend I am asking that you join us outside with your tea. And sit with me on the same patio sofa."
"I can do that."
"The air coming off the water is a little chilly, so maybe you should grab a throw of some sort."
"Okay. There are a couple of throws on the back of the couch."
"Finish making your tea and meet me outside."
"Deal." I nodded towards the door. "Go."
"I'm kind of worried you're gonna bail and try to avoid me again."
"I already said I'm not avoiding you."
"Yeah, now."
"Could you not look at me like that?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know how to describe it. I just know that it makes me nervous."
"I'm only looking at you like you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."
"Sure."
"It genuinely hurts my soul that you don't believe me." He looked at his feet and shook his head.
Owen walked over to the couch and pick up a throw as she opened the door to the patio.
"Hey, she is alive and she found an Owen in her travels." Liam smiled, his deep warm gravely voice cutting through whatever sarcastic remark I was about to make.
"Feeling better?" Jena smiled and took a sip of the beer in her hand.
"Yeah." I nodded and sat on one end of the patio couch with my feet tucked under me on the seat. "You weren't kiddin' about the cool air coming off the water."
"Hence, the throw and a little extra body heat." He held his arm out and motioned for me to tuck myself into him.
"I think the throw will be sufficient."
"Do you cuddle with Jena when you're cold?" I nodded. "See, friends cuddle."
"Do you cuddle with Liam when you're cold?"
"No, but that's only because he's not comfortable."
"I am to comfortable. Jena will vouch for me."
"Do you guys want to cuddle?" Jena sat up and looked between the two. "Because I can switch with Owen so you can."
"No," Liam placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her back to him. "I want you to stay right here."
"Dyl, are you okay?"
"Yeah J, I'm fine."
"Look at me." I lift my head to meet Jena's gaze. "Promise?"
"I promise."
- Writer
