Her Invisible Knight (Book 4)

Twelve

Maverick

Fucking hell! I know I made things between us awkward again. The sheer stupidity of my action was clear as day on her face, but what I said just now was the truth. I simply couldn’t f*****g stop myself. I craved for her for years and not once did any woman I hooked up with, though they were very few, come close to her. She was f*****g it for me. Sure she tore me to pieces and I never got over that, but not once did I stop thinking about her. Not once did I stop wanting her or loving her. I simply couldn’t.

“What?” she asked, and I didn’t know whether I should pour my heart and soul out right this minute or wait a little longer. She stared right into my eyes as she waited for an explanation, so I had to play the words I should be saying in my head for a second. I couldn’t say it was because I was drunk, because any sane person would know that I wasn’t. I've had a few bottles and shots, but not enough to get me totally drunk. Also, that would be a cowardly thing to say. Only dudes with no accountability or balls would say such a thing. Giving her a compliment wouldn’t work either because this wasn’t the right time for that, although she really did look hot tonight. And so, I went with what was real and how I truly felt. “I was trying so hard not to do that,” I started, swallowing hard like a frightened student who got caught cheating. “But, I couldn’t help myself. I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now. I umm... I know things between us are not exactly great. I get that you still despise me, but as I’ve said, I can’t change the past, but I’d like to date you again.”

Her mouth popped open and then instantly closed as she let my words sink in and I watched the movement like a hawk. She really had such pretty lips and if I wasn’t walking on a thin line, I’d probably lean in and kiss her again. “I-I, what?” she stuttered and somehow her stuttering gave me a bit of hope that maybe, just maybe she wanted to date me again too. I mean, if she really didn’t want me even just a bit, then she would’ve slapped me by now, right? “Please date me again, Kenzie. Give me that last chance to do things right,” I exhaled, hoping to the damn heavens that she wouldn’t shut me down. She swallowed hard and fanned herself with her hand as if she was about to have a meltdown or maybe pass out. “This is just... This is... Wow!” She nervously laughed and looked out into the distance, shaking her head once.

I knew she wasn’t exactly mad, but this was something that she always did when she wanted to mull things over. I kept quiet and simply waited for her to say something because, really, what else could I say at this point? I said what I wanted to say, so I guess it was up to her to decide whether she’d like to try being with me again or not. She then crossed her arms over her chest and so I did the same. When her eyes landed on mine again, she had that determined look on her face that would make any man fall to his knees, but not me. At least not today. “Why?” For some reason her question made me smirk, not because I thought it was absurd or because I wanted to be cocky, but it was more of me being baffled. “What do you mean why? Why do I want to date you? Why should you give me a chance? Why now?”

“All of the above,” she answered as she lifted her chin up to challenge me. You see, if we were back in high school, I’d cower and just keep quiet and she knew that. But things were different now. I was no longer the same old quiet kid who’d accept things as they were without trying to change the outcome. Being in Lucid Mantra changed who I am as a man. I became more confident in voicing my thoughts and concerns. I became someone who was not afraid to show who I really am. I learned that sometimes you have to put yourself on the spot in order to be heard, so I stood straighter, walked closer to her, and said what I really thought. “Umm... Let’s see,” I began as I lifted my thumb up to do a countdown of my answers. “One, I want to date you because I don’t think I got over you. Two, I just want to give you everything I couldn’t when we were dating back then. Heck, I want to give you the entire world if I could. Three, it wasn’t just now that I’ve been wanting to get back to you, but now was the only chance I had to let you know that I still have feelings for you.”

She blinked a couple of times then narrowed her eyes at me. “Well, how do I know you’re telling the truth?” she questioned, trying so hard not to look nervous. “I guess we won’t know unless we tried,” I stated, which made her eyes roll. “You do know that’s not a good enough answer right?” she questioned and I couldn’t help but grin. “But it’s also true,” I argued before reaching out to slide my hand at the side of her neck, running my thumb just below her jaw, which thankfully she didn’t avoid or slap away. “How about this, for now, let me take you home. And even though saying this kills me, think about what I’ve said. I won’t bother you in the coming days. You won’t see me at all. No calls, no messages, no nothing. Come Friday, I’ll wait for an hour outside your house, say from five in the afternoon. If you come out, then it means yes and that you're agreeing to be my date for Jaxon’s wedding. We’ll be spending two nights at his lake house with the band and probably some other people, just a heads up. If the answer is no, then don’t come out of your house until I leave.”

She didn't ask or say anything else, so I gave her a lingering kiss on the forehead and led her inside. I then told Duke to get the car so that we could drive Mackenzie home. The whole ride was quiet. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but the tension was flying everywhere that even Duke noticed it because he kept giving me the "what's going on" look from the rearview mirror. When we got to Mackenzie's house, I immediately got out to open the door for her and help her out. "Thank you," she whispered as she placed her hand in mine. "You're welcome," I smiled. "M'kay. Well, thanks for tonight, seriously I had fun," she stated with a shy smile and I was already regretting the decision of ending the night early. "That's good," I lamely answered and we both awkwardly stood in front of her house not knowing what to say or do next. "Well, this is me," she quietly said, pointing her thumbs toward her house. "Yup, have a great night, Kenzie," I answered, rubbing my hand at the back of my neck. I was unsure what to do next, which was annoying as f**k. "Alright, bye!" She finally said, turning abruptly to walk away.

I watched every step she took until she was at her front door and when she turned around and sprinted back toward me, my heart literally dropped. Do you know those scenes in romantic movies where the female lead jumps and the male lead catches her and they lock lips? That was exactly what happened to us. I caught her in my arms as she crashed her lips to mine, catching me by surprise. It wasn't a long passionate kiss and more of a long peck, but it was f*****g everything to me."See you Friday," she said as she pulled away before quickly running back to her house.