Page 18 of Stolen Sun
My parents are going to pick me up, but I haven’t called to tell them the game is over yet. I figure I can squeeze 20-30 minutes in with him before they get suspicious of the time.
"Hey, sunshine," he says, touching my face immediately.
I smile up at him, soaking in the moment. "Hey."
He looks around and says, "Come on. I know a place we can go."
He takes my hand and leads me to a bench behind the field house. It’s dark but not completely. We can still see each other, but it would be difficult for anyone to see us.
He sets his bag down on the ground and takes a long drink of his water. When he’s done, he offers me some. I take it, mostly just for something to do with my hands. Our hands touch again when I give it back to him, and time slows down.
"How long do we have?" He asks.
"I haven’t called them yet," I tell him and swallow.
He takes my hand and rubs circles into the back of it. "Don’t be nervous. You deserve a real first date before I’d feel right about trying to kiss you, anyway. Just hold my hand."
I smile and scoot closer to him. "I saw your big hit."
"Yeah? Coach said some scouts were here looking at me," he says.
We stare at each other for an awkward amount of time before he speaks again. "I think I’m better at talking to you on the phone. I’m too busy staring at you in person," he says. His voice sounds different, deeper somehow.
I giggle and look away. "I know what you mean."
He lifts my chin and says, "I’d rather have nothing to talk about than miss my chance to look at you. You’re so beautiful, Noel. Your eyes are so bright that I can see how green they are even in the dark."
I feel myself leaning into him, hanging on every word. "Declan," I try to return a compliment but my brain feels foggy being this close to him.
"You smell like vanilla. Did I already tell you how much I love that smell?" He asks, not bothered by my lack of words.
I look at his mouth as he licks his lips. "Declan, kiss me," I whisper.
He searches my face and cups my cheek with his giant hand. "Are you sure?"
I lick my lips and nod my head.
Just as he begins to lean in, someone yells my name. We both look to see my father standing at the edge of the field house with his arms crossed.
Opening my eyes to my bedroom, I place my hands over my heart. I can still feel the nerves from that night fluttering in my stomach now. That same feeling of excitement and desire zinged through me last night when he told me I could keep my bottom lip "for now." This time, I won’t have to sneak away from my father to see him. If I end up alone with him now, no one will be there to stop us.
Kate's words come back to me, and I realize she's right.People aren't always who they seem to be. I'm not who I was at sixteen, and I'm sure Declan isn't either. It's time to let go of the past.
I'd like that.
I'll pick you up on Wednesday at noon.
His response comes within a minute. I stare at it for a few seconds before setting my phone down on the nightstand to charge. Then I slowly take off my wedding ring knowing that I just took the first real step at moving on.
Chapter six
Noel
Bright and early, I'm one of the first cars in the parking lot at JV Marketing. I walk intothe lobby and say hello to our receptionist. A man already waiting for an appointment stands up as soon as he sees me. I look at Julie to explain since I don't have any meetings scheduled for the day.
The man speaks up for Julie, “I’m here with the paperwork from your father-in-law, Mrs. Williams. He said you’d be expecting me.”
I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Yes, that’s right. Follow me,” I tell him.
