Combust I shall. “The musical instrument?”
“So not an euphemism for playing the flute?”
I blinked. “Do you play the flute then? They’re similar, right?”
“Okay, that would be a no then.” Luke cleared his throat, untangling our hands and stepping away from me. “I wouldn’t be much of a teacher for any of those, I’m afraid. Flute, the musical instrument, included.”
I blinked again, not sure why the specification was necessary, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to ask. No, I let him take his warmth all the way to the other side of the kitchen island and let him admire my perfectly red cheeks.
Three unsaid words
HAYLEE HAD THE MOST?incredible smile, and every time I managed to coax it out was a small victory I celebrated by saying something even more ridiculous to keep it there a while longer. Haylee’s laugh? Even better than her smile. Like chimes swinging in the wind. Like a long-lost melody that was there one moment and gone the next, the sudden absence left you empty and longing to hear it again and again. Her laughter was taking my heart and wrapping it up like a gift basket. Hers for the taking. It took my soul and breathed life into it, warming me up inside out. I could have survived off of her laughter alone.
When she looked at me, eyes bright and unguarded, my heart soared, and she did look at me that way more often as the night went on. Longer than she’d dared before, especially as she fully relaxed into the playful dynamics I vowed to uphold. And I? I was dumbstruck, staring at her the entire time. I admired the softness of her curls, all the while wishing I had the sense to touch them when I’d been close enough. The rosy flush on her cheeks was a canvas I wanted to trace my fingers on. Lips that teased with playful phrases beckoned me to plant a kiss on them. I stood with the kitchen island between us to behave and keep my distance. I was not to be trusted to keep myself in check.
I was buzzing like I’d been drinking a little too much, and the words ‘drunk on you’ finally made sense. I was drunk on Haylee. All it took was an hour of cooking to pull her out of her comfort zone, and another to introduce her to mine. She now looked cozy as hell perched upon the barstool, elbows resting on the kitchen island, while she leaned towards me with a twinkle in her eyes that I was afraid to misinterpret. I didn’t want this night to end, but I knew sooner or later she would be leaving, so I took it as my mission to make her laugh as much as possible before that time came.
I knew better now to steer clear of topics about her family and let her talk about her dancing lessons, once we were clear pottery nor yoga really interested either of us and my other expertees weren’t going to be exploited. At least not tonight. We skirted around the topic, sure. Toyed with it every now and then, and it was always Haylee who drifted back towards safer subjects. To pottery, yoga and clarinet—the musical instrument. I let her. She could pick the pace as long as she kept smiling at me sweetly.
I was under her influence; she could do whatever she wanted, and I’d go along with it. Like a fool. A lovesick fool.
“There’s a few more meatballs left if you want them,” I said, nodding towards the pan between us.
“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly,” Haylee laughed. “I wouldn’t fit out the door if I did.”
She’d been making similar comments about her body here and there, each conflicting with my image of her and leaving a stale taste on my tongue. I’d tried to diffuse each and every one of them but wasn’t sure she registered my attempts.
“All the better,” I hummed. “Then I could keep you.”
She tilted her head, wetting her lips. “And then what? I’d become a perfect meatball in your collection?”
“Haylee, I am going to say it as many times as it takes for you to start believing it. When I look at you, I see a masterpiece sculpted with precision and utmost care. Every part of you is perfect, and I have been trying to memorize them all night. My offer to keep you is incredibly selfish since simply looking at you could never be enough. I have no collection to speak of, you’d be the only one and yes, you are absolutely perfect.”
Her mouth fell open and the color on her cheeks deepened. She also avoided my eyes so I hoped she heard the sincerity in my voice.
“You’re just saying that to—”
