Glass Hearts

Chapter 36: Part 4: The Look

I pick at the chocolate cake on my plate, taking occasional bites here and there, but not really tasting. I can't stop thinking about the way Kevin looked at me. I bite my lip and move around the cherries with my fork as I replay the unexpected moment. Magnetic and passionate, Kevin's gaze drew me in while his spontaneous responses kept me invested. Even with his face inches from mine, I didn't back away like I thought I would.

My heart pounded wildly as an overwhelming force pulled me toward the man who threatened to close the distance between us. Intentional or not, the look he gave challenged me in a way that I wasn't ready to handle. So when he pressed my hand against his chest and dared me to take responsibility, I was shocked but more than anything I was flustered...Was he trying to kiss me?

"Did you want more?" Josephine asks.

My eyes widen. "What?"

"The cake. Do you want another slice?" She asks.

I quickly shake my head to brush off the surprise. Of course, that's what she meant.

"I'm still working on this piece." I smile shyly.

Josephine cuts another slice of cake anyway and wraps it with foil.

"For my husband." She says before sitting back in the chair across from us.

Kevin and I nod at the same time but don't offer any response. I have to laugh off the idea of him wanting to kiss me. That's the only way the thick awkward tension can dissipate. As soon as I've thought about it, I see Kevin's face in my head: Piercing dark eyes that delve into the deepest part of you, concrete jaw and bright white teeth that bite down on memories, bushy contemplative eyebrows, and an intelligent mouth adorned with mysterious lips.

Why can't I laugh this off? I groan. I just had to go and touch him.

"You okay?" Josephine asks.

I set down my plate and rub my stomach.

"Oh, yeah. I'm just full."

It's a weak explanation but it's the first thing I can think of. I can't say that I'm having a meltdown right after I comforted Kevin from one. Pain and anger radiated off his body in a way I'm all too familiar with. I've spent many secret nights crying under the blankets because I didn't want anyone to know that I'm heartbroken. I am slowly getting better and healing but the last thing I want is for people to think I'm falling apart.

I could see that same suppression in the way his shoulders shook and his hands trembled. He was doing his best to suppress whatever he was battling on the inside but the pain seeped through the cracks.

I sat beside him to let him know he wasn't alone but it was like I wasn't even there. Before I knew it my fingertips were brushing across his flexed jaw. It hurt to be so close and not do anything...I couldn't sit around and be a spectator to his sadness when I know personally how lonely it is. I wasn't trying to come onto him or create an awkward situation but the second his face relaxed, I felt a sense of relief.

"Thank you for everything today," Kevin says.

It's unclear who he's talking to because I haven't looked in his direction since Josephine served the cake. The seconds drag until Josephine mutters a quick you're welcome. With their delayed reaction I start to think he meant that for me. I risk a glance at him. He looks aloof on his side of the couch but shifts his eyes from the sky to me as if I've called his name. I immediately look down at the remnants of cake and curse his freakish ability to know when I'm looking at him. Fine...I'm still flustered.

Thankfully, Josephine starts clearing the table which interrupts my jumbled thoughts.

"I finished cleaning the kitchen so I'll be heading out," She says to Kevin.