A Silent Hope

Chapter Twenty

Mackenzie

"She finally decided to show up." Paul's grandfather, Carl, told Thalia.

I tried to hide a laugh by covering my mouth when she grumbled quietly in response. Thalia sent me a glare as I failed, lowering my eyes to admire the table cloth.

I'd asked her to join us for dinner at Paul's on a Wednesday night when we were both off. I found myself in an odd place, one where I wasn't sure what to do with these new feelings arising. I didn't know how to act around Thalia without wanting to kiss her again. And man, did I want to kiss her again. It had been a month since that kiss and I'd been dying with the load of my emotions since then. They just kept building and I was so sure I'd explode from keeping them in.

She was just sitting there, innocently eating her fries and burger while looking like perfection. She was smiling at Carl as he talked about his recipes and how much of a headache Paul was.

I noted the little pauses to wipe her lips with each bite, the way her hand covered her mouth as she laughed and chewed. I bite into my burger while staring at her, watching the hand that pushed hair behind her ear. I sipped on my mountain dew as she let out a soft chuckle for the grandpa.

Thalia wasn't even aware of my attention or the fluttering in my stomach.

"You're staring, Jace." Paul muttered quietly next to me. "It's creepy. At least blink or look away at some point."

"I can't. She's so beautiful." I whispered through my chewing.

Thalia looked up in that instant and I plastered a smile on my face. Her eyebrows lifted and I kept smiling, feeling nervous that she caught me but unable to look away. Her lips twitched, her eyes narrowing in suspicion before turning away.

"Busted." Paul snickered.

I elbowed the man and finally moved my gaze away.

After dinner, Carl roped Thalia into a game of chess while I joined Paul outside. We placed two chairs side by side and sat, slouching until our heads hung back to look up at the sky.

"I have a question, buddy."

"I might have an answer."

Paul gave a yawn before asking, "You like Thalia, right?"

I let the question stay lingering for a moment, allowing it to soak in. "I do. I think, no, I know I like her a lot."

"So, remember when you told me about that woman that broke your heart?"

The sudden mention of Bella made my focus stumble and mind foggy. "What about her?"

Paul sat up and it persuaded me to do the same. He was oddly serious and not his usually bubbly self. "Well, it's easy to see Thalia isn't the most forthcoming with her trust and she seems to trust you. Maybe not entirely but it's there. This other woman you told me broke your heart, it was serious. Wasn't it?"

I nodded my head, the pain still there and it tugged at the small string keeping a hold of my heart. "It was, but it doesn't hurt as much. I don't think so."

"As your friend, I just want to say to deal with that first. Don't half ass it with Thalia if your heart isn't fully healed from someone else." He turned his head to me.

I frowned and looked down at my fidgeting fingers, knowing he was right. "Yeah. I need to let Bella go first."

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