The Expansion of the Universe

Thirty-Two | "I thought you wore glasses."

"God, babe, aren't you exhausted?" Elijah asked several days later, staring at where she was settled on the couch from his spot by the front door.

She frowned. Her sleep schedule wasn't the best, but she'd actually been doing better at getting a reasonable amount of sleep, and personally felt that the bags under her eyes weren't nearly as conspicuous as they once had been.

"I actually feel pretty good right now," she told him cautiously, unsure of what, exactly, he was trying to say. "Why?"

He sighed, as though her ignorance was the greatest inconvenience he'd ever encountered. "Well, my doll, I figured you'd be totally wiped, considering you were running through my mind all night." And then he passed her a smug smile, and she rolled her eyes so forcefully she was almost surprised that they didn't fall out of her skull.

"Seriously?" she scoffed. "Elijah."

His grin only widened at her obvious distaste for the lame pick-up line. "Sorry, Nancy, but you know I can't help myself. Hey, how much for a kiss, pretty girl?" He wiggled his eyebrows obnoxiously, doing an odd little shimmy with his body that pulled a chuckle from her.

In the back of her mind, she noted how oddly natural the shift in their relationship felt. It didn't fluster her at all to hear that Elijah wanted a kiss, because it seemed so normal to share affection with him.

God, how wild was it, that she could touch someone—a man who was a pilot, no less—so easily after being terrified of people for such a significant period?

Whitney had been a bit hesitant when she'd learned of the change in their relationship, worried that Liza was simply latching onto the first person with whom she'd made a connection since exiling herself to her condo. Liza supposed it was a reasonable concern, but she truly felt as though her and Elijah's relationship had grown naturally and healthily, all things considered.

After all, it had started with a slow build from neighbors speaking through an oak door, to friends visiting within her condo, then his condo, until they were so close that they knew each other well. Starting a romantic relationship seemed like the next natural step, though Liza would be the first to confess that it was unconventional, since they couldn't go on "normal" dates.

But, she had called her mom, so maybe going out again wasn't a totally unachievable goal.

Which reminded her . . . "You can have a kiss," she confirmed, laughing when he practically lunged at her, dropping down in front of her on the couch and pressing his lips to hers.

They'd only kissed a couple of times since their first exchange, but Liza didn't care. She adored his affection, even though their kisses thus far had remained chaste. This kiss was exactly that: Short, sweet, but no less lovely. When Elijah broke from her, he remained close, his eyes alight with joy as he regarded her like she was the rarest piece of art he'd ever seen.

God, was she lucky.

How ironic: She never believed the thought, I'm lucky, would pass through her mind ever again, but here she was, extremely lucky to have Elijah Harris in her life, and she wanted to repay him, in her own way.

"I'd like to meet Austin."

At her sudden request, Elijah reeled backwards, barely catching himself before he toppled off the couch altogether. "No shit?" he asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

"No shit," she confirmed. "I'd like to try."

She'd left her condo. She'd called her mom. Now, she wanted to meet another person face-to-face. She wanted to further expand the universe she'd created with Elijah.