"What we had is over, Dawn. You don't have to do this anymore. You're free to go."
I traced the glass separating us with my fingers, looking into his green eyes and whispered to the phone, "So you want to know why I'm still here?"
He just stare...
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Neither one of us said a word for a few minutes. I tried to absorb what I was seeing. His white shirt was tucked casually into the white pants, his angular-hips and wide shoulders outlining beneath his pale blue sports jacket. His hair was a shade lighter, probably from the sun and slightly longer than before. His green eyes were the same, but like I had said before I could see a new wariness in them. He was tan too as if he had spent a lot of time outside.
"You're here." His voice startled me.
"I came here yesterday."
"Oh."
The quietness was bizarre but neither one of us seemed to mind.
"You're not happy to see me?" I murmured.
"I'm thrilled." His answer was immediate. "I... I thought you would take more than 2 months."
"I took two months. Isn't that enough?"
He finally took a few steps, closing the distance between us. I felt the past year slowly escaping me as if nothing had happened, as if we were still in Newburgh standing in the balcony in the late Summer breeze, our arms wrapped around each other. So much had happened since then.
"You're really here." His whisper was hardly audible when he touched my arm. It felt as though he was trying to reassure himself that I was real.
"Yes," I nodded, my voice level. I studied him upclose and noticed the slight stubble in his chin, my hands etching to touch. He leaned a little more forward, his breath on my nose and then my lips. For a split second, I closed my eyes, hoping for a welcome kiss. But the impact never came.
"Where are you staying?" He asked, causing me to open my eyes. He looked hesitant, a bit embarrassed.
"Naples." I cleared my throat. "Ramada."
"Does anyone know you're here?" He looked awfully cautious with his steps when he stepped backward.
"No. Just Wayne. I..."
"You can stay with me."
His gaze made me nervous, made me feel fourteen again. "I was hoping I would."
For the first time, his lips twitched, a tiny smile on display. "Do you want to grab your stuff now? It's only 2 hours away from here."
We wouldn't be able to make it back to his Villa before midnight, I instinctively thought. But I agreed anyway.
When he moved past me, I felt myself relax, unaware that I had been holding my breath for some time. I followed him outside where his car was parked, my hands a little shaky.
The car was a Buick Super, I realized, now that I saw it upclose. A classic convertible. He opened the door for me, his eyes shamelessly darting from my head to toe. For a while, I wondered if he was thinking of our last night together, tangled in the sheets, sharing each other's sweat last August. I climbed into the car, my shoulders eventually relaxing.
