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Oh, holy guacamole!Max thought in a rush as his entire being tightened with anticipation and understanding of what she was implying.Gosh, she was incredible.
“And n-now?”he croaked, sounding like a prepubescent boy about to go through the change, and quickly cleared his throat nervously before deepening his voice. “Now, what do you prefer,wife?”
Daphne walked toward him where he was standing, not looking away from his eyes as she moved closer… and a smile touched her lips.
“Now?” she began quietly in a hushed voice. “Now, I find myself craving something completely different…”
“Like what?” he asked, unable to help himself and hoping she wasn’t baiting him for a joke or to have a little fun at his expense because he was completely falling under her spell.
“Now, I think I’d like someone to walk by my side, someone to enjoy possibly-lethal-Jell-O, and someone who looks at me…” and her voice trailed off.
“Y-Y-Yes?” he stammered, his voice cracking once more.
“Someone who looks at me in amazement and wonder,” she whispered, not looking away from his eyes but instead searching for something – and he sincerely prayed she found it. “…Maybe someone with hazel eyes and a smile that makes them light up.”
“I might know a guy…”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah,” he was so bad at flirting and trying to pick up girls, “But while this guy checks all those boxes, he’s got one big issue.”
“Is it really an issue?” she whispered, reaching up to lay a hand on his shoulder as she stood there before him. “Maybe it’s not an issue with the right girl…”
“Daphne…” Max began hoarsely, that single word full of so much emotion and longing. If she was fooling or teasing him, he would never recover emotionally and took the initiative to try to kiss her. He leaned in close, his heart hammering in his chest, and breathed in anticipation.
“How about that Jell-O?” she whispered nervously, yet her hand was curling up to cradle the back of his neck.
“In a minute…” he countered mindlessly and captured her lips. Daphne’s fingers immediately curled in his short hair, causing a shot of pleasure to run down his spine at the simple touch as he tasted her. She was sweeter than anything else, and the way she melted against him was something he would never forget.
And heard a clang as one of his crutches fell from his side as he tried to embrace her and ended up hanging onto her. He pulled back, abruptly ending the kiss, and felt a bolt of panic in him as he started to lose his balance – and Daphne grabbed him under his arms, pushing him against the wall to keep from falling over.
Max didn’t say a word. He was so close to having a meltdown that it was terrifying, and he sure didn’t want to do that in front of Daphne. It was on the tip of his tongue to curse, tell her to get away from him, or to leave him alone, but he didn’t want any of that.
Instead, he held those emotions and fears in, trying not to feel like a failure, and saw her quickly kneel down to pick up the crutch – handing it to him but it was her look of pride that was nearly his undoing.
“It’s just a minor setback,” she whispered, meeting his eyes. “Have I mentioned how much I love lime Jell-O or what a thrill it is having a nice-looking guy at my side?”
“Oh sheesh, Daph…” he chuckled tearfully, realizing she was trying to pick him back up mentally.
“C’mon,” she whispered, nudging the crutch under his arm. “Let’s not let something small like this ruin a good thing. My new husband promised me a date, and I’m holding you to it.”
He nodded – and she opened the door to his room, holding it for him as he made his way into the hallway. Turning slightly, he started to make his way down the hall and felt Daphne lay a hand on his shoulder, causing him to pause.
“I’d hold your arm, but I don’t want to get tangled in the crutch,” she explained simply – and he nodded. They made their way down the hall and headed to the cafeteria before Max remembered he had forgotten his wallet sheepishly.
“I’ve gotta go back.”
“Why?”
“I left my wallet in my other hospital gown,” he joked, trying to make light of it – and heard her soft laugh.
“C’mon, Handsome… it’s my treat for a job well done with those crutches,” Daphne began, and he nearly preened under the unexpected compliment from her. It wasn’t about the Jell-O or the fact that they were in the seediest, ancient cafeteria that looked like something out of a horror story, but just because she was praising him, looking at him like he’d hung the moon, and right now he felt like it.
“You think maybe it was good enough to garner another kiss?”
“I suppose we’ll have to see…”
His heart skipped a beat as Daphne gave him a slow sideways look and picked up a tray, putting it on the tube railing and sliding it along. The stuff on the plates and in the cellophane trays looked worse than what he got in Ghazni, and said as much.
