“Well, I don’t want to overstay my welcome,” he said as he stepped back. “I know you’ve got work tomorrow. Thank you for the meal and the company. But I’d like to see you again soon.”
“I’d like that. How long are you here?” she asked cautiously as she held the doorknob in her hand when they stopped at the door.
“I'm not sure yet. I'm waiting on some details to fall into place for a possible next assignment in Argentina. It’s one I’ve been waiting to be a part of for sometime. There’s a relief organization working with UNICEF that will be digging wells in areas that have never had one. It’s a big project that means a lot to me. The representatives said it would change the people in Chaco for generations to come.”
Aria could see how passionate he was about the project, but it came with a pang of disappointment at the thought of him leaving. Alex must have sensed it and quickly added, “But I have at least two weeks here, and I won’t leave until I can have you over.”
He leaned down and kissed her slowly on each cheek. She dared not move, petrified she’d make the same mistake again. She willed her cheeks not to blush, but her traitorous body did not get the message as she felt the heat flame immediately.
“Good night, Alex.”
“Good night, Aria. Sweet dreams,” he answered in a husky voice that sent shivers down her spine.
She opened the door, watched him walk to his car, and waved when he waved to her once inside it. She closed the door and locked it, her heart feeling light and dreamy.
Turning off the lamps by the sofa as she walked toward her bedroom, her fingers slid over the spines of the books on her bookshelf.
Aria floated into her room, grabbed her leather journal, and sat on her bed, legs crossed underneath her.
The second the pen hit paper, the words flowed from her. Describing the thrill she felt whenever his eyes locked on hers, the way her heart sped up when he touched her hand.
Placing her hand on her chest, she thought about those long gazes that sent butterflies to flight inside her. There was eye contact and then there waseye contact. His looks of longing could no longer be misinterpreted as friendship.
She tried to recall everything about the day they spoke of, but all she could bring back to her memory was that look, that gaze. It was fleeting, but she remembered how her heart stuttered at the thought of Alex being attracted to her. But Nicholas asked her out the next morning, and she never gave it a thought again.
Rolling over onto her back and hugging the journal to her chest, she let the joy she felt envelope her. She had opened her heart just a crack, but it was enough for now.
Picking up her pen once again, she wrote her last thoughts before letting sleep envelop her.
My head tells me just to pursue a friendship with Alex.
But my heart longs for what I thought wasn’t possible.
Will my head or my heart win?
Has Alex been there all along, and I just didn’t see him?
Chapter Twenty
As he drove home,Alex felt victorious after his day with Aria. As excited as he was though, his mind went to the photoshoot and how Gio had put his arm around Aria so casually. It seemed to make her uncomfortable, though.
She hadn’t mentioned that she and Gio were dating, and after their lengthy conversation tonight, he was convinced that it was one-sided. He could be wrong, but Alex was sure Gio was in love with his boss.
But Alex wouldn’t let what happened in school happen again. He was going to make his intentions known, starting with a friendship and the possibility of more when she was ready.
Then, there was her obvious love for Nicholas. A pang of jealousy bloomed in his heart. Nicholas would always be a part of her life and he knew that would never change. He needed her to know that he understood.
Aria came into his life like a breath of fresh air, cutting through the loneliness he didn’t know resided in his heart until he saw her again. He was overwhelmed with how strongly he felt about her so soon.
He texted her when he arrived home to let her know he would be by the next day with the photos from the shoot. He couldn’t wait any longer than that to see her again, which meant it would be a sleepless night for him editing.
In the wee hours of the morning after many cups of coffee to keep him awake as he edited, Alex headed into his makeshift dark room. He carefully poured out the developing solutions in their trays as he worked late into the night.
A little while later, he held up the photo he had been waiting to process from the shoot. As it hung from the line to dry, he took in all her features.
During the beach shoot, Michael needed a break. While Alex changed out his lens, he saw Aria. She had turned toward the ocean and lifted her head skyward, her eyes closed, the long tendrils of her auburn hair whipping around in the breeze that came off the water. Her face shone with contentment and joy.
She looked like a sea goddess, and he couldn’t help but capture the perfect moment. Looking at it now in paper form, his lungs filled up with a sigh of satisfaction. It wasn’t just that she was beautiful. It was her spirit, her laughter, the way she made everyone around her feel seen. Aria possessed an ethereal grace and poise that belied her young age. She was everything.
