“No, you.”
“Fine.” I swipe my fork at the last bite of cake and scoop it into my mouth with a smile. I can feel the smear of icing at the corner of my lips, but before I can lift my napkin, Charlie reaches across the table and wipes it off with his thumb. He doesn’t break eye contact as he brings it to his mouth and licks it clean.
My breath catches in my throat.
Other couples disappear from the patio one by one until we’re the only table left. I recognize the song that has just started playing softly on the radio overhead and I start swaying in my seat to the melody. Charlie smiles as he watches me before standing up and holding out his hand.
“May I have this dance?” he asks.
I stare up at him for a moment before deciding to let go of my inhibitions.
I stand and offer my hand to him. He grasps it and I notice how perfectly they fit together. He pulls me in close enough that I can smell his cologne again. I breathe him in; his scent and the wine in my system making me dizzy.
His other hand returns to the small of my back as we dance. We sway wordlessly under the twinkling lights. I don’t want anything to disrupt this moment and I don’t trust myself to not say something stupid.
My cheeks are flushed from the alcohol and I lean my head against his chest as we dance. I hear his heartbeat and for the first time in my life, I realize that home isn’t a place — it’s a person. Charlie’s been my home for years now, it just took me a long time to find my way there.
The song ends too quickly, but we don’t stop. We keep swaying as another one comes on, and another after that. It’s only when our waitress returns to the patio, looking perturbed, that we finally return to the table.
Charlie throws a hundred dollar bill down on the table and tells her to keep the change, all the while still holding onto my hand. We stagger through the restaurant like giddy teenagers. He’s pulling me toward the door as I notice we are the last couple remaining. They must have been waiting on us to leave so they could close. A wave of guilt washes over me; I know exactly what that’s like.
“Sorry!” I yell over my shoulder as we exit. I giggle as we make our way back to our cars, digging around in my clutch for my keys.
“Oh, no,” Charlie says, reaching for my hand. “You’re not driving. You’ve had too much wine.”
“Did you get me drunk on purpose?” I ask playfully.
“Let me take you home,” he whispers as he brushes hair away from my face.
He looks at my lips and I sober up a bit, thinking he’s going to kiss me again. He smiles as he takes ahold of my hand and walks around to the passenger side of his SUV and opens the door. He helps me in and then shuts it behind me before walking over to his side.
We hold hands all the way back to my house. Granted, it’s a short drive, but it’s a large step for us.
Charlie walks me up the porch steps like he’s done so many times before, but the air between us is different this time. It’s charged with possibility.
I thank my lucky stars that Thea is out of the house tonight.
I fumble with the key in the lock, not wanting to let go of his hand. Our fingers are still intertwined as I finally get it open. I turn around in the doorway and stare up at him as the stars twinkle overhead and waves crash in the distance.
“I had a really great time tonight,” I begin, my voice no louder than a whisper.
Charlie smiles. Then, as if in slow motion, he leans down and presses his lips to mine. It’s different than when we kissed this morning in the parking lot. That was quick and new, this is tender and passionate.
He kisses me gently in the moonlight. His hands cradle my face delicately between them.
I bite my lip when we separate and stare at him, searching his eyes. Maybe it’s the wine or maybe it’s Charlie, but every nerve ending inside of me is on fire and I feel like I might combust on the spot.
“I did, too,” he says, his voice dripping with desire.
I can’t help myself. I rise up on my tiptoes and kiss him again, balling my fists into his shirt to pull him closer to me. I want him closer; I’d crawl into his skin if I could.
We part; years of pent-up emotions break free, igniting a hunger in him that I’ve never seen before.
We barely make it through the doorway before his lips are back on mine. Charlie kicks the door shut. I’m walking backwards through the hallway and hit my hip on the table. It reminds me of a day in the diner when I’d done the same thing going to see Judith.
Judith.
I banish thoughts of her from my memory, focusing on the man in front of me. The pain in my hip is nothing compared to the desire in my heart.
