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She came to a sudden halt when she noticed me. Her lips pressed together, and she averted her gaze. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
Disturb me?What, did she think her presence bothered me? I frowned. Maybe she did after how I had up and left.
Astrid took a step to continue on in some direction other than me, when Angel decided to trot over. She came up right behind me and sat, resting her head on my shoulder. The dog gazed at me with unusually expressive eyes that reminded me of Aya’s cats in a way.
I reached up and scratched her behind the ear. Angel’s tail thumped on the ground and she tipped her head into my hand. I glanced Astrid’s way, finding her smiling.
“Seems she thinks you need her company more,” she said.
I frowned. I didn’t like how she said that. “What do you mean?”
Her attention shifted away. “I’m not here to bother you. I’ll just keep going.”
Pain struck my chest.I fucked up.I’d gone and run her off. How had one moment made her not want to be around me?Fuck.“You’re not bothering me by being here.”
She shook her head. “You came here for solitude.”
My heart rate slowed. That was why she didn’t want to be around me?Creation, why did I panic so quickly?I should have known I wouldn’t run her off that easily. “I would like it if you stayed.”
“Are you sure?”
I didn’t understand her hesitation. “I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”
She still seemed unsure, but instead of leaving, she joined me at the shore. Astrid pulled her legs up to her chest and gazed out at the lake. I could take in this idyllic moment with her; enjoy the peacefulness that felt so familiar to what we had in the past, yet vastly new, all at the same time. I watched her instead, taking in every beautiful detail of her I could—the way her eyes sparkled in the light; her fierce scar cutting a path over her skin; the freckles banding her nose; the angling of her heart-shaped face; how her orange locks cascaded over her shoulders—
She noticed my attention and blinked. “Um, do I have something on my face?”
I chuckled as she dragged her hand along her cheek. “No. Just enjoying the view.”
Pink tinged her cheeks, and she tore her gaze away, half-laughing awkwardly. “You’re looking in the wrong direction, then.”
I made a thoughtful sound. My eyes swept over the view and came back to her. “The lake is beautiful, but I think I’m appreciating in the proper direction.”
Astrid chewed her lower lip, drawing my gaze, and played with her fingers. “I like to come here when I need to think. It’s so peaceful. I wish it were part of our property. I’d build a house right on that far side. It has the best view.”
I turned my attention out to the peaceful water. It was clear I needed to be careful how much I pushed right away. If I had to guess, she ran into some self-esteem issues like in the past with that scar. Back then, we lived in a time where it was more acceptable, but she still had her share of experiences because of it. So, I could only assume the reactions she received now. “I hadn’t realized I’d walked off the property.”
“We don’t mark it. Most don’t feel like wandering this far out on the paths. Had I realized you might, I would have given you warning. Though, as long as you didn’t wander too much farther, you wouldn’t have gotten lost.”
“I’m glad I could discover it myself. I think the experience was much better. And the view from this side of the lake is wonderful.”
She smiled and nodded. “I don’t know anyone who hates being here. It can calm the mind or bring out something beautiful in us. It might even make you want to paint or write a song.”
“Or recite poetry.”
She turned to gaze at me. “Do you recite poetry?”
I shook my head. “No. No, you don’t want to hear me do that. It’s more than just embarrassing for me.” And like hell would I ever do that to her again. “What about you?”
“Hmm… not great, but not terrible, either.” She smiled in a way that borderlined a sultry smirk. Or maybe I was imagining the sultry part of that. “Maybe we can make poetry together to change that.”
She paused, pink rising to her face. My attention on her sharpened, and a grin pulled at the corners of my lips. I sure as hell wouldn’t mind that, but was she serious? That wasn’t a phrase most understood anymore. A part of me hoped it was the past her reaching out for me. But I could be hoping for too much.
Astrid flailed her arm and shook her head, her face turning redder. “Oh my god, that did not come off like I meant it. I am so sorry. Forget I said that.”
I threw my head back, belting out a hearty laugh. Whether that was the Astrid I knew or not, it was clear this woman had not planned to invite anything—yet.
When I calmed, I smirked. “I’ll have to think about your offer.”
