"Do you?" The hopefully vulnerable look in those deep blue's struck a chord in my soul.
"Always, Stefan."
"That, to me, is worth more than any amount of money in this entire world."
"Why?" I never understood the reason Stefan loved me back. Even to this day, I was lost. He had the world at his feet, a beautiful heart, a refreshing view on life and a smile that made you melt. And I was just … me. There was nothing special about who I was or where I came from. Yet, here was this incredibly fascinating man devoting all his time to me.
"Do you still not get it, Grey?"
I shrugged, moving slightly to block my oncoming vulnerable expression from his view. "I guess not."
Taking my chin in his hand, Stefan turned my focus back to him. "You are the only one who has ever made me feel worthy of this life. Trying to have a purpose without you has been excruciating. When I saw you on that sidewalk and got out of my car to see if that was real-it changed everything. It was like you woke me from the nightmares of my mundane existence. Money will never be worth feeling. Money could never buy all that your love gives."
"You said you planned to bring lunch before getting to work this morning, why?" It was off topic but even with our breath tangling together, I had to know.
"I actually made the plan as soon as you got into your car on Friday. Bringing your favorite food was my way of insuring you wouldn't turn me away."
"I wouldn't have." I assured.
"Is it wrong to say I have missed you all weekend?"
My head shook, as his lips moved infinitesimally closer. "Yes, but I have missed you too."
Our lips were only a heartbeat away from touching when a knock at my window made me jump back. A few waffle fries hit the floor, and Stefan laughed as I looked into the face of Kari and Tyler. They stared at me like parents catching their young daughter with her crush. I wanted to immediately start apologizing and explaining why we were so close together. In all honesty, I had nothing. Explaining the lunch aspect would be manageable, but I wouldn't be able to rationalize the reason my heart beat rapidly. Or why I was struggling to move away from him.
After a second of fumbling around with the thousand or so buttons on my door, I rolled down the window. Without hesitating they leaned down and popped their head into the car.
"Whatcha doing?" Tyler asked, not even attempting to wipe away his smirk.
"We were eating lunch. He brought food, and we were eating." I rambled out.
"Is this a random he, or do you at least know him so we don't have to cover stranger danger again?"
Stefan laughed and his extended hand caught my eye as he reached out to them both. "I'm Stefan Harrison." Tyler's jaw dropped and Kari's eyes bulged out as they both limply shook his firm grasp.
"The ex??" Kari blurted.
"Kari!" I scolded.
"That's me." I refused to look at him, but I could hear the amusement in his voice.
"Did you forget your manners, Grey? Aren't you going to bring him in and introduce your salon family?" Tyler asked.
Narrowing my eyes I made sure he knew I was not thrilled with his intrusions. It wasn't that I was ashamed of Stefan or of my friends. I just knew bringing Stefan inside would lead to endless questions from all, especially, my very best friend. Kacie last heard I was no longer speaking with Stefan. So bringing him in had a way of showing that just the opposite was true. I wouldn't even be able to share the reason how our friendship came about this time. That would mean indulging them in the story of Allie and our chance meeting at the cemetery for her birthday.
"I'd love to come in." Stefan answered, before I had a chance to make up an excuse to keep it from happening.
"Excellent!" Tyler replied, completely ignoring my glare.
Stefan reached out and removed the food from my lap. Adding it to the takeout bag with his own. The sound of his door opening made me give in to the possibility of this not happening. I powered the window back into place and left the car to join the interrogating crew.
"So you just stopped by to bring lunch?" Kari asked, skeptically. Stefan's hands slid into his pockets while he nodded casually.
"Basically, just wanted to come see my friend. It's been a day from hell and I needed a bit of a mental break from it all."
"And Grey helps with the stress?" Tyler inquired.
"Every single time." Stefan turned to me with a smile. My control was working overtime to keep my entire body from crumbling at his words.