“Do you have plans for today?” he asked, sounding like he had something in mind.
“Um, Riley, in case you hadn’t noticed...before you got here, I hadn’t left this apartment. Not once. My ‘plans’ for this little mini-vaca consisted of lying in bed - or possibly on the couch for a little variety - and eating my feelings.”
“Well - as truly wonderful as that sounds - I think I may have something better in mind.” His countenance brightened with mischievous glee as his eyes danced with enthusiasm.
What she wanted to tell him was anything he had in mind would be amazing to her. They could sit and do nothing at all and she would be on cloud nine, if only he was beside her.
But she didn’t think that was really an appropriate thing to say, so she settled for, “I’m game! Let me just go take a quick shower.”
She stood and picked up his now-empty plate to carry with hers to the sink. After rinsing them, she was overwhelmed with the sensation that Riley had been watching her the entire time. She lifted her head and smiled as she was able to confirm that her suspicions had, indeed, been correct.
Oh Lord! Yep. Only...he wasn’t just watching her. It felt like he was committing her every move to memory. He studied her with an intensity that caused her body to respond with a 'HELLO! All Systems Go!' sensation.
Chelle stared, unable to tear her gaze from him. It was as if his gaze alone had pulled her under some kind of magic spell. Ah, yes, she thought. The classic man-woman magic spell. The 'lust trance.'
Well, if that was a thing, she could consider herself under it!
“You are so beautiful,” he rasped, his voice raw, yet filled with reverence.
Her cheeks became warm and she was sure that they were probably turning bright red.
She was also pretty sure he was just being nice. She needed to remind herself not to read too much into it. Why did his simple compliment affect her so much? She wasn’t some love-sick teenage girl!
A small voice in the back of her head chimed in, ‘No, you’re a love-sick grown-up girl.’
Seriously. Why did that little voice always have to be spot on?!
He was still staring at her and she felt the need to fill the electrified silence.
“Thank you...um...so are you…I mean not beautiful…you’re uh…handsome. I mean I guess you’re beautiful too but, oh whatever, you know what I mean. I just, well…you know...you’re cute.”
CUTE. Had she seriously just called RILEY SLOAN cute?!
He was a lot of things. Sexy. Gorgeous. Built. Hot. Nope, scratch that - smokin’ hot! But cute…Good God in Heaven and All That Is Holy Moly...why in the world had she just said that?!
She had just started talking (read: stammering) and CUTE came tumbling out. Gah! Chelle hated that she rambled when she was nervous. She’d always wished that like Samantha on Sex and the City (one of her favorite TV shows), she could be cool and sophisticated. But, unfortunately, those were two traits that she did not come by naturally.
Most of the time it didn’t bother her. There were, after all, surely bigger hurdles given to people in life that they had to overcome. But, good lord...in moments like these, she really wished for the ability to quickly craft a sassy comeback. One that would have made Riley see her as an equal - better yet, a sexy equal.
Instead, what she came up with amounted to, “Blah blah blah, stammer, stumble...CUTE.”
Nice. Good one, Chelle. Her response, she was sure, had only served to solidify the way Riley did see her - as his best friend’s kid sister.
He smiled, seemingly completely unaware of her internal battle. The smile spread slowly across his face, as sweet and languid as the syrup that had just spread slowly across their pancakes moments ago. When the smile had finally reached full wattage, he said, “You’re pretty cute, yourself.”
Holy catfish! How did that man make the word cute sound so sexual? Maybe she was just projecting, or maybe he really did think being cute was sexy. Either way she needed to get out of there before she said something that would cement her in the best-friend’s-little-sister category.
But she couldn’t just walk out and ignore his last comment. Oh what to do...what to do...? Dang it, she was just going to have to open her mouth and speak again. That had an equal chance of ending up with success and disaster. Damn it! Well, she thought, here goes nothing.
“Thanks. I’m gonna go take my cute self to the shower, then.”
She smiled outwardly but inwardly groaned, feeling her stomach drop to the floor. Really ‘take my cute self to the shower’, that was the best you could come up with after the man that you have been crushing on for twenty years pays you not one, but two, compliments…in a row!?