Then There Was You(76)

Later that night I crawled under the down comforter in my hotel bed. My legs were tired and my feet ached, but my heart was refreshed.

I curled myself into a ball and fell promptly asleep with a smile on my face.





It seemed as if I had just closed my eyes when I heard a knock at my door. The knocking didn’t stop until I opened it.

“Chris?” I said, rubbing my tired eyes and glancing at the clock. 2:15am.

His hands were stuffed in his pockets, acting nervous and oddly energized for this hour. “I just wanted to see you again,” he said sheepishly. “Can I come in?”

“Of course.” I held the door open for him as he stepped into the room then quickly closed out the bright light of the hallway by shutting the door behind him. Immediately self-conscious of my middle-of-the-night, death-warmed-over look that I felt certain I was sporting at two in the morning, I swiftly ran my fingers through my hair.

Chris sat near the edge of the hotel bed. His gaze bounced anxiously around the room, stopping on everything but me. “It’s your last night in New York with me… our last night together.” I hated the sadness in his voice. He must’ve been having a hard time with this whole ‘goodbye’ thing too.

I hesitantly sat down beside him. “I know,” I sighed, matching his tone and thinking of the wonderful moments we’d shared the past two days.

Chris nervously ran his hand through his hair, “Salem, would you… uh… wanna dance with me?”

“Huh?” I asked, shaking myself from my deep contemplation. A dance was an odd thing to ask for at two in the morning. But suddenly, my legs turned to Jello and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stand up.

“A dance… a celebration dance.” Chris held his hand out to me. “Will you dance with me?”

“Uh,” I took his hand, allowing him to pull me up off the bed. “Okay,” I said nearly in the form of a question, ignoring the fact that my stomach was turning somersaults inside of me.

Chris grabbed his phone, chose a song, and placed it into the dock on the desk. Then, pulling me against his chest, he held my waist and we began to dance. The music softly began playing through the speakers—a song I immediately recognized, which warmed my heart. The song, Thank You for Saving My Life featuring Brian McKnight, poured through the speakers. I hadn’t danced with anyone since senior prom. I wasn’t sure my feet knew how to move properly to the beat. I gulped down my nerves and tried my best to sway along with him, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms again.

He smiled at me, a bit of embarrassment in his breathy tone. “I downloaded this song just this morning. I took a chance on getting to see you tonight. Couldn’t think of a better way to thank you for everything,” Chris admitted.

I cocked my head to the side and smiled. “You could have sung it to me,” I flirted.

He stared at me intensely. I wondered if he was thinking of the time he sang in the cafeteria, and the bond we shared that prompted him to write that song for me. “Oh. Yeah, I guess I could have done that… maybe later…” his voice trailed.

Later? There would be a later? Butterflies awakened in my stomach while a blush crept up my neck. Stop it, Salem. Later doesn’t mean anything.

Chris pulled me close, wrapping his arms tightly around me. We swayed silently back and forth to the beat of the music. I laid my head on his chest, listening to his heart pounding deep inside. Running my hands over his sculpted pecs and across his rippled abs, I couldn’t help the feeling that was welling up inside of me. Chris whispered into my ear, “Listen to the words. They say everything I want to say to you.”

Through the lyrics, I heard him thanking me for saving his life. But there was more. They also hinted that love was in the air and he’d just been waiting for me to come back into his life. Just as those lines were sung, I pulled away and our eyes met.

Glassy with tears, his expression spoke emotions he’d been reluctant to show me before now. He was bearing himself for me… becoming vulnerable for me. I didn’t know what to say, or how to respond. He stared down at me with those dark, sultry eyes—a look that exuded hunger… an aching desire that turned my insides into mush.

“I’m so glad you’re here with me, Salem,” he whispered. Cupping my face in his hands, he rubbed his thumbs across my cheeks, staring at my lips as he leaned forward.

I froze. Oh crap! Is he going to kiss me? I never tore my eyes away from his gaze. Our lips literally inches from each other, he paused. Staring into his dark eyes—irises speckled with hints of chocolate and caramel—I could almost feel the thoughts that were swirling around in his head.