Chapter 14 Nora
Chapter 14 NORA
H aving Aiden so close—his body pressed against hers—released feelings Nora didn’t know she had. His big hands, warm against the skin on her back, didn’t grip her provocatively, but rather held onto her like a lifeline, something to keep him safe during the storm—both the storm outside, and the one raging inside of him.
A man sobbing over his lost child. Yes, it was horrible that he abandoned his girlfriend, but it was still a raw pain, one she couldn’t even begin to understand.
“Of course.” She answered his plea for a break. She slackened her arms and pulled back enough to look at his face. “Do you want me to give you a moment? Alone, I mean?”
“No. Stay with me, please,” he mumbled and looked at her with eyes so desperately sad. His hurt resonated within her.
“I know just what you need,” Nora said, and scooted away from him, then tapped her lap. “Come on, lay your head here.”
“Are you quite sure?” Aiden said, but his head was already making its way towards her lap.
“Yes. This here... this fixes all the problems in the world.”
His breathing calmed as she started stroking his hair— cafuné , as it was called in her mother’s tongue, an untranslatable word that meant much more than just the physical act. Cafuné appeased weeping kids, mended broken hearts, and showed affection between lovers.
And, in this case, she hoped it healed wounded souls—and conveyed, with every move of her fingers through his hair, her quickly blossoming affection.
The fire crackled, gleaming on the empty wine glasses on the coffee table. The flames were dying down, yet Aiden’s head and neck were warm against Nora’s thighs. His locks were soft to her touch, and his breathing—slowly returning to normal—perfectly matched the tempo of the instrumental tune playing on the radio.
Nora thought Aiden had fallen asleep, but he turned belly-up to face her, with his head still on her lap. He inhaled deeply, then locked eyes with her. “Nora, honestly, thank you. I’m not exaggerating when I say you are one of the kindest persons I’ve ever met. You don’t even know me and yet you gave me shelter, food, wine, and now I’m here resting my head on your quite-comfortable lap.”
Her lips curled into a smile. “And I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s my pleasure. Despite the weird circumstances, I’m grateful that we’ve met. “
As they gazed into each other’s eyes, Nora had the impression that Aiden could read her soul. She wanted him to know everything about her. She wanted to know everything about him, too.
Nora’s hands had migrated from Aiden’s hair to his face, first one finger tracing his cheekbone to wipe his tears, then all of them stroking his cheek up and down. His short beard tickled her fingers. His soft skin emanated heat under her palms, and that warmth spread from her hands, across her arms, through her chest, and down her stomach, eliciting a pleasant flutter that left her breathless. Aiden closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed his cheek against her palm, as if asking for more.
“This peace... I don’t remember finding it with anyone else,” he said, opening his eyes again. They gleamed like two emeralds as a sudden lightning strike illuminated the room. The electricity in the air lingered after the light was gone.
“Neither do I.” Nora’s voice was quiet, almost a whisper. Any louder and the sound would break the spell. The storm had calmed—the light rain outside the perfect soundtrack for the moment.
Their eyes were still set on each other, the air heavy around them, as if the universe wanted them to get closer. The force of gravity—not Earth’s gravity; but Aiden’s—pulled her head down, his intoxicating scent clouding her thoughts. He made the slightest of moves, as if to prop himself on his elbows—
Then a shrill ringtone made her jump back.
“Damn, it’s my mom,” Nora said.
Aiden frowned but got off Nora’s lap to allow her to take the call. “How do you know?”
“By the ringtone.” She had to smile at how impressed he seemed at something so simple. “Sorry, I’ll be right back.”
Nora rushed to pick up her phone from the dining table.
“Oi, m?e,” Nora greeted her mom in Portuguese.
Her mother had heard the news about the storm and was worried. Madalena lived just a little over an hour away from Nashville, but her town wasn’t on the projected route of the tornado. So no sirens, no alarms. She was having a normal Friday night with Nora’s stepfather, Stephen, when they turned on the TV and saw the news. Nora reassured her mother she was fine. Her area was still safe.
Lucy barked in the background. Did the dog know it was Nora on the phone? Maybe she felt it. Hopefully, she also felt how much Nora missed her every day.
She was eager to rush back to Aiden and pick up where they’d left off; she tried to cut the conversation with her mother short but her efforts were useless. She couldn’t say she had company or she’d have to spend even more time on the phone explaining the situation.
She peeked to the living room to check on Aiden, but all she could see was the back of the sofa. He must still be lying down.
When Nora eventually had a chance to get a word in edgewise, she told her mother she was busy—which at least wasn’t a lie. With the call finally over, Nora took a deep breath, her heart racing as she pictured what would happen once she was back on the sofa. She regretted, for a moment, not having made her bed. Screw her rules—she could take him upstairs, if the moment called for it—not all one-night stands had to be a disaster.
Or, even better: maybe it didn’t have to be a one-night stand.
The room felt cozy and the toasty air coming from the fireplace was satisfying. So pleasing it had lulled Aiden to a deep sleep, his features relaxed, despite the storm outside—which now sounded angrier, more violent—and despite the extra-strong cup of coffee he’d had.
Once again, she thought that his face seemed familiar. Maybe he resembled someone she knew? Nora was racking her brain when her phone flashed with a notification.
Reading it, her pulse kicked up a notch.