Chapter 26 Bill
twenty-six
Bill
The early sunrise filters through the jet’s windows, but I’m still yawning as I stretch my arms over my head and glance over at Ruth.
Her eyelids waver and drift down like she’s still half asleep.
I reach over and place my hand on her leg.
“Thank you for coming. I enjoyed our time together.” I keep my voice low enough to not startle her, as she seems content to snuggle into her seat and continue her night’s rest.
Her hand slides over my hand, sending flutters that ignite in my chest. “Thank you for bringing me here. It’s crazy how getting away from things for a couple of nights can really change your perspective.”
I laugh quietly. “That was all part of my plan.”
She gives me a playful side-eye and leans closer to rest her head on my shoulder, shutting her eyes. We settle into the silence with only the hum of the engine filling the air. All our awkwardness toward each other is gone.
But underneath it all, a shift happens inside me.
It’s like part of my heart has been rearranged to fit her in it.
It’s not just a playful attraction anymore.
Every time she catches my gaze, my chest tightens.
Even now, as I look at her on my shoulder, my pulse kicks up from the sight of how the sun kisses the side of her face.
It’s obviously too soon to say these things, but I can’t go back to the way we were, where she was afraid to go on public dates with me. I don’t want to hide. I want the whole world to see her beside me and know, without a doubt, she’s mine.
Beneath my pounding heart is a tiny niggling. The thought of her going home and returning to the responsibilities she’s been using as an excuse to keep me out of her life sends a faint ache through me. I guess that’s the risk I took when I came up with this bright idea.
And it was a bright idea, if I do say so myself.
My smile blooms as I easily recall the way her lips felt when she kissed me goodnight.
I’d never experienced a kiss like that before.
It’s funny when I look back at how this whole flirtation began, I saw her as someone beautiful and smart, and someone I wanted to spend time with, but if I’m honest, it stopped there.
That was honestly enough for me. A few playful dates or maybe even casually dating for a while, but now that her head rests on my shoulder, I can’t help but hope it’s the start of a long, beautiful life together
I will find out what happens soon enough.
For now, I will savor the last little bit of time that I have her all to myself. I lower my head on the top of hers, and my eyelids lower from the warmth of her pulling me in. I breathe her in, gratitude filling my heart that for at least the last couple of days, she wasn’t fighting this.
She is falling.
I love watching every minute of it.