Cecilia - Eleven #2
I reached for a piece of bread that was in a basket between Theo and I and as I went to pick up the butter knife for the butter, his hand moved out to push it towards me. I yanked my hand back so suddenly, I nearly knocked my water glass over.
Theo’s hand shot out the steady the glass and once again I had done the same, this time our fingers crashed into one another and I didn’t dare react so aggressively again in case I broke the damn thing this time.
Our fingers brushed one another for a second before Theo pulled his hand back and I felt the absence of his touch immediately.
What was wrong with me? Why was I so jumpy and acting like a crazy person?
“Celia, are you okay?” Theo asked softly and I couldn’t stop myself from meeting his concerned gaze.
“Yes, just hungry,” I lied, as I finally buttered the piece of baguette on my plate.
“You just seem a little…” he trailed off, his gaze swept over my face and I used the observation time to sh ove the food into my mouth, so I could be excused from talking.
He shook his head, whether it was me or the thoughts in his mind, I wasn’t sure.
“Never mind,” he replied and pushed the breadbasket closer to me with a smile.
The gesture made me want to scream.
He was always so kind and thoughtful. He had always looked out for me, such a gentleman and yet the thoughts that were racing through my mind were far from decent.
It was as if seeing him again, unexpectantly, and after finding out about Natalie, everything felt heightened, more intense.
I was worried if I opened my mouth too long, I would ask him if he spoke to Natalie, if they were still together. Why wouldn’t they still be together? She was gorgeous. They made sense. Natalie definitely had her life sorted and she was so nice to me last night.
It made me feel guiltier for wanting to have more time alone with him.
There was so much I wanted to ask him. To tell him. I was desperate to fill in the gaps of the last six years with him. But I couldn’t. Not when he belonged to someone else.
I chewed slowly on the bread and figured if I just kept my mouth shut and didn’t look at him too much, I could bury what I was thinking, what I was feeling.
THE O
Celia was quiet. Too quiet for Celia.
Even when she smiled or laughed at something Siena said, her shoulders didn’t move the way they normally did. She kept tucking her hair behind her ear, like she needed something to do with her hands. And she wouldn’t meet my eyes for more than a second at a time.
I hated it.
I was desperate to talk to her one on one and I had planned to do just that earlier this morning, but divine intervention or whatever you would call it clearly had other ideas and next thing I knew, the warm sunlight was radiating off her creamy skin as she stood in her navy dress in the boutique.
God, that dress. This woman.
There was something about seeing the girl you’d always had a crush on standing in front of you in a beautiful dress and now she was sitting in front of me. She wasn’t just any girl. She was the girl and I couldn’t believe we were here together right now.
My eyes flicked back up following the constellation of freckles across her cheeks and nose.
Even her shoulders had a dusting of tan and I itched to lean forward and trace the pattern with my fingers, but I knew I couldn’t.
I tightened my fist and Ceclia’s eyes fluttered up spotting the motion instantly before diverting her eyes again.
Nate was talking about some wine he wanted to try and Siena was chiming in with commentary that was half flirtation, half wine-snobbery, and Celia was nodding and smiling, but she wasn’t really there. Not fully.
I leaned forward, resting my arms on the table, trying to say something without saying too much .
“I’m glad you came today,” I said.
She looked up, caught off guard.
“We were always coming,” she replied with a tilt of her head, pretending to misunderstand.
“No,” I said softly. “Here. Today. You look…” I caught myself. Cleared my throat. “It’s just good to see you.”
She didn’t reply straight away. Something flickered behind her eyes and then her shoulders fell in an exhale.
“It’s good to see you too,” she said quietly, but her eyes locked on mine and they didn’t leave.
I poured more rose into her wine glass and she smiled at me in response. My heart kicked into gear inside my chest and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling back at her.
“Can we talk later?” I asked her and she me a look as if she was trying to read my intentions, but she knew me enough to know I only ever wanted what was best for her. “Alone,” I added with a nod of my head in Siena and Nate’s direction.
“I’m more than capable of pouring my own wine Finch,” Siena prodded, attempting to take the bottle from Nate’s hands.
“Woman just let me pour you a goddamn glass of wine,” he snarled back at her and I could see the fire ignite in Siena’s eyes at his words.
“Whatever,” she mumbled under her breath.
Celia met my gaze and we both raised our eyebrows at their shenanigans – I couldn’t tell if they liked one another or not .
“Okay,” Celia said quietly and the word drew me back to her.
She took a sip of her wine and I watched her throat as she swallowed the cool liquid, finding myself warm.
Everything about this woman was so sensual and I’d forgotten the impact she had on me, but spending the last few days around her had suddenly made her the centre of my world.
I seemed to be orbiting around her without even realising.
She was magnetising and I couldn’t seem to get enough of her.
Her time. Her energy. Her closeness.
I wanted it all.