So Close

Chapter 6 of Love from Above

Once the sun has dipped below the waves and darkness is beginning to settle around us, Jeremy stands and turns to me.

 

“We should probably start heading back,” Jeremy says with an almost mournful look in his eyes.

 

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” I stand up reluctantly and we begin walking back in the direction we came. As the forest closes in around us, I start hearing frightening sounds emerging from the blackest shadows. I step closer to Jeremy and wind my arm through his. He glances down at me, where I am practically glued to his side.

 

“Scared?” he asks, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

 

“No…” I respond defiantly. “Well, maybe a little. Not so much now,” I say, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. He chuckles, the sound of it making the forest seem less dark.

 

***

 

Too soon, despite our meandering pace, we break through the trees at the edge of Jeremy’s property. We walk around the side of his house and over to mine, stopping just outside the door and turning to each other. 

"Oh here," I say, reaching into my back pocket and slipping a piece of paper into his hand with my new cell phone number on it. He smiles and pulls a pen out of his back pocket. Gently he takes my hand and scrawls his own number across my palm, lightning shoots up my arm at the touch.

 

Jeremy places the pen back into his pocket and looks up into the star filled sky. There aren’t many street or city lights around so there are millions of twinkling orbs suspended in the peaceful black sky.

 

“They really are beautiful, aren’t they?” I say, referring to the stars.

 

“I used to think they were the most beautiful things in the universe, but after today I’m not so sure.” He says softly, turning his gaze to look deep into my eyes. I feel my cheeks heat and I smile up at him, his face only inches from my own. He grazes the back of his fingers lightly across my cheek and almost looks like he is going to kiss me. My heart begins pounding and my breath hitches in my throat. Then, something in his expression changes, something like shock crosses his features, and instead of kissing me he quickly wraps me in a hug.

 

“Goodnight,” he murmers in my ear before he turns and walks away. I stand on the porch almost in a daze gazing after him for a moment. Then, shaking my head to clear some of the chaos in it, I turn and step inside.

 

I shut the door and immediately hear footsteps come down the stairs. Janie and Libby drag me into the living room and wait expectantly for me to spill the beans of what we have been doing for the past two hours. I tell them every detail of what happened.

 

“Oh, my, gosh! That is so romantic,” Libby says, pretending to faint into Janie’s lap.

 

“But he didn’t kiss you?” Janie says, looking at me sympathetically.

 

“Well, would you honestly expect him to? I just met him this morning.” I say tipping my head back to gaze through the skylight in our living room, wishing I were still looking at these same stars with Jeremy.

 

“Well, he’s definitely catching feelings for you Kelsey,” Libby says with conviction, sitting up.

 

“What makes you think that?” I demand, snapping my eyes away from the stars to study her expression, willing myself not to get my hopes up.

 

She holds up her hands in front of her in a defensive gesture. “Just by the sound of what happened between you two. The way he held you when you were scared, all the clichés he made happen, that line about the stars. All those puzzle pieces create the big picture that he’s falling for you, big time.”

 

My mouth pops open but I’m too stunned to speak, Janie gives Libby a severe look, which Libby shrugs off.

 

“I think I’m going to head up to bed,” I say, slightly dazed.

 

“Goodnight,” Janie and Libby say together. As soon as I step out of the room, I can hear them whispering to each other, but I’m too wrapped up in my own thoughts to discern what is being said.

 

I dress for bed still turning Libby’s words over in my mind. I suppose she could be right in her assumption, but I still think it’s too soon for feelings like that to have emerged from him yet. Heck, it seems too soon for them to have emerged from me yet.

 

My phone vibrates across the bedside table. I pick it up to read the text message from Jeremy.

 

Had a great time tonight. Wanna grab some ice cream tomorrow? My treat.

I smile and quickly type that I accept before turning my phone off and drifting off to sleep.

 

***

 

“Kelsey! Kelsey! My goodness, Kelsey, wake up!” Libby yells, shaking my sleeping shoulder. I grumble at her and roll to look at the clock.

 

“Libby, is there any particular reason you’re waking me up at 2 AM?” I ask, irritated.

 

“Yes, yes there is. I can’t sleep because of these damn thin walls.”

 

“What are you going on about?” I ask sitting up and rubbing sleep out of my eyes.

 

“These walls are thin and I’m right next door. I could hear you saying ‘Jeremy! Jeremy! Oh, how I love you Jeremy’,” Libby says, doing a mock imitation of my voice.

 

My eyes widen. “I was not!” I deny, blushing deep red. I was dreaming about him.

 

Libby rolls her eyes, not looking at all convinced. “Just keep it down would ya?” she says as she gets up and heads back to her room.

I flop back onto my pillows with a sigh. Sure, like it'll be easy to fall asleep now.