He nods, his lips pressed together, as if he’s deep in thought. “You know,” he starts, “When we were kids, I used to watch you.” He says, “I usually had to wait hours just for you to come out of the house. You hardly ever did, your aunt kept you pretty locked up most of the time.
I chuckle wryly. “Yes she did...”
“But I did get to see you a couple of times,” Eddie says, an earnest look taking over his features. “I used to stare out of my window at you when I was supposed to be doing my homework.” He smiles. “Even then I thought there was something enchanting about you.”
I try to remember those days of being homeschooled by my reclusive aunt, escaping outside whenever I got a chance to draw on my sketchpad. If the popular kid who lived opposite had been watching me every day, I had been totally unaware of it.
I bite my lip, wondering what to say. What does one say to a declaration like that?
“I guess somehow, I always hoped that one day, you and me…” He laughs self mockingly and shakes his head. “I don’t know.”
“You hoped that we would be together?” I finish for him.
He nods, “But then you met David Preston and got swept off your feet, I guess.”
I smile wryly. “I did, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you did.” He pauses. “When I saw you here, in Bellevue, and well… I began to hope…”
I start to shake my head.
“I know.” He says, “I don’t know what happened with your marriage, but even I can see that your mind is far away from here, and I’m just a guy on the outside who can only look in.”
“I...” I’m not sure what I’m going to say, which useless platitude to choose, so I just stay silent.
He smiles and starts to move closer, whether for a kiss or a hug I never get to find out. Out of the corner of my eye, I see an unmistakable figure emerge from the silver BMW and the door slams so loud, Eddie jumps.
I turn towards the street, and see David walking towards us. Eddie follows the direction of my gaze, and when he sees David, his expression turns into something that looks like alarm, and he steps back from me.
David’s face is expressionless, but that doesn’t do anything to temper the air of danger he’s exuding. His long stride is loose and relaxed, but purposeful. I find myself thinking of a jungle cat, an extremely beautiful and dangerous jungle cat.
“Obviously,” He says lazily, with a small, humorless smile in Eddie’s direction, “You’re not kissing my wife tonight.” He turns towards me, “Hello Sophie.” He says, cobalt eyes burning. I glare back at him.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“Checking on my wife, obviously,” he replies, with a thorny smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He turns back to Eddie. “You were just leaving?” He asks, his dismissive tone indicating that it’s not really a question.
Eddie turns me. He shrugs apologetically. “Goodnight Sophie.” He says, then turns and walks past David to the sidewalk.
I watch him walk away, seething quietly. “Why did you do that?” I hiss at David, annoyed with his behavior, and with myself, because regardless of everything, I’m desperately happy to see him.
“Do what?” He looks at me, brows raised. “He was about to maul you and you didn’t look particularly excited at the prospect...” He pauses and raises his perfect eyebrows. “Or was I mistaken?”
“You’re mistaken in thinking I need your protection.” I snap, “and he wasn’t about to maul me, he was just saying goodnight.”
“So I didn’t actually interrupt anything did I?” David says with a shrug, “He still got to say goodnight.”
“Whatever.” I mutter, “Goodnight David.”
“I came to apologize,” He says quickly, the words stopping me from flouncing into the building. “I came to apologize for last night.” He sighs. “Sophie, I don’t want you to feel that all you mean to me is sex, because even though I can’t seem to stop myself from wanting you so badly that it drives me crazy, you do mean a lot more to me.”
I blink. Of all the things I expected him to say, I didn’t expect this. It’s not enough, of course, but it’s something.
“What exactly?” I ask.
He frowns. “Excuse me?”
“What exactly do I mean to you?”