Because curiosity is in my nature, I pick it up.
It’s a picture of a young couple. The woman, who I’m guessing is Ria’s mom, is the spitting image of her except for the eyes. No, those eyes clearly belong to the man in the photo.
This must be Ria’s father.
I set the picture back down, my eyes sweeping across the room once again.
There’s a suitcase sitting inside her open closet with clothes folded in it and a few hung.
The only other sign of her is the bed, comfortable with its pale blue sheets, comforter with a Sherpa blanket that looks like it’s well loved and two decorative pillows.
I stare at the bed longer than I should and heave a deep sigh.
Her room looks exactly like mine-- like a hotel room. Temporary.
Tossing my sweater over my shoulder, I walk out of her room and back towards the dining area just in time to hear her curse and a cupboard slam.
I bite back a smile.
Ria isn’t a morning person.
What I find back in the kitchen stops me in my tracks. Then I’m practically vaulting over the bar top separating the dining and kitchen areas to get to her faster. She’s on her knees on the countertops trying to reach the top shelf. Her arms are shaking, and her position is unsteady.
My hands go to her hips to prevent her from falling and she tumbles back with a startled gasp.
I wrap my arms around her instinctively, cradling her back on my chest.
“Are you okay?”
“I-I needed a mug.”
Fear lodges in my throat. I acted on instinct. The thought of her falling off the counter and onto the marble floor and hurting herself was too much for me to bear.
I can feel myself shake just by the mere thought of it.
Ria trembles in my arms.
I feel her every breath.
Her scent wraps itself around me, filling me with a toe-curling need stronger than anything I’ve felt before.
My hands tighten around her and I breathe her in, trying to will myself back to reality.
We're practically strangers and there is no way I’m going to pressure this woman in my arms to do anything she doesn’t want to do.
Not until she’s ready.
Not until we’ve figured out what exactly this is between us and how we’ll move forward.
But then she turns her head to look at me and I see the same need reflecting back at me. Something inside me grabs hold and I know this is it. This is the moment in my life I’m going to look back at, wondering what if I didn’t take this chance being handed to me.
I've never wanted something––someone more in my life. I ache for her.
When her gaze falls from my eyes to my lips and back again, I give in.
I turn her in my arms before setting her on the counter. My eyes lock with hers.
I lean in, bracing my hands on either side of her.