“Then what’s wrong?”
She rests her chin back on her knees, her gaze flitting back to the window.
She pats the spot next to her, inviting me to join her.
She waits for me to sit before she says anything.
“I’m scared, Noah. And confused.” Her eyes bounce everywhere but me. “I’m not sure what to think about any of this.”
I join her in staring out the window.
“I’m scared too, Ria but I’m not confused. Ilikeyou.” A short laugh escapes me. “Fuck that. I more than like you. Icareabout you.”
“You don’t even know me.”
I reach over and grasp her hand, tugging her gently to look at me.
“I know you, Ria. Maybe not the little things that make you, you but I know what matters. You are kind, patient, hardworking, generous and,” I grasp her chin, “—fucking gorgeous inside and out. You’ve seen some bad shit in life and yet you still choose to be a good person.”
Her chin trembles and I kiss her forehead. My hands move to cradle her cheeks.
“You know what else I see when I look at you?”
She shakes her head, pulling at her bottom lip with her teeth.
“I see a woman I want to get to know even more. A woman I want to call mine if she’ll have me. I may be scared that this is all moving so fast but I’m not confused. The second I laid eyes on you, my soul––my soul knew you.”
“Noah—”
“I’m serious, Ria.”
She shakes her head again but this time she pulls away, tears pooling in those chocolate eyes.
“How-how can you?”
I let my hands fall helplessly to my side, in frustration.
Because how the fuck do I explain this gut feeling? I don’t know anything other than the fact that she calls to me somehow. I’m pulled to her in a way that I can’t ignore.
“I don’t know.”
She shuts her eyes, inadvertently shutting me out.
“Ria.”
My fingers move on their own accord, wiping her tears as they spill down her cheeks.
“Do you feel anything for me?”
Her eyes fly open and I see it before she confirms it. The emotions swimming in her eyes.
“Yes but—”.
“But nothing. What do you feel, Ria?”
“I—”. She turns to look away but I capture her cheek gently with my palm, urging her to look back at me.
I want to look her in the eyes when she tells me this.