That was the first night he’d really talked to me again. When he’d asked me to dance, I’d felt an explosion of butterflies that had made me want to puke right up.
But I’d let him lead me onto the dance floor and hold me close. We talked about random tidbits of our past, making each other laugh, then, I’d sworn I’d seen him glancing at my lips more than once and this part of me that I had buried years ago was reawakened.
I had wanted it.
I wanted it bad enough that I leaned in, and then he pulled away, clearing his throat and offering me a drink.
Then I went back to avoiding one-on-one interactions with him. My pride couldn’t take it.
Now I was stuck in a tent with the man with no escape.
Archer moans and moves around on his side of the tent.
It’s not a large space, it was made for two people according to the picture on the box. But my guess is it was really made for one couple, not two separate people, based on the proximity of our bodies right now.
Suddenly his arm comes over my stomach and I freeze more, unable to relax.
He smellsreallygood.
I clench my eyes shut at the thought. I could so easily twist onto my side and scoot closer and literally be spooned by Archer.
“Viv?” His gravelly voice vibrates through me, and I bite my lip before letting it go.
“Yeah?”
“You okay? Why aren’t you sleeping?” He squeezes his arm around me, acting like we do this all the time and that this is a normal occurrence. Why is this not weird for him?
“Oh um… I just can’t sleep. It’s too quiet.”
This isn’t a lie, it is too quiet. I’m used to living in a city where there was always one noise or another, and if there wasn’t noise coming from my window, I had a fan running at all times. I was a product of the nineties, we used fans.
“Want me to sing to you?” Archer’s request surprises me.
“You can sing?”
He chuckles. “I’m not Frank Sinatra, but I do alright.”
I can’t help the smile that forms and his chuckling has me relaxing slightly. “Okay. Sing to me.”
“Scoot closer.” He tugs on me with his arm and positions me just how I imagined doing minutes earlier.
I’m being spooned by Archer Moore. And I really like it.
He starts with a hum and then his voice starts low and slightly rough due to just waking up, but then I catch what he’s singing and I let my mouth fall open in awe.
Not just at his voice, which is surprisingly good, but at the song. I love this song.
“…only fools rush in. But I can’t help falling in love with you.”
A sting forms behind my eyes and I berate myself. This is not a declaration of love from him, just a song that everyone in the world knows and loves.
But, for a moment, I let myself believe it’s real and I pull his arms around me tighter, drifting off to sleep with his voice in my ear.
Chapter Seventeen
“Honestly, if you can’t laugh with your partner, there’s just no point.” – Graham
VIVIANA