Page 11 of Aperture

“What was that?” I laugh.

“I’ve wanted to take a picture of your eyes since I first met you,” she replies. “Are they blue? Are they gray? It’s a mystery.”

“My mom says they change based on how I’m feeling,” I joke.

“Does she also tell you that you are the most handsome boy ever?” she teases.

“She actually does, thank you very much.”

She drops her head back and lets out a throaty laugh.

I need to put some physical distance between us before I do something stupid. It’s easy to lose my concentration around her. I need to focus on what Millie is to me.

“This has been awesome,” I tell her. “But I do need to get going.”

“Oh, of course,” she replies.

“Let me walk you back to the coffee shop,” I tell her.

“Sure,” she says quietly.

I can sense her disappointment. She’s better off with being disappointed now than hurt, or worse, later on. I realize that even though I have access to her number already, I need to ask her for it.

“Can I have your phone number?” I inquire, once we reach her car.

Some of the light returns to her eyes. “Sure,” she says, quickly rattling it off while I add it to my phone.

“I hope to see you soon,” she says eagerly.

“You definitely will see me,” I assure her. And because I lack impulse control around this woman, I do what I’ve wanted to since I first saw her. I lean down and kiss her lips gently. She places her hands on my chest as she goes up onto the tips of her toes to meet my lips.

The second our lips touch, I feel a spark that draws me in further. It takes every ounce of strength I have to pull away before it can get too heated. I am way over my head already. I have spent two hours with her and she is tearing away at my walls with ease.

“Thank you, again, for a great day,” I tell her genuinely as she opens her car door.

“Anytime,” she replies, smiling up at me shyly.

I watch until her car disappears around the corner before walking back to my own, and then I spend the whole drive back to my house trying to clear my head. I expected her to be a blip on the radar, but there is something about her. Everything in my body is telling me she is special.

She can be my path to redemption, but I cannot fuck it up. It is problematic that I am so insanely attracted to her. I felt it immediately when I first saw her. My skin gets hot when I am near her. I love the way her nose crinkles when she gets embarrassed and the way her face lights up when she is talking about something she likes. I love her laugh, her eyes, and her curves. It is all perfect. She’s perfect. I absolutely cannot become attached to this woman. I have a job to do. I cannot let her get close to me.

Regrettably, I can hold on to that self-control for precisely one hour before I text her and ask her for dinner the next evening, all the while telling myself I did it because she is important to what I am working on and nothing else. I am lying to myself, but it’s a convenient excuse that I am choosing to believe.

She accepts, and I spend the next twenty-four hours internally chastising myself for being so weak. I keep trying to find the will to call and cancel, but I just cannot seem to do it. I need to see her again.

Chapter 8

It was surprising to hear from Wyatt not long after we said goodbye. Apparently, he doesn’t care about the seventy-two-hour rule. When you look like Wyatt and exude confidence from every pore in your body, why would you?

Even though I’m excited to see him tonight, I’m still saddened that I haven’t heard from Theo. I sent him another hello text yesterday, but it’s gone unanswered as well.

I still feel weird talking to two guys at the same time. I guess I’m not technically talking to two guys though, since Theo hasn’t replied. He said he goes out of town for work from time to time, so maybe that’s what’s happening.

It’s not something I can dwell on right now since I’m putting all of my efforts into trying to look cute for my dinner date. I choose to wear my favorite pair of jeans and a black cable knit sweater. It’s flattering but comfortable. This restaurant is casual so I think it’s a good choice.

When I arrive and park, I take a look around for my handsome date and see Wyatt sitting in a black Mustang a few parking spots over.

Gwen would love this. She always says that the type of car a man drives is directly correlated to his attractiveness level.