Page 21 of When The Noise Stops

Waiting. Watching for me with those big brown eyes.

I sat down across from her.

"What should we watch tonight?" she asked, like we'd been doing this forever. Like this was normal for us.

I blinked.

"Watch?"

"Yeah. On TV?" she nodded toward the corner.

"We're having dinner and watching something."

"Why are you saying it like we already had plans?"

"I should always be a part of your plans now so there won't be any misunderstanding."

I couldn't help it. I almost smiled.

She grinned like she'd won something.

She turned on the TV, scrolled through the options, and settled on some action movie. I didn't care what we watched. I couldn't stop looking at her.

She caught me.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"You're staring."

"I'm not," I dropped my eyes a bit.

She smiled and let it go.

We ate in silence. Well, not silence. The movie played.

The food was good.

I didn't touch her.

But I wanted to.

An hour later, she was asleep. Curled up on my couch, her head on the armrest, lips slightly parted. The chicken pot pie was gone. The wine glass was empty.

I sat across from her, watching her like a creep.

She shouldn't have fallen asleep in my apartment. I was a stranger, basically. A man she barely knew. But she trusted me. This was the second time she trusted me enough to close her eyes around me.

I didn't know what to do with that.

I grabbed a blanket from my bedroom. Tucked it around her.

She mumbled something. Smiled in her sleep.

I stood there for a long moment, looking down at her.

Tomorrow, I'd keep my distance again. I'd try harder. Because if I didn't...