Page 29 of Yours, For Now

But I caught myself and looked away within a second. Chances were Lina didn't catch me, as she'd been gazing toward the dining room; her mom had appeared from the kitchen and walked in our direction.

"I'm going with Gabe to his car— to say goodbye," she said.

I offered my hand to Iris again, and we shook hands once she reached us. "Bye again." I'd said my goodbyes earlier, but it felt right to do so again. "Thanks for everything."

"Come back soon!" Iris let us out the door, and Lina and I walked down the porch and into the front yard.

My car sat on the masonry driveway, and we approached the driver's side. Her house was big for the city, with a great yard boasting large, old trees on the edge of the property, and a well-maintained lawn and flower pots. The building itself had the look of an old but fully renovated home, clean brick walls and white trim interspersed with big windows.

Lina sighed. "That was an intense evening."

I leaned sideways on the driver's door, my back to the house. Lina rested her hip on my car, facing me. She crossed her arms and it was very difficult not to glance at her neckline again, to see what her gesture did to her breasts. I almost did it, in fact, but stopped myself when I caught the tiniest sign of a squint on her part. She'd catch me for sure, this time.

I gazed at her eyes, instead. "Does your family have any shame about pushing you to get married?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You were being pushed into it right alongside me."

"Yeah, but I'm replaceable. Something tells me they would have done this with any boyfriend of yours."

"Didn't you expect it?"

The night was cool. Automatic sprinklers turned on, the spray covering the width of the lawn. The smell of wet dirt drifted in the air.

"No." I filled my lungs with the smell of petrichor. "I expected to be drilled about work and be fed until I was nauseous."

"Those things did happen."

I raised an eyebrow of my own. She was evading my question.

Her face relaxed and she looked toward her house. "Fine, yes. They're pushy. Especially since I turned thirty."

I shook my head. "There's time. I don't plan to get married for several years. Why should you?"

"Don't make me repeat their reasons; you heard them. They're sexist and see the world as a binary, with clear expectations for each. They only care about how they see me." She gazed at her house again. "I'm a woman."

She hooked a finger in my shirt's button placket and pulled me toward her, and I became extra aware of the fact. I nearly stumbled into her, leaning close to her by instinct. She stretched her neck high and talked into my ear. "I think my mom's watching from the window."

My brain, slightly fuzzy from the smell of her and the warmth of her skin so close to me, chose that moment to wonder at how it would feel, if she'd followed her statement with her teeth on my earlobe. It did so for some weird reason, at such an inopportune moment. Distracting me.

Who was I kidding; I knew why the image and the question had appeared in my brain. Because Lina was my type, and spending time so close to her, little pats and whispered words, heightened my attraction to her.

It wasn't until that moment that I realized exactly how dangerous that was. I should have created distance, let the heat in my lower belly die down, since I wasn't planning to follow through with any of it. But I'd promised I'd do this, show off like we were truly seeing each other in a new light. I couldn't pull away and be true to my word.

A different plan was in order. Still so close to her, I ran my hand up from her wrist, up her arm, and stopped it at her shoulder.

I wanted to make sure she heard every word. I brought my lips to her ear and lowered the timbre of my voice. "That's kinda creepy of her."

Lina laughed and pushed me away with a firm hand on my chest. "Stop. It's not like she's watching us make out."

"She never should watch you making out with someone."

She grinned, light from the tall decorative lights of the garden sparkling in her eyes. "It's fine. At this rate, she never will."

I pursed my lips as I considered her. "Please tell me that's because of the creepy factor, and not because you don't think someone will want to kiss you like that."

It wouldn't be me, but attracted as I was to her, I could see how sad it would be for no one to get to spend hours kissing Lina. If she wanted that for her life at all.

If she wanted that, she'd find someone. Probably earlier than I would ever be ready to think about that for myself. I couldn't see how she'd have any trouble finding someone whenever she wanted.