Noah chuckles. “It’s not like I haven’t touched a sweaty woman before.”
I laugh and then snort. Great.
“Oh shit, that wasn’t meant to sound like an innuendo,” he says grinning and I smirk back.
“You just arrived?” I ask, shaking out my arms. I need to stretch before I cool down completely.
“Yeah. I’m heading upstairs. I have room six booked. Will you be here for much longer?” he asks, his stare flicking up to the ceiling where the studio awaits him, then back to me.
“I’m done,” I tell him. “Just need to stretch.”
“Shit, you should have said, I’ll let you get to that.”
I smile, thankful that I don’t need to explain.
Noah takes a couple of steps toward the door then turns and looks back to me. “Would you like to go for coffee sometime, Liv?”
I hesitate, I can see he’s about to say something else, but I get there first.
“Sure. Tomorrow?”
He nods in agreement. “Tomorrow. You want to meet at the Coffee Cottage on the high street at, say… eleven a.m.?”
“That’s a…” I stop myself from almost saying date. “Sounds like a plan,” I finish. Noah’s lips twitch sexily before he leaves to go to his studio.
I hiss out a breath and sit down ready to reach for my toes. What the fuck is wrong with me? This shit isn’t new—dating, fucking. I’ve done it plenty since Isaac left. Now, suddenly he’s returned, and I’ve reverted back to a young teen at a high school disco again? And it’s not even him who’s asking me out.
“Dammit, what is wrong with me?” I mutter to myself.
“Via.”
My back straightens at the familiar voice. Slowly, I spin around on my bum and face him. Isaac.
“What do you want?” My question comes out sharper than I intend, and immediately I feel bad. “Sorry,” I say slouching over and gathering my knees up into my arms.
“I wanted to see if you were okay. Mum called me this morning and told me about Aunt Libby. I figured you’d come here,” he replies softly.
My chest warms at his words, but within an instant, guilt washes over me. I feel happy that he knew where I’d be, that he knows me so well, but how can I feel happy when I’ve just lost my aunt? When my whole family is grieving? What’s wrong with me?
“What is it?” Isaac demands, his tone sharper now.
“Nothing,” I automatically reply.
“Bullshit,” he returns, striding over and sitting down next to me. “You don’t want to tell me? Fine. Just let me be here for you.”
“Isaac, don’t you think we should talk?” I ask. There is so much that’s been left unsaid, and with my aunt’s passing, it’s brought realisations to the front of my mind, things I was trying to bury, pretending they didn’t matter, and that they never would. I need to acknowledge my feelings and his. We need to talk. That doesn’t mean there will ever be an ‘us.’ If he can’t be honest with me, then there’s nothing to build upon. Trust, for me, is the bottom line in any relationship.
“We do. But not now. Let’s focus on getting through the next couple of weeks, and then we’ll talk.”
I nod, and Isaac places his arm around my shoulders pulling me into his chest. I forget about stretching as I cry. For my aunt, for my uncle, for my family, and for me.
LIV
Why are my hands sweaty? Ugh. I grab a napkin and wipe my damp palms. I’m sitting in Coffee Cottage waiting for Noah. I’m early by fifteen minutes.
Is a fleeting thought still considered fleeting when it keeps coming back around? At least four times since arriving I’ve had to force my body to stay seated rather than making a break for it.
Once again I’m blaming Isaac. For some reason since his return, I’m unable to date like a normal woman. I was fine before.
I was broken before.
I shove the errant thought away as the little bells over the door jingle, and Noah steps in. His frame almost fills the door. Isaac would fill that door. Shaking my head, I pinch my knee like I’m telling myself off. It’s not going to help, but it’s all I’ve got.
“Hey.” He smiles, casually strolling over to me. “You’re early.”
“Morning. You too.” I offer a smile back to him.
“Coffee?” he asks, then frowns when he realises I have a cappuccino in front of me.
I giggle. “No thanks, maybe in a bit?”
“Yeah. I’ll just go grab one,” he says smiling again. Damn those dimples.
“So, how long have you been waiting?” he asks once he’s got his drink. He sits down and shrugs off his jacket. He’s wearing a navy blue shirt, and I can’t help but think about how the colour would look gorgeous on Isaac.
Stop it. Fuck.
“Liv?”
Damn, I’ve been staring at his chest. “Sorry.” I blush. Why I’m blushing, I have no idea. “I’ve only been here about ten minutes, you’re early too.”
“Okay, want to hear a secret?” he asks.
I frown. “Not if it’s something that could later lead to my untimely death,” I exaggerate.
“Ha, no. I was nervous.”
“About what?”
“Coming to meet you today.” He surprises me.
“Oh?”
Noah shrugs but doesn’t say any more about it.
“So, what do you do, you know as a job?” I ask.
“I’m a teacher.”
“Oh, wow, I never would have guessed,” I answer then bite the corner of my mouth when I realise that sounded rude. “Sorry.”
Noah chuckles. “No, it’s fine, people are often surprised. Though I’m not sure why?” He frowns and a cute little line appears between his eyebrows. People are probably surprised because he looks like
