Page 68 of Falling for You

Chloe

I watchthe most amazing smile light up his face when I tell him I’m feeling the same. How could I not be?

We’re the same.

I felt it the first night we sat at Balance sharing dessert.

Even before my mother passed away, I didn’t form attachments. Didn’t build relationships easily or often. Growing up, I liked only two people aside from Mom. Jillian, my best friend, and Lucy, my other best friend, and that was pretty much it. I had other friends, but none of them were close. Because it was just my mother and I, there were no aunts or uncles, no grandparents, no cousins. It was easy for me to assume it was normal to only having a very small number of people in my corner.

Rex and I have only known each other two weeks and yet I’ve given him more of myself than any of my friends at the salon who I’ve known for years.

Tonight while we were at dinner, he asked me question after question about the salon I want to start up and coloring hair. He wanted to know everything there was to know about being a hair stylist. The men I dated never cared. They made it clear that my job was just that, a job. Not a career. They would act like I was just playing around all day long — and part of that is true. But not because it’s an easy career. Because I love what I do. Most days, it doesn’t feel like a job because I have fun and love the people I work with.

“Huh.” I say mostly to myself.

“What?”

“I just realized something. All this time, my goal of opening a salon on my own? I don’t know if it’s actually what I want.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think I wanted it because that’s what my mom did and I felt like I should do the same. Or maybe because I would feel closer to her if I went out on my own like she did.”

“But you don’t think that now?”

“No, actually I don’t. I’m happy there. Not just content or settling because I’m comfortable.”

“What changed?”

You, I want to say, but I’m not ready to admit that to him yet. It’s been two weeks. That’s a lot of pressure to put on anyone, but especially on a guy like Rex. “Nothing, really. But it’s not as if I’munhappy at New You. And why force a change that isn’t necessary?”

He stares at me from behind his glasses, green darkening as if he knows I just laid a fib on him. “I think change can be a good thing, sometimes, don’t you?”

I wonder if he’s talking about me or him. Maybe both of us.

“Yes. Definitely. Sometimes change is a great thing.”

Heat sparks between us, a current like a live wire. It sizzles and cracks. I lick my lips and his eyes follow the movement. His chest rises and expands. I have to squeeze my thighs together in hopes of relieving a bit of the ache building there.

“I’m going to head out.” The words come out of his mouth with as much enthusiasm as I feel to hear them. He doesn’t make a move to stand up. Rather, he looks incredibly comfortable lounging here on my sofa.

“Why?” my voice is barely a whisper.

“Because the way you’re looking at me right now is a serious threat to my dwindling willpower to do this right.”

I want to huff and whine and ask why he cares so much about waiting, but I know it’s important to him. So, I reluctantly agree. We stand from the couch and I follow him to the door.

“Hey, what’s going on with your car?”

My shoulders sag. “It’s totaled. My poor baby is squashed for good. No chance of bringing her back.”

His lips twitch. “Do you know what you’re going to do?”

“I have to buy a new one,” I whine, lips forming a pout. I’m not trying to act like a baby, but Ihatecar shopping. And I really liked my little car. “But it’s making me nervous. I can’t really afford much of a car payment because I’m still paying off some of Mom’s medical bills. I had insurance on my car but, well, it was old and not worth much so it will help, but not much.”

“My offer still stands to help.”

“Really?”

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