Page 30 of Bound By Destiny

What if it’s because my small victory means that our time together is coming to an end that Dane appears so sour?

* * *

Whether or not my theory was right, one thing becomes clear over the next week:I’mgoing to be a crying mess when Dane walks out my life. Hopefully I can hold my tears in until he closes the door.

Today is his last night. He ticked the one remaining box – I know how to fly. He has no reason to stay anymore.

Tomorrow morning I’ll no longer be graced with the sight of this glorious man sprawled over my sofa. We won’t bicker over whether the no touching and no mentioning rules were breached – they were, of course, countless times over the past few days. Our hands brushed, our feathers grazed one another, our faces were sometimes a little too close.

He didn’t even stay one month, and yet I feel like a whole new woman. Physically, I suppose, I am. But inside as well, I’m more alive than I’ve ever been. I dare to soar higher with each flying lesson, to be less wary of my knee-jerk reactions and sweeping emotions.

So what’s holding me back, now that I’ve conquered most of my fears, from asking Dane to stay with me?

That’s the question that parades through my mind as we sit in awkward silence, eating a frankly mediocre pasta dish of my making. To be fair to myself, my mind was elsewhere all day. The spaghetti seem to twist endlessly on my fork while I try to gather the courage to say, well, something.

“By the way,” he finally grunts after several long minutes. “Since we’ll be strangers come tomorrow morning, how about telling me about what happened between you and Caleb?”

I cock my brow, eyeing him suspiciously. “Why?”

He shrugs, carefully avoiding my inquisitive gaze. “Dunno. Get it off your chest, maybe.”

For all his show of nonchalance, he grips his fork so tight, his veins pop.Yeah right,I think with a satisfied smirk.You’re more interested than you want to let on.

Rather than irritate me, his poorly concealed curiosity gives me courage. Maybe he likes me as much as I like him. He certainly seemed interested when we made love – and now that I’ve thrown my fears into the wind, there’s nothing I want more than to repeat the experience.

So for the time being, I decide to go along with his charade.

“Thanks for volunteering as my confidante,” I smile sweetly at the hulking man before me. “Maybe we can go change and turn this into a pajama party.”

Dane turns fire engine red, and I stop myself short of a chuckle.

“Uh,” he starts in a tight voice. “I think we can have this conversation perfectly fine dressed as we are.”

I plant my elbows on my table and lean forward, enjoying his discomfort a little too much.

“Well here’s the story,” I gush in a whisper. “So–”

“You can speak normally too,” he mutters, pulling away. “It’s just you and me.”

I glance at his ruddy face.The same shade as my tomato sauce, I note with satisfaction. He’s affected by me, that much is sure.

“So when I was in college, I noticed Caleb right away,” I continue with a mischievous grin. “Every girl did. He’s such a charmer, isn’t he?”

Ha. See how unaffected you can act now.Indeed Dane’s grip on his fork is so tight, I fear the utensil will snap in two.

“He’s okay. Kind of short.”

I roll my eyes. “He’s a full inch taller than me. That’s perfectly respectable.”

Though now that I’ve met Dane, I have to admit Caleb doesn’t hold the same appeal he used to. This man, with his surly eyes and gruff ways, has a certain depth to him that just keeps drawing me in.

Dane grimaces, but doesn’t argue. “So you two started dating in University?”

I shake my head. “I was too busy studying back then. It’s only when we both ended up at Infinite a couple of years later that I truly started to develop a crush on him.”

The clatter of metal against porcelain makes me jump. My eyes widen at the sight of Dane, eyes downcast, visibly struggling to retain his composure.

“What did you like about him?”

---