Page 20 of Dreams
She knew Josh was holding back beside her, so she sped up and looked sideways at him in challenge. He matched her stride as he turned down another road. She followed him.
By the time he stopped, her legs felt like rubber, but her lips were turned up in a smile, surprising even her.
“If I knew that all it took to get you to smile was a little rain,” Josh started. “I would have planned it sooner.”
He punched a code in to let them into his building. Taylor knew she was right. He must work in one of those high-rises to afford a place like this.
They rode the elevator to the top floor and stepped out into a wide hallway. Leaving a trail of water in their wake, they walked towards a door at the opposite end.
“My roommate is probably out,” Josh said, gesturing her inside.
She walked into a large living room with a massive TV at one end, surrounded by leather couches. Large windows looked out over Columbus, the arena being the prominent feature in the view. Taylor quickly turned away.
The kitchen sat open to the rest of the apartment. It was a little messy. Taylor raised an eyebrow at Josh, and he shrugged.
“Roommate’s a slob,” he explained.
“Got it.” She held her arms across her chest and shivered under the blast of air from a vent overhead.
“Let me get you some dry clothes.” Josh disappeared into one of the bedrooms and returned with a pair of sweats and an over-sized t-shirt. “Bathroom’s over there.” He pointed behind him.
It had never felt so good to be dry. When Taylor returned to the living room, Josh had already changed. He now sported a Columbus Blue Jackets shirt.It’s just a shirt,she told herself. Her breathing quickened, so she took three deep breaths to calm it. That didn’t do the trick. Josh’s stare did. Concern deepened in his eyes at her strange reaction. He reached out and took her hand, instantly soothing her.
“I don’t want to go back to the dorms yet,” she said before she could stop herself. Normally, that would have embarrassed her.
He squeezed her hand. “Then don’t.”
He led her to the couch and then sat next to her as he flipped through TV channels, looking for a movie. She settled in, but jumped every time their thighs touched. They were too close. She shifted away from him slightly. There was something about Josh that drew her to him, but it made her uncomfortable so she wanted to keep her distance.
As they watched the movie, he glanced at her every few minutes. His arm rested on the back of the couch, stretching towards her.
“You’re going to mess up my hair if you keep doing that,” Taylor said after he had been playing with the wet strands for a few minutes.
“Hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but it’s already messed up.”
She started combing her fingers through it self-consciously. It had started to dry funny, and there was no helping it.
“Maybe if it was as long and pretty as yours, the rain wouldn’t ruin it. Can I use some of your product? You must have tons of it.”
“Oh,” he said, cupping his hands around his mouth. “She makes a joke, ladies and gentlemen.”
“I make jokes!”
“Nah, you’re always so serious.” He touched her cheek lightly. “I just want to see you smile.”
Taylor’s stomach clenched as she looked into his eyes. “I want to smile,” she admitted, finally looking away. “I just…”
“Can’t,” he finished for her. “We’re going to change that.”
“How do you expect to do that? I barely know you.”
“You know me.” His voice grew quiet, and it was his turn to look embarrassed. He shook it off. “You had fun running through the rain, didn’t you?”
“I guess I did.”
“Then that’s how we do it. I don’t want you to think right now. I just want you to say the first spontaneous thing that pops into your mind. Something you want to do.”
Something I want to do?She thought. Then she remembered she wasn’t supposed to be thinking.
