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“I love you,” she whispers.
Something in me breaks, but I hold back, feeling the crushing pressure in my chest, the pain in my throat, and I whisper back to her, “I love you more.”
Chapter Ten
Charles
My phone rings and I answer the call without even checking to see who’s calling.“Hello?”
“Hi, Charles. I know I said I couldn't go to the party with you, but some things changed, and I can go now.”On the other end of the line, Alisha sounds almost shy, and I sit upright in my chair.
My stomach flexes with excitement and I swallow hard, thrilled by the news. I hadn’t expected her to change her mind, and I’m wondering what changed between last night and today, but I’m not about to pry and potentially ruin my chances of taking her. If I get pushy, she might change her mind and I don’t want that.
“That's excellent news, thank you.” I manage to keep my tone quiet and reserved, even though all I want to do is shout my excitement.
“You're welcome. I'm going to hang up now.” She sounds flustered, unsure of what else to say, and I can't help but chuckle.
“I'll talk to you soon.” With that, we both end the call and only a second passes before I nearly leap out of my chair and make my way to the door.
I'm going to do some shopping in the dining room on my laptop. I know this event is supposed to be fancy, so I absolutely plan on buying her everything she needs to look and feel her best for the party. She's going to knock them all dead, and I can't wait.
By the time she shows up at the house, I'm not sure if the person at the door is her or the person delivering the items I purchased.
I almost consider betting with myself about who will arrive first, but that thought is quickly dashed when she arrives. I’m not at all disappointed that she's in my home, however.
She seems extra shy as she scurries to the kitchen like a scared mouse. Her obvious nerves are almost adorable, but I feel bad that she's uncomfortable.
I smile and nod at her before returning my attention to the front door. Only a few moments later, the delivery person shows up and I answer the door, taking the boxes from them with a smile and a wink.
The delivery guy smiles, then turns and heads for his beat-up little car while I take the boxes inside. With quick steps I make my way to the kitchen and put both boxes on the counter. Alisha peeks up over the counter from where she's kneeling down, pulling some dishes from their spot.
“Can you come here for a moment?” I speak in a soft voice, making sure there's an upward inflection to the end of the words so she knows it's actually a question and that she's welcome to say no.
She stands up, wiping her hands on her pants as she stares from me to the boxes and back to me again. “Sure, I have a moment.” With a glance over her shoulder at the countertop, she makes her way to the boxes on the counter in front of me. Her gaze meets mine, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “I have a feeling I'm not going to like this very much, am I?”
I lift both shoulders, unaware of how she does with gifts or how this whole exchange will make her feel. “These are both for you,” I say. “Open the big one first, please.”
She nods, turning her attention back to the boxes, and I notice that her hands are trembling slightly. “Nothing's going to jump out at me, right?” She sounds almost terrified as she throws a glance my direction and I offer her reassurance.
“Nothing's going to jump out at you. You're completely safe.” Something tells me she's not entirely convinced as her shoulders droop a fraction of an inch and she lets out a sigh.
Whispering something under her breath, she pulls a knife from her pocket, unfolding the little blade and sliding the sharp metal along the tape sealing the box. I watch, anticipating the way her face is going to light up when she sees what's inside the box. I've been very meticulous in my decision making and I can only hope that she appreciates the effort even if she doesn’t love the gift. Of course, I hope she loves the gift too.
She gives me a sideways glance out of the corners of her eyes before opening the flaps in the box. As she glances inside, I see her chest compress as she exhales. Her eyebrows lift and her lips form an almost-perfect ‘o’ of surprise as she reaches gingerly into the box with both hands.
She lifts out the silken gray dress, her gaze darting to me before back to the material she’s holding. I’d chosen a color for her that matches my eyes, and the color of the other gifts matches hers. “It’s beautiful,” she breathes, holding up the dress and pulling the length of the gown out of the box.
I want to tell her that the dress is not as beautiful as she is, but I worry that’s too corny of a line and far too soon in our relationship. All of the good things she's been trying to do for me, helping me get my health under control, making me eat better, and even taking my anger head on make me admire her for her strength and unwillingness to back down. She's unlike any woman I've ever met, and I'm both intrigued by her and interested in spending more time together. I can only assume that all too soon she'll let me down or I’ll grow bored of her, or she’ll fail to live up to my expectations.
“Thank you,” she says, holding the dress up to herself. “How did you know my size?”
“I didn't, but I hired someone to make sure that it fits.” I know that this is the place where everything can fall apart; if the dress is too small, she could be upset and think that I want her to be smaller. If the dress is too big, she might feel offended and think I’m saying she looks bigger than she is. This moment might be a perfect test of her reaction to this kind of situational stress and my chance to see if she’s quick to see my actions as criticisms.
“If you'd like, I can try it on right now.” Her eyes are wide and bright, and I nod my head.
“Follow me.” With those words, I lead her out of the kitchen and toward my bedroom. What a strange feeling leading a woman toward my bedroom with no intention of any intimacy. Though to be honest, it would also be strange to have a woman in my home for intimacy - I don’t bring home a lot of company.
I usher her in my bedroom and close the door behind her. My heart thumps softly against my ribs and my mouth dries up as I envision what she’ll look like wearing the dress I’d chosen for her. Thankfully, I don't have to wait long and she opens the door, stepping across the threshold and smiling at me before giving a little twirl.
