The Heart That's Meant to Love You [COMPLETED]

Chapter 15: Staring

Naomi didn't expect to see Kieran Colburn here, of all places. Judging by the precursory search she had done, he had already graduated. So why did he appear in front of her now?

She knew he had seen her. He hadn't stopped staring.

The thing was, Naomi found his stare different from the usual stares she received. Though it pierced her and held secrets she dare not ask about, Kieran's stare held none of the malice that Naomi usually felt from others. None of the indifference her schoolmates offered. In Kieran's stare, Naomi felt things she had never experienced before.

Her mother would warn her to steer clear of people like that. If she knew that Naomi entertained good thoughts toward him, Ms. Rowe would step in to end everything before it began.

The very thought spurred a brief glimmer of rebellion in the back of Naomi's mind. Her mother had been doing odd things without any consultation lately, and itirritated Naomi. Thus, she gave in to the urge to resist the normal. On a normal day, Naomi would have ignored Kieran no matter what happened.

Today, Naomi lifted her head to stare right back.

Surrounded by a flock of college girls that Naomi would never dream of associating with, Kieran didn't appear fazed. Flashes from phone cameras, giggles, and squeals didn't force a blink from his eyes. The only change in his demeanor came the instant that Naomi matched his stare. Then, and only then, one corner of Kieran's full lips tipped up in a wicked grin.

Naomi folded her arms, waiting for him to back down first. Even if that grin frightened her and enthralled her, all at once, she could be just as stubborn as he could. Naomi lived a disciplined life, but that didn't mean she allowed people to walk over her.

She should have looked away when she had the chance. From here, Naomi couldn't clearly see his eyes, but she felt the intensity nonetheless. Somewhere, deep inside, Kieran nurtured a powerful magnetic pull. Naomi had felt it the first time she laid eyes on him. Like magic, the way he enticed her silently. Though she knew better, Naomi wanted to give in.

She wanted to know what the skip in her heartbeat meant. Why nervousness swirled in the pit of her stomach the longer she looked at him.

Naomi bunched a fist in the side of her shirt, trying to find her balance again.

As if he could sense her feelings, Kieran tilted his head to one side, nodded in greeting, and turned away. His groupies followed him into the botanical gardens.

Naomi closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. No one had the right to make her sway like this, but Kieran managed to do so anyway.

"You're not made of stone, after all."

Naomi startled, her eyes flying open to find Claire hovering next to her. "What?"

"The substitute prof." Claire jutted her chin toward the botanical gardens. "I don't know what sparked that little face-off the two of you just had, but I felt the chemistry."

"Chemistry?"

Claire nodded. "And I don't blame you. He's cute."

"Cute?"

Suddenly, Naomi found herself flung into a sea of lingo that she had never used aloud before. Of course, she always heard her classmates talking about boys, but joining in would have been a bad idea all around.

Claire laughed. "He's clearly interested."

"He works here." That seemed ethically and morally questionable, even if Naomi did like him. Which she totally didn't. She found him intriguing, that's all.

"So what?" Claire nudged an arm against Naomi's shoulder. "Go for it."

"Go for what?" Naomi brushed Claire's hand aside. "Leave, I have work to do." She reached for her paintbrush. Better to focus on schoolwork than on Claire's ridiculous fascination with... whatever behavior Claire wanted to encourage at the time.

"I'm just saying..." Claire blew a kiss as she turned to head back to her own painting.

Naomi shook her head. Chemistry? Who needed it? Magnetism didn't always mean good things. Claire didn't know what she was talking about. Go for what? There was nothing to go for. Curiosity killed cats and, if her mother found her out, it might kill Naomi too.

But, boy, did she want to jump into the fire. What lied behind those passionate eyes of his? What secrets did the evil grin hide? Did Naomi dare to seek out the answers?

She didn't need to decide right away, Naomi told herself. Take it slow, find the solution gradually. Like everything else in her life. Naomi had never rushed into anything, never given in to flash-in-the-pan temptations. Why start now?

Try as she might to shake off the feeling that engulfed her, Naomi found her gaze wandering to the botanical gardens' entrance again and again. Would he reemerge before she left? Would she be able to see him again before she went home?

Kieran offered a beautiful escape from her mundane every-day routine. Naomi shouldn't want so desperately to grab on to that escape, but she couldn't help herself. Kieran fascinated her for reasons she couldn't quite place.

You can't be like this, Naomi scolded herself.

Dignity. Grace. Poise. They had all been drilled into her from the day she was born. Naomi couldn't let anything, even her own emotions, knock her off the set track. Her mother would be so disappointed. Despite the pressure put upon her, Naomi didn't want to disappoint her mother.

She must put Kieran Colburn out of her head. There were more important things to focus on, like graduating and learning management in her mother's company. The grand plan. Naomi knew she must follow it, even if it seemed hard at the moment. She would get through it like she always did.

So focused was she on forgetting him that Naomi didn't even notice when a man's silhouette emerged from her brush and onto her painting.