You guys are pretty awesome for being so patient. I make no promises to upload this regularly but I won't stop uploading it completely. Love you guys
Sid x
Chapter Twenty
Nerves, Nonchalance and Noxiousness
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Haezel O’Malley
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This was a mistake. I had made a promise, long ago, a very adamant promise and I was breaking it tonight. Not only that but I was breaking it with the kind of guy who would repeat history. Greg was honest, handsome, persistent and charming but I should’ve learnt that what is seen and heard on the outside doesn’t necessarily convey what is found on the inside, inside that shrewd mind. I shouldn’t have allowed Greg to have any effect on me, I shouldn’t have allowed him to work under my skin with his pleading eyes and charismatic face.
And yet, here I was, sitting on the end of a jetty, looking out at the calm water, sipping on a bottle of water and enjoying the comfort of shared silence. And I had the biggest urge to contentedly rest my head on his shoulder. Just to touch him. Something was wrong with me, I was over-romanticising the situation.
But it seemed that he had the same idea, and he slowly, probably believing it was subtly, shifted his hand over to hold mine. My fingers itched to link with his, to feel the warmth of those big palms, but my conscience finally took over and I pretended to tuck my hair behind my ear before placing my hand out of reach in my lap.
The silence suddenly pressurised and I felt tension radiate from him, adding to my own. I looked over to him hesitantly, expecting him to be irritated. I hadn’t exactly been discreet. But he didn’t show emotion on his face, just gave me a small smile and then stretched his back.
“Should we go back?” he asked.
I started to sigh and then caught myself. Don’t encourage him. If he thinks he’s won me over, he’ll let his true personality show through.
“Yeah,” I said brightly. Even with my tentativeness, I’d had an enjoyable night with him. He was funny and attentive. And he was damn hard to be wary around, he relaxed me so easily.
We both stood and headed back to where he’d parked his car. As we took a few steps away from the end of the jetty, his hand snapped out and latched onto mine. When I looked at him in surprise, his expression was triumphant, like I’d been playing a game when I’d avoided him earlier.
“Did you have fun tonight?” he asked, brushing his thumb over the back of my hand.
His touch was sending heat up my arm. “I did.” I couldn’t lie.
“What was the best part?”
I glanced up at him, wondering if he was serious. Did he want a review of the date?
