Dancing with Time

Serendipity

Dedicated to Sanji24Zorro32

'The power of a glance has been so much abused in love stories that it has come to be disbelieved in. Few people dare now to say that two beings have fallen in love because they have looked at each other. Yet it is in this way that love begins, and in this way only.' 

― Victor Hugo, Les Misrébles.

Juliet flung the sweat-dampened apron towards the laundry basket, the motion echoing the frustration simmering in her chest. A strand of her chocolate brown hair escaped her messy bun, clinging to her flushed cheek. She padded back to the kitchen, the rhythmic click of her heels a clear distinction to the earlier clatter of pots and pans.

Keith, his back to her, shrugged off his blazer, the crisp white fabric whispering against his broad shoulders. The sleeves of his dress shirt were already rolled up, revealing toned forearms dusted with flour. He moved with practiced ease around the counter, finishing the meal she'd abandoned in a flurry of clumsiness. Deja vu washed over Juliet, a scene mirrored from that very morning.

Where, she thought, was the aloof, sharp-tongued man she'd married? This domestic picture painted a confusing portrait. Her pulse hammered a frantic rhythm against her ribs, a physical reaction to Keith's mere presence that had become a constant source of bewilderment.

His recent confession echoed in her mind, a broken record on repeat. "I have and will always like you just the way you are," his words had rumbled, a mix of quiet confidence and a vulnerability she'd never seen in him before. His usually steely gray eyes had softened, swirling with an emotion she couldn't decipher. Maybe, she thought with a touch of absurdity, he'd gotten amnesia from a head injury?

A warm touch on her forehead startled her out of her thoughts. Keith's fingers brushed away the furrow between her brows, the scent of his cologne, a familiar blend of citrus and spice, washing over her. Her heartbeat hammered a frantic tattoo in her ears, drowning out everything else.

"Lost in thought, love?" he asked, his voice a low rumble. His gaze swept over her face, lingering on her lips for a beat too long. Juliet felt a familiar heat creep up her neck. She licked her lips, a nervous habit even though they weren't chapped. His nearness was intoxicating, making her normally sharp mind turn to mush. Her emerald eyes darted down, drawn to the tempting curve of his lips, lips that had a way of stealing her breath away with a single kiss.

"Nothing!" she blurted, shaking her head as if to clear it. "Don't call me that!" she stammered, flustered by the pet name that usually sent a shiver down her spine. A desperate urge to shatter this unexpected intimacy clawed at her.

"Honey, then?" he teased, a playful glint in his eyes.

Juliet narrowed her eyes at him, her lips pursed in a mock frown. The playful banter continued, a string of rejected nicknames, each one making her cheeks burn hotter.  

"My love." A blush crept up Juliet's cheeks, warming them like a desert sun, as she met his gaze. His eyes, usually a stormy blue, darkened to a mesmerizing midnight, an intensity that both terrified and thrilled her. He reached out, his fingers brushing against her waist, sending a jolt that shimmered down her spine like a cascading waterfall. The air crackled with unspoken desire as the space between them evaporated. He leaned in close, the heat radiating off his body a tangible force against her skin. Juliet, her face flushed the color of a ripe pomegranate, couldn't help but lament the fact that she'd secured her hair in a tight bun, yearning for it to tumble freely down her back.

"I like how this one sounds," he murmured, his voice a husky caress, his breath a warm whisper tickling her lips before they met in a kiss that sent shivers dancing across her skin.