Delicate Us

Chapter 5

Syler

7PM rolled around faster than Syler had expected. Gosh! Why'd she have to ask Trace to come over? She was still feeling the aftershocks of being queasy from last night.

But when she replayed meeting him for the first time in the office, her fingers just began typing. The way his eyes searched for hers was magnetic. She knew a lot of people looked at her, but none the way his green eyes did. It was as if they pierced through her soul, calmed the storm inside her, and retracted all too quickly when he looked away. The whiplash of that she had to endure the entire concert.

Now Trace was coming over and she didn't know what to do. What to expect. Instead of anxiously waiting to find out, she printed out two copies of the contract and had them resting on the kitchen island. One facing where he would sit on the stool. The other where Syler would stand behind the counter. They'd talk about the contract. It was a perfect plan to cover up why she had asked him over when she was sad and lonely and sick at three AM the night before. She must have straightened the contract a hundred times throughout the day, ensuring they were perfectly perpendicular with the edge of the counter. Syler wouldn't have to endure his company for long. He'd come, they'd read, he'd leave. It was going to be fine.

Just as she finished changing into a pair of loose jeans and a blue cropped sweater that came down to her waist, her phone buzzed. He was calling.

"Trace, hi."

"Hey, I'm not totally sure where this gate is." His voice was rich and held a casual calm with an undercurrent of excitement, and she could hear the smile through his tone.

"I'm coming out."

Syler took a deep breath, adjusted her outfit and took one last look in the mirror hanging on the wall beside the sliding doors. She had only put some foundation on and a little eyeliner. Maybe she should have done more. Or less? She gave a frustrated growl and tugged open the doors that led to her garden. Walking past the open field of freshly mowed grass, she plodded down the curved paths surrounded by rose bushes of all colors. It only took a minute to reach the tall fence covered in lush ivy of her backyard for privacy.

She opened the gate only to be met by his wild emerald eyes that held a sparkle when he smiled. "I found it." He pulled down the hood to his black jacket and ran a hand over his buzzed cut head. His jawline was lined with dark scruff, and his straight nose led to his glistening lips, as if he had just licked them.

She grinned, letting his presence wash over her like a tidal wave as she stepped to the side to let him in. As he passed Syler, the smell of a gentle cologne gave off hints of calming spices and herbs and something uniquely him. His body towered over hers like a wall made of solid brick, and all she thought about was what it could feel like to cuddle herself into his chest and have his arms surround her.

He spun on a heel to face her and held up a brown paper bag. "I brought you something."

Her brows furrowed as a curious smile emerged. "Oh?"

While he reached into the bag, he said, "I got you lemon and ginger tea and mug..." he pulled it out and said, "with my face on it. You know, the one you like when you're dancing to that one song. I thought you could put it on your window sill to scare your stalkers away."

Syler glared at the mug and let out a long-lost laugh as she closed the gate behind her. "So thoughtful." She politely grabbed the mug and the bag and smiled down at her gift.

Trace stuffed his hands into his pockets and said, "See? I'm holding up my side of the bargain quite nicely, don't you think?"

Syler laughed again and began toward her house, bumping her shoulder playfully against his as she passed him. "I'd say so."