The Hearts that Bind

Part 7

October 2013:

"What's one place you've always wanted to travel?" He asks, they're on they're third date and she's throughly enjoying herself.

He's a good conversationalist and charming. It's nice to see him outside of his doctors coat and scrubs.

She's come to love his smile and how infectious laughter. It's slowly weaseled its way into her heart and made itself one of her favorite sounds to elicit from him.

"If I could, I would've went to Bali, or somewhere with really clear water." She answers.

"I've never been but, I've heard from colleagues that Bali is beautiful. But, somewhere with crystal clear water, why?"

"I'm a good swimmer. Plus, when you're in water it muffles everything around you, you can't really hear anything but, the water and..." She pauses briefly.

"And what else?" He prompts.

"Your heartbeat."

"That's beautiful, quite frankly I had never thought about it that way."

"Is that weird?" She asks and he shakes his head furiously.

"Absolutely not."

"Yeah, I don't know, when I go to bed at night and I'm calm, it's soothing. I relish in being able to hear and feel the rhythm."

"Does it feel like a reassurance that you are in fact living?" He asks and she raises her brows is surprise.

She didn't think he'd understand where she was going with that statement.

"Yeah, exactly, that's what it is. It brings me a feeling of gratefulness every night. To know I've completed another day and she still beats up in my chest cavities." Simone explains, still in shock at him comprehending what she's saying.

"Why do you look so shocked?" He asks, smiling at her as he awaits her answer.

"You can tell?"

"It's in your eyebrows and the cut of your eyes. They shine and crinkle when you're thoroughly amused. And I've learned your eyebrows almost touch your hairline every time I tell you something that takes you by surprise." He shares.

She clears her throat, grabbing her napkin to hide the light cough she lets out.

"You are quite observant." She quips, inhaling a deep breath as his eyes bore into hers.

"It's my job to observe, Simone. And I feel I've observed you quite thoroughly this past year." He tells her, licking his lips at the end of his statement.

She feels her face flush and her ears start to feel hot. He's looking at her like she's a seven course meal and she has to take a of swallow her wine to distract herself from the intensity.

There's a barrage of feelings rushing through her so quickly that it's hard to decipher.

"I don't know, I guess I was just surprised you'd get it."

"I feel like I read people pretty well. It comes with the career I guess. However, I feel like I'm in tune with you in a different way." He squints his eyes as he speaks.

"Hm, well, I guess I could get used to someone actually paying attention to me." She jokes smirking at him and he lets out a light laugh.

"You're hard to look away from." He counters and her blush only intensifies, butterflies cluttering rampantly in her gut.

"That's nice to hear."

"I'll be glad to repeat it to you everyday if it'd make you happy."

"Jordan..." She chuckles out.