I've Loved You Before

Chapter 14 - River

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Oh-oh, oh-oh

Oh-oh, oh-oh

Out in the deep end, you're treadin' water

Waves crashin' on you, mm-mm, mm-mm

Feels like you're sinkin', like you're goin' under

So you paddle harder

Oh, you don't have to be

So strong when you're with me

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John stood in the kitchen drinking water after his six mile run. He could feel the sweat trickling down his back, even as he wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. Leaning against the counter, he smiled when Hailey entered the room. He gestured towards Brady's highchair covered in peas, and what looked to be pureed chicken noodle. "How much of that did he actually eat?" John laughed.

Hailey walked towards the sink, "Not much. Your son hates peas by the way. He gagged every time they went into his mouth. Then he proceeded to spit them everywhere."

John noticed Hailey's freshly washed hair, and breathed in her soft floral scent. "I'm assuming the afternoon shower was to rid your hair of the peas?"

She smiled shyly, reaching around him for the kitchen sponge, then she walked over to Brady's highchair, removing the food spattered tray. John reached for it, his fingers sliding against hers as he took it from her. She looked up at him, realizing how close he was, and she said softly, "Thank you."

John turned away quickly, turning the water on as he reached for the dish soap. "Have you heard any more news about your grandfather?" She hadn't mentioned it since he's found her crying in her room at the loft. The night he'd kissed her.

"He started chemo a couple of days ago. My mom and I are feeling hopeful," she told him. She knelt down, wiping peas off of the floor, and hoped that the fall of her hair hid her blush.

"That's great. That's great." John dried off the high chair tray, and then glanced over to see Hailey bent over, wiping off the chair. Her damp hair fell over her shoulder, and he found himself yet again fascinated by the myriad of color woven through the strands as the sun hit it. He didn't think or even realize that he was staring until Hailey stopped moving, and her eyes caught his.

Her breath caught when John stepped closer. He stared at her hair, reaching out to lift a strand between his fingers. She could feel her heart racing in her chest. He smelled of sweat, sun, and the faintest hint of the cologne he'd put on that morning. Hailey started to feel lightheaded - his nearness, his eyes watching her, his fingers in her hair. She swayed towards him, catching herself on his chest by placing her hand against him.

She was so innocent. John knew that she was almost thirty years old, but she seemed so shy, so vulnerable. He let her hair fall, and his fingers grazed gently across her cheek. Her skin was so soft, like velvet under his fingers. He asked her, "Have you always had freckles like this?"

Hailey couldn't think straight. Her muscles started to tremble, and she wanted to lean into him, but she had no experience in things even remotely sexual. She'd made sure to push all opportunities like that out of her life. She'd spent her life avoiding men, but the one in front of her had her wanting something she'd only seen in film or read about in books. She stared up at him, stumbling over her words. "I started getting... freckles around the age of-of three."