Imagining Us

Ch.57 - Maybe Later?

Esi could feel his heated gaze on her as they stared at the work of art in front of them.

He'd been watching her all night since she'd arrived at the gala. She stared at the image but wasn't really seeing it because she was aware of some force—some tension between them.

There were no words being spoken, and she didn't know what to say to break the silence. Apparently, neither did he.

The stuttering of her heart had not stopped since she had first seen him in his well tailored suit. But, it was more than the fact that he was attractive, it was combined with the fact that she knew who he was under that suit.

However, they were just friends, and that was something that she had to constantly remind herself of.

Not, that she necessarily wanted that status to change.

The cool night air waded into the room, but her whole body felt unnaturally flushed and it made her nervous. Her eye muscles were straining as she was constantly watching him in her peripherals.

Soon, it became too much and she turned to him to ask him why he was staring. He stilled because he hadn't expected her to face him so suddenly.

Esi opened her mouth to ask but was startled by his eyes.

They weren't the grey that she was accustomed to; they were dark—like storm clouds before a torrential rain.

Her breath caught in her throat, but she pushed through to demand some sort of conversation.

"Why..why are you looking at me like that?" She self-consciously touched her hair, wondering if it was still in place. His eyes followed her hand's moments then drifted back down to focus on her mouth.

Esi's hand flew to hover over her lips.

"Is it my mouth?" She asked, a bit embarrassed. She ran her tongue over her teeth.

"Or is there something in my teeth?"

She didn't recall eating anything that would've stuck in her teeth. Plus, she'd brushed them before leaving home.
A frustrated sound escaped her throat because he wasn't saying anything.

Porte just stood there and stared at her with the softest smile. The smile was in direct contrast to his gaze. There was something about that.
Something that made her pulse race uncontrollably.

"Porte! You're not saying anything!" She hissed softly at him and waved her hands in front of him. The movement seemed to snap him out of it.
He tilted his head slightly, and she should've known that whatever he was about to say would leave her puzzled.

"You're wearing gloss." His eyes were fixated on her mouth. "On your lips."

Esi stared at him, mouth slightly gaped.

A second of silence passed between them.

Her mind was trying to figure out the relevance of his statement.

"What?" She asked, confused with the conversation.

He said it again, slower this time.

"You're wearing lipgloss." He paused. "I've never seen you wear any."

It was a strange thing for him to notice.

As Esi stood there, doubts started to creep in. He was right that she didn't wear lipgloss. It was actually something that she was self-conscious about. She'd been made fun of before because of her full lips, and even though she'd come to love them as a black woman, she still tried not to bring too much attention to them.