Haunted Love

Chapter 4 Part 6

Chapter 4

She asked herself a thousand times why she had agreed to go to Thane's new house. What was she expecting to gain other than humiliation and despair? It wasn't going to end well. She was setting herself up for disaster and she knew it.

When he had called her and asked for a chance to apologize, she had wanted to say no, but her heart wouldn't let her and now she found herself standing on his porch with shaking knees and clenched fists. It felt like every part of her body was vibrating with tension and she was sure she would snap any minute.

But, oh, how she wanted to feel his hand in hers just once more! The five minutes of pleasure his touch would bring would be enough to keep her happy for a small while. She needed this, no matter how painful, to feel normal.

Lindsey hesitated as she stared at her reflection in the door's glass windows. She straightened her hair, pressed her lips together to make them red, and made sure that her yellow sundress was perfectly pleated. If Thane was going to make her feel stupid, she was going to look good while he did it! He could take her as she is or watch her walk away.

She placed her gloved finger on the doorbell and let it sit there. She felt like being just a tad petty. It would be early payback for whatever torture he had planned. She felt as though she needed to fight for herself before her heart was completely flattened. Her behavior was annoying but it secretly made her feel better...until he answered the door at least.

He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt that should have been trashed several years ago. At one time it appeared to have been a bright green, now it was leaning toward a sad yellow. His tennis shoes were as old as the shirt and the knees of his jeans had holes so big they threatened to fall off.

His hair was ruffled and messy, he had a smudge of dirt on his face, and grass seemed to be sticking to his clothing. He smelled very...manly. She could tell that he had been doing yard-work and something about him doing his own mediocre chores made her like him all the more.

He looked divine, too! How was that even possible? If she had been the one that was hot and sweaty she would look like a hot mess! She felt completely deflated when she realized that her heart was definitely in trouble.

"Lindsey...I am so glad you could make it." He opened the door wider and ushered her inside, "I was afraid you would turn me down. We didn't leave each other on the best of terms last night."

She wanted to turn her back and walk away. Her car was just outside the door for a quick escape. But something kept her planted, made her question why she was so quick to want to hide from him. She had spent her entire life trying to fit in and now she had confessed her darkest secret to someone and she was scared out of her mind.

She cleared her throat and placed her small purse on a table beside the door, "I assumed you wanted me to come over so you can apologize."

Thane's eyes went wide and he stared at her wordlessly, making her squirm in her wedge sandals. Why was she asking him to apologize to her? Had he really done anything bad? He had heard a rumor and instead of spreading it he had came to her and asked her directly if she is coo-coo.

He held up his hands and took a step back. He gave her a look that she couldn't decipher before shoving his hands in his pockets like a sulking five year old. "Okay...uh, look, I am sorry if I upset you yesterday. I never intended to hurt your feelings or make fun of you." He ran a hand over his face and through his hair, "I want to show you something... It's special to me." He sounded sincere, hopeful. "I think I need you to see it so we can talk about what happened."