I belonged to another man. I was in the home of another man. I was in the bedroom of another man. And yet, there I was, my lips pressed to someone else.
As Ariana's hand rested there on my knee, I seriously considered following through with her advice. Then, as I looked up at her, only to see Joseph approaching the sliding glass door behind her, I knew my mind was made up. Just the sight of him stole my breath. His smile when his eyes met mine, halted my heart. Like a chain reaction, my senses synced with Joseph's; my lips turning upward all on their own.
"Hey," I mouthed, just before he pulled the door open.
"Hi," he responded out loud. I stood as he came near, counting my every breath in time with his steps. "Did I interrupt?"
"Never," Ariana answered, reminding me of her presence. "Is it time to open gifts?"
"Almost," Joseph said. Then he turned his eyes back to me. "But not quite yet. I actually . . . wanted to talk to you, Demi." He then glanced at Ariana, curiously. "Is that alright with you? I know you want some time to catch up."
Ari smiled at him, waving her hand dismissively.
"Go right ahead," she grinned at him, then at me, lifting her eyebrows. "I'll, uh, head back inside."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Okay," I giggled, and as obnoxiously as possible, she turned around and went back into the house. "Wow," I sighed, rolling my eyes playfully.
"Same old Ari," Joe chuckled.
"So . . . ," I turned my eyes up to him, feeling absolutely enthralled by his presence. "Ariana told me that you've had all of this planned for a while, now."
He lifted one corner of his mouth, lowering his eyes to me.
"I have," he muttered, his voice deep. "And then some."
"There's more?" I lifted my eyebrows, my smile never leaving my face. "Wow, I have . . . so many questions."
"I'd be happy to answer them," he chuckled. As he slid his hands into his back pockets, I noticed how slightly awkward his body language was. Usually, he'd be noticeably desiring to touch me, making sure to stand near enough that I'd want to as well. Yet, for some odd reason, Joe was steps away, his hands behind his back.
I furrowed my brows at his actions, my eyes scanning his nature as I spoke.
"Okay, well I guess my first question would be . . . why are you so distant right now?"
He seemed confused.
"How do you mean?"
I stuck my arm out directly in front of me, making an obvious claim that he was literally out of my arm's reach. When he saw this, his smile fell slowly, and for a moment, he looked away.
