From Friends to Lovers

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Kate was smiling at him; 'beautiful' was all he could think of.

He smiled. She leaned the side of her head against his hand on the back- rest and closed her eyes. she began tracing tiny circles at the soft skin at the back of his elbow, and he was finding it hard to think straight.

"How much did you miss me?" she asked, her eyes were open now, looking at him...

He smiled and looked down, thinking of a way to say this without giving too much away, but words came out of his mouth of their own accord.

"when the sun rose, it reminded me of your smile, when a warm breeze came my way, I thought of your warmth, when a sweet fragrance filled my nostrils, I thought of your scent, when the stars shone above me, I thought of your eyes... and I'd fall asleep each night with a prayer for you on my lips.. That's how much I missed you Kate"

He knew he had said too much. He should have controlled his words. He didn't want to look up in to her eyes now, afraid she'd been creeped out.

He heard a whisper of his name from her lips, and like it had some power over him, he looked at her, and if he was reading her right, she was looking deep into his eyes, her lips slightly parted. He looked back at her eyes then, and as if she knew what he wanted to do, she bit down on her lower lip.

And the anticipation growing in him was driving him crazy, he so badly wanted to kiss her, he'd never wanted something so badly before. And before he could stop himself, he leaned in a little, and she closed her eyes, the silence of the dim room allowed for him to hear her breath hitch...

Her hand that was tracing his skin earlier was now still, on his arm, warm. And just as his lips were about to touch hers…

'So what!' by Pink started blasting out loud, and Kate immediately jumped away startled by the loud ringtone of her phone.

She heard him curse under his breath while looking away now. she reached for her phone. And Rick was already standing up,

"I'm sorry" he said,

"I... Uhh... That was..." he was stammering and not really looking at her,

"I should get going... I'm really sorry..."

He was already moving towards the door, she silenced her phone, and followed him.

"Rick, wait... You don't have to..."

"No, I don't know what got into me, you're clearly hurt over your break up with Josh, and I... I'm sorry..."

He was putting his jacket on. "I think the ice cream got to my head, yea that would explain why I did that... I'm sorry..."

"Rick listen..."

He had opened the door now, and was stepping out, still not looking at her, he mumbled a goodnight, and walked briskly away.

The whole way home he couldn't help but feel like a complete idiot! 'What in the world were you thinking? Trying to kiss her? Really? What. You think you're some character in a fairy-tale that could make a woman fall in love with you with a kiss!

God you're an idiot, and she's not just any woman, she's Kate, your best friend!'

Rick couldn't help but wonder what she must think of him. She must think he was using her in her state of vulnerability. She probably wanted comfort after her break up with Josh.

But trying to kiss her? That was crossing the line. God, if it wasn't for that phone call, he would have ended up kissing her, and hell, that would mean all types of awkwardness in their friendship, because obviously, Kate doesn't feel the same way about him, the way he feels about her.

He wanted 2 be punched in the face. 'Friends don't kiss! you freak!'

He reached home, and went straight to his bedroom, splashed cold water on his face, put on just a pair of boxers, and laid down in his bed. How was he going to face her tomorrow? What would she think of him? Had his stupid move ruined their friendship?

Kate had closed the door after he was out of sight, she leaned her back against it, and ran her hands through her hair, they had almost kissed. Almost...

Rick's lips were so close to hers, if she had had the courage to just make the slightest move forward, they would have kissed, and she wouldn't have to verbally tell him what she felt for him, she would have shown it to him in that kiss.

Oh the things she wanted to do with her lips on his, it made her blush. She quickly went up to her room, got ready for bed and laid down.

She couldn't help but wonder what Rick must be thinking. She thought about how he began feeling embarrassed for trying to kiss her. Little did he know she really wanted him to kiss her. She wanted him to ravish her, to leave her panting for breath.

3 months ago, she never would have thought of Rick this way, but tonight, she was sure this was love. She'd never felt this way for anyone before, that feeling when you're heart beats so fast you think it might just explode, that feeling of butterflies fluttering in your tummy when you hear his voice, the way every cell in you feels warm and alive when he's around.

Rick was beating himself up about his impulsive decision when he left her place last night, she wanted to meet him at school and tell him everything's okay. That there doesn't have to be awkwardness between them.

She also needed to find the courage to tell him that she reciprocated the feelings he has for her. But she knew she needed a little more time for that. So till then, she would just see to it, that he's always on the same page as her. They were now somewhere in between 'best friends' and 'in a relationship' and she would see to it, that they only go up from here.