Conspicuous Secrets

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Are you sure you don't want to tag along?" Jaxon asked me as he slipped on his sneakers.

I nodded and leaned back into the couch. "Yeah, shopping isn't really my thing."

I could tell by the look on my brother's face that he didn't like the idea of going without me. He looked at Kason, silently pleaded with him. Kason grinned softly. "No worries, Jaxon, I'll stay here with your sister."

A clear sight of relief fell upon my brother's face. "Thanks, man." Kason nodded in return.

We quietly watched as our friends prepared to leave. As the four of them were walking out the door, Marla and Aria gave me knowing looks that made me roll my eyes at them. They were no doubt thinking about how Kason and I ended up getting to spend time alone, again.

As the door closed behind them, an empty silence filled the air for a couple of minutes. Kason was leaning against the wall near the doorway and I was leaning into the couch, not knowing what to say or do.

"Are you hungry?" he asked me after a moment.

I shrugged. "I could eat."

With a nod, he said, "Come on, then. There's a little café attached to the hotel on the first floor." I didn't bother to object. I stood from the couch and slipped on my boots that I found in the doorway.

Kason led the way out into the hallway, down the elevator, and into the café area. One side of the room contained a closed off kitchen and counter with close to a dozen table and chairs. The middle of the room was an open floor and the other side of the room had a small stage and a DJ. A tall, thin woman was holding onto a microphone stand at the center of the stage. Her voice was melodic as she sung into the microphone, filling the room with her wide range of vocals. The stranger smiled and kindly waved at us as we walked in the room.

I followed Kason to a two-seat table near the counter. There, we sat and ordered waters and sandwiches. As we waited for our food, we watched the woman on the stage perform. "She's really good," I noted.

Kason nodding, his eyes watching her. "She is."

After a short while, we received our small sandwiches and began eating. The whole time, we were silent and only listened to the singer. Once we were both finished, the woman was finishing the last of her songs, and everyone in the room clapped for her as she ended her last key. "Want to sing with me?" Kason's voice filled my ear.

I turned to look at him with an amused smile. "I don't sing," I said, shaking my head.

He nodded. "Neither do I, but I can dance." I watched him stand from his seat, move beside me and hold out his hand.

He gently grabbed my forearm and pulled me to my feet. As he intertwined my fingers with his, a man walked on stage, looking to be in his late twenties with a guitar in his hand. He led me to the middle of the floor. There were five other couples on the floor around us, but they were just that—couples. This was probably deceiving to everyone else. We looked very much together. "Kason, I can't dance," I told him as he turned to face me.

He grinned and somehow I seemed to relax. "Don't worry," he said. "It's easy."

That is when I felt the eyes on me. Everyone sitting at the dining tables was staring at us and the other couples on the dance floor. "Everyone is staring."

"Hey." He took my hands and placed them around his neck before placing his on my waist. "Eyes on me."

I did as he instructed and listened to the guitar playing. The musician on the stage had started playing a slow tune and was singing a soothing melody. We started swaying to the soft music. It had a nice rhythm and the man's voice was flowing from note to note. He was so talented. There was no doubt that he would be famous one day.

I had been so focused on the music playing around us that I hadn't noticed that Kason had pulled me closer. A second later, I laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes, relaxing into the melody and the comforting contact of Kason. Everything felt so peaceful at that moment. I didn't even notice when the song ended and the musician's voice carried into a new song, this one just as slow. I completely lost track of time.

"Lydia."

Kason's soft voice made me open my eyes and raise my head from his chest. I didn't pull away, only looked up at him. In that moment, his grip tightened on my waist and he stopped swaying. His uninjured hand left my waist and slowly raised until it was cupping my cheek. Dark-blue eyes darted to my lips so fast I barely noticed. There was no thought of panic. No thought of question. I didn't even bother to object when he angled my head further up and knelt his down. And I didn't think twice when his lips met mine.

His touch was soft and gentle as if I was a piece of glass just waiting to break under the pressure. He brushed his plump lips against mine like it was a touch that was vital to remember. It wasn't until I kissed him back when he released the breath I hadn't realized he was holding. His grip on me tightened and he leaned further into me. I copied his actions. It was a perfect moment that made me forget everything going on in my life.

All I could think was him.

A moment later, he pulled away and inhaled deeply. I opened my eyes and found him already staring down at me with such a softness in his eyes that I melted right back into him. I kissed him on the lips once more before pulling away and leaning back into his chest until the singer played through the rest of his song.

Once it was over, Kason grabbed my hand and led me out of the room, toward the elevators. Neither of us spoke a word until we were back on our floor and Kason closed our room door behind us. With a relaxed sigh, I slipped off my boots and made my way to the couch where I collapsed rather not so gracefully.

Kason smiled at me, then made his way to sit beside me. I found myself leaning into him. We sat in a comfortable silence for a number of minutes, before he reached out and angled my head to face him again. His plump lips met mine for the third time that evening and all the weight I had once carried on my chest seemed to be lifted, even if it was just for the moments we were touching. The kiss lasted longer this time before we pulled away and the only reason we did was to take a breath.

He leaned his forehead against mine and he smiled that smile I was growing too fond of. "I swear I could to that all day."

I breathed. "With any girl, or just me?" I found myself asking.

He looked deeply into my eyes. "Just you, Lydia. Only you."

***

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter:)

Soo, things are really moving now...how do you think the others will react? Will Kason and Lydia tell them or will they keep it a secret?

Thanks for reading!

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