Chris Peters is full of surprises.
The twenty questions we played at the bar gave me a small insight into his personality. He's allergic to white fish, he hates gingersnaps but loves snickerdoodles, he exercises every day, he snowboards, which after today, I believe to be an extreme sport; and in his down time, he sings and plays guitar for little kids.
I think I might be falling for him, hard.
But I can't say anything.
At least, not yet.
I sit in the rocking chair in one of the hospital rooms of the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, with a sleeping Abbot in my arms. Chris continues to play "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", and I rock back and forth, the soothing motion keeping the child asleep.
"Guys," Chris says after finishing the song. "Did you know that I brought a singer with me today?"
He looks back at me, and smiles.
No. Absolutely not.
I shake my head at him, urging him not to do this.
He ignores me.
"Oh yes. Miss Vanessa. She has a beautiful voice," He probes. "What do you think? Should we make her sing with us?"
The kids all chant yes's and hoorays, so it makes it impossible to say no.
I roll my eyes at Chris, and move to sit by him, keeping a sleeping Abbot in my arms.
Chris looks at me, when I sit beside him, and grins.
"Let's all help Miss Vanessa sing with us, she's a little shy," Chris explains to the kids.
They giggle and look at each other, their tiny hands covering their mouths.
I smile nicely at Chris, for the kids, while also shooting daggers at him with my eyes.
He chuckles, and plays a sweet melody, picking the chords on his guitar.
"City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style," Chris begins, looking at me to join in.
His voice is quite beautiful; he's no Bing Crosby but he can hold a nice tune.
"In the air there's a feeling of Christmas,"
I finally join in, adding harmony to the melody.
"Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile. And on every street corner you hear," we sing together.
The children join in, wide smiles adorning their cute little faces.
"Silver bells! Silver bells! It's Christmas time in the city!"
I look to Chris; he has the most loving smile on his face as he sings and plays to the children, and in this moment, I'm sure.
I'm in love with Christopher Peters.
***
"I'm so sorry for dragging you with me," Chris apologizes as we get back into the car. "I do it every year, and I completely forgot it was tonight."
I shake my head at him, while rubbing my hands together in order to warm them quickly.
"No, it was lovely. I enjoyed it so much," I tell him honestly.
He smiles his half-smile at me, and shakes his head, turning the ignition on.
I blow into my palms, and shiver, my warm breath coming out as ghosts in the chilly evening air.
Chris places his warm coat over my shoulders, and I breathe in the familiar scent of birch and pineapple as I hug it to my body.
I stare at him, while he attempts to warm the car up before we pull off into the night.
He looks at me, and smirks.
"Stop being so mushy today, Vanessa. You're making me think that you might actually like me." He rolls his eyes, and I laugh.
"I think I might like you a little more than you know," I say as I stare into his hazel eyes.
He stares back, and then brings his hand up to my face, brushing back a lock of hair behind my ear.
His fingers graze over my jawline, and then finally advance up to my lips. Running a finger over them slowly, he presses his forehead to mine and closes his eyes, inhaling deeply.
I copy him; breathing in his scent again, drinking in each moment.
Then, he pulls away, and his hand moves down to my thigh.
I'm almost certain that he wants to say more to me, but he seems to battle against it in his mind as he shifts the gear into drive.
"It's getting late. Would you like for me to take you home?" He asks politely.
I glance at the clock, expecting it to be well past midnight, but the time reads 8:13 PM.
"How about we go to your place?" I suggest, hoping he'll read the undertone in my voice.
He glances at me briefly, then returns his gaze back to the road.
"Oh, um. Yeah... sure," he stutters.
"We don't have to if you don't want..."
"No, no. Believe me, I want," he says with a smile. "It's just that I have company expecting me soon."
I nod at him, slightly disappointed.
"Oh, okay," I say.
"But I can reschedule..."
"No. Don't change your plans for me. I'll be just fine," I interrupt with a smile.
I can't help the jealous feeling that surfaces, and it drives me crazy. Chris is his own person. He's allowed to do whatever he wants. I've been in this 'marriage mentality' for so long; it's always been an 'us' thing or a 'we' thing, but it's time I learned how to let that part of my life go.
I've now acquired the time to pick up a new hobby, exercise more, or take that cooking class I've always wanted to take; I should finally feel free.
So why can't I shake this feeling of loneliness?
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Who do you think Chris' mystery guest is? Dawn? Cole? Aaron? Someone we haven't met before? Let me know in the comments!
And don't forget to VOTE ⭐️
CSR: It's You by Ali Gatie (plays in the background while they're in the car)
YOU ARE READING
For A Reason
ChickLit"I just thought..." I begin, flustered, not really sure where my words are headed. He shakes his head. "We can't," he states, removing my hand from his. "There are a million reasons why we can't." He runs a hand through his hair, seemingly frustrate...
