Breathless

Chapter 7: Dessert - March 31

He ate his food while he watched her enjoy hers. Such simple pleasure kept rippling across her countenance that he couldn't help but wonder when she had last enjoyed herself. Doing anything. With anyone.

She was so busy savoring her dinner that she didn't say much, and neither did he. He was so enraptured by her that he didn't even taste the food he was shoveling into his mouth. At one point, she peeped up at him and smiled sheepishly.

"Blaze?" she whispered shyly.

"Hmm?" Intrigued, he simply stared at her.

"You've got a little pesto on your..." She gestured towards one side of his mouth.

Self-consciously, he reached up to brush the green stuff away. Then he glanced up at her expectantly. Confident that she was about to tell him he'd gotten it. But she didn't.

Her cute little mouth formed a tiny moue. And her beautiful aquamarine eyes widened. Almost in distress. Then she astonished him by leaning across the table towards him. She lifted one elegant hand and brushed the tip of her thumb across his lips. He felt the shock of it all the way to his toes. He fought hard to maintain his composure. But his eyes did widen slightly, and his lips twitched.

She gave him a satisfied smile a moment later. "Got it!"

He nearly chuckled again because she looked so proud of herself. For cleaning pesto off the mouth of a grown man. He might have felt embarrassed but for the distraction of the lightning her fingertips had released under his skin a few seconds before. He wanted some more of that beautiful bright arc.

He watched as she happily resumed eating.

"Thank you for this lovely meal. It's wonderful. I can't remember the last time I ate out like this." She glanced around the little restaurant.

But she was privately reflecting upon the fact that she had never actually eaten out like this. With a friend. Alone. It had always been her and Owen. Until he'd left her for another woman. Then it had been just her.

Until tonight. As tears suddenly flowed into her eyes, she glanced up at Blaze and met his gaze. He took note of the tears pooling in her eyes again. Without thinking, he reached out and laid his hand over hers on the table.

"Ruby, what's wrong?" he whispered.

His tone was so gentle that it saved her from embarrassment.

"I've just never done this before."

Puzzled, he drew his eyebrows down towards his nose. "Done what?"

"Eaten dinner out with a friend."

Surprised, he quirked a dark eyebrow. "You haven't?"

Surely, she exaggerated!

But then she shook her head. "No," she whispered. "I spent all my time with Owen for almost ten years. He never encouraged me to go out with a friend...and when he left me, I... Well, I don't have any friends."

She blinked, and several tears spilled down her cheeks. "Excuse me," she gasped, tearing her hand out from underneath his, as she jumped up and headed for the bathroom.

He felt suddenly so...bereft.

—

Why was she crying?

This was a normal state of affairs. Her life had been a solitary one for over two years now. This shouldn't be upsetting her. But Blaze's kindness had unlocked some well in her heart. A fount that hadn't been tapped before. Now she felt as if it had burst upwards out of her spirit, and she couldn't stop the flow of tears from coming. Not for several minutes. So she hid in the bathroom and wept. Simply because a man had been kind to her.

—

Stunned, Blaze sat in his seat with his eyes trained on the bathroom door. He had upset her. Clearly.

She didn't have any friends? He had suspected as much, but it was horrifying to have his suspicions confirmed. Ruby was too sweet a girl to be friendless. He shouldn't have left her to her own devices for so long. He'd known she must be hurting. But he'd been afraid to move too quickly. Somehow, as he had paused in his pursuit of her, two years had passed by them both. All this time she'd been wallowing in her grief. She still was.

How could he help her to let it go? And to welcome a new future? One in which she could revel in the embrace of a friend? And bask in the glow of his smile?

Blaze sat quietly waiting for her to return. But with each passing minute, his concern grew. Why wasn't she coming back? Was she embarrassed?

Just as he was about to go after her, he saw the bathroom door open, and she emerged to head his way. She sniffed as she approached their table. Then she slipped into her chair and gave him a tremulous smile before picking up her fork and taking another bite of her pasta.

"It's so good," she mumbled.

His lips quirked into a sweet smile. "Would you care for some dessert?"

She glanced up at him, and he saw her eyes widen in delight. "You've found my weakness, sir. I love dessert."

He remembered. He grinned as he recalled the lunches she'd brought to school. She'd always had some little treat in her bag. Ho Hos. Twinkies. Raspberry Zingers. Cheesecake. A chocolate bar. But now he frowned as he recollected the many times that Owen had stolen those goodies from her. Robbing her of joy with his selfishness.

"What's your favorite?" Blaze queried with a smile dancing about his lips.

But he didn't need to ask. He already knew.

That same quirk motivated her again to be a little courageous. She wondered where on earth it had come from. She had never been adventurous before.

But now she was, so she responded blithely, "Surprise me."

A grin awakened his face. He glanced at her plate. "Eat up. I'm headed to the kitchen to order you a dessert."

"Don't forget something for yourself."

But he already had all the dessert he needed. He could feast on the sweetness of her smile for days. Months. Possibly even years. After all, he'd waited eleven long years for this moment.