A Way Out

Chapter 28

Dallas felt anxious being so close and alone with Christian. He thought it was a good idea to go back to the lake. Christian felt like she could be honest with him at the lake and dared to share what weighed on her mind since he had done exactly that beside the water.

The car ride to the lake was a quiet one, and both felt the tension hanging in the air. It was so thick they could almost grasp it. Dallas fiddled nervously with her keys while Christian kept on tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. They both knew that whatever happened today, would determine how they were going to move forward. Christian wanted nothing more than to grow their bond, but Dallas was still on the fence.

"We're here", Christian murmured absently, still lost in thoughts on the whole situation. He got out and opened Dallas's door for her. She smiled at his gallantry and found his eyes for a slight moment as she got out.

Dallas figured her eyes held the same amount of uncertainty as to his, but she still liked the comfort she found in them. The flicker of gold within his brown eyes brought her solace and warmth. Something she had grown to want more and more.

Dallas sat down on the same spot they occupied weeks ago, and Christian followed her. The night was upon them, draping the sky in a purple and orange hue. Some crickets broke the silence, and it made the tension between them ease a little. Dallas couldn't handle any silence. It made whatever loomed between them heavier, and she feared she couldn't carry it.

"So," Christian began, "it's been a while."

Dallas squinted her eyes at his words, already feeling embarrassed because of the way she behaved. She didn't want to avoid him, but her fear was bigger than her desires, so it won every time she debated on seeing him again.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, deciding to just get it over with.

"For what?" Christian asked. He didn't want to be cruel, but he wanted to have a reason for her absence. He had worried, pondered over why she wouldn't show. He wanted to know if that had been in vain.

"For not showing," Dallas explained.

"Why didn't you?" he asked.

Dallas breathed a sigh. She listened to her heart, and it wanted so badly to be honest with him, but she feared it would scare him away. Still, she wanted to get closer. Dallas wanted to know more than just his mannerisms, his glances, and his smiles. She knew the flicker in his eyes and knew when it sparkled. Because of that, she felt attracted to him and wanted to get fully wrapped up in him, to deepen their bond. That's why she told him.

"You're not drawing me again, are you?" I asked, glancing at Justin who studied me intently with a sketchbook on his lap. We painted some rooms in Justin's art center and decided to do some art ourselves during the break.

The result pleased me. We'd been working all afternoon and gave the walls a cream color, which brought the light in even more. Justin did all the technical stuff with his friends last week and told me he didn't need my help. He also said that he didn't want me around his friends, because I was too pretty. What an idiot.

Since our time in the park together, something between us shifted, and I didn't mind. Justin was even more complimentary and often texted me to make sure I was okay. He knew I could get lost in my head and worry, so he gladly pulled me out of it.

"And what if I am?" he asked from the opposite side of the room. We were both sitting on the ground as we practiced our craft. Now I realized I should've sat beside him. There was no way he would've drawn me then.