almost two hours while a friend from school showed her how to swing from the monkey bars. Afterward, we ate dinner, created a chore chart, and she splashed through a warm bath.
At the end of the day, I gratefully collapsed on the couch.
While Ava hummed to herself in bed, a funny little habit she used to put herself to sleep, I curled up around a pillow with my eyes closed.
Just for a moment, I thought sleepily.
My thoughts ran naturally to Benjamin as I relaxed. Ava's humming slowed, then stopped. The house darkened as I replayed the kiss with warm purls of heat deep in my belly. Considered the empty state of my text messages, brother included. Then I tangled myself up slowly in sleep with the dusky night sky. With impressive strength, I resisted the urge to curl up in Benjamin's bed and remained on the couch in the languorous place between deep sleep and wakefulness.
After what felt like a long blink later, a whisper pulled me awake.
“Sera?”
The warmth of a hand gently squeezed my shoulder. My eyes fluttered open to see darkness, with Benjamin silhouetted by light from the kitchen. I blinked slowly.
“Hi,” I murmured.
“You all right?”
He spoke in a low, quiet tone. His hand found my face and I leaned into it with a, “mm hmm,” sound from my throat. He chuckled. His fingers pushed the hair off my face and trailed down my cheeks. I reluctantly shucked off the vestiges of sleep with the hope that he'd kiss me again.
“How was Ava?” he asked.
“So good.” I yawned and curled an arm above my head to stretch it. “As always. She washed her hair tonight, by the way, and has a permission slip she needs you to sign for something next week. We got some new books at the library for her to practice reading more at night. Went well today.”
His fingers danced up my arm and into my hair. Goosebumps followed them in a wave. I pulled myself closer with a little sigh.
“Good,” he murmured huskily.
I turned to face him, my body tingling, but he had looked away. He sat there for several moments, his hand heavy on my ribcage. He stared at the wooden floor with a furrowed brow, as if lost in thought. When I sat up and put a hand on his arm, he turned to me. With a few blinks, heavy thoughts seemed to scatter, like clouds against a bright moon.
“You all right?” I asked.
“Thinking.”
We danced a slow, careful dance right now. I could sense some hesitation in him, as if he wasn't sure how to re-approach after last night. But I saw the same tug in him that I felt. The undeniable pull to get us closer.
Despite his warm reception and gentle touches now, he seemed more like a curious, but wary, cat. As if he couldn't resist the lure of touch, but wasn't sure he knew what it meant. After spending all day considering it, I realized that he might be shy. Not about the kiss, but the emotional vulnerability with his Mom.
The man needed some firmer grounding right now.
“How was your day?” I asked.
Although tempted to let my hand drop, to guard against what could be a rejection from him now that he'd processed our kiss, I didn't. I left my fingers there to burn against his skin, and it took a considerable amount of courage not to slowly peel away.
His hand reached out and touched my face.
“I missed you,” he said quietly.
I let out a long breath, and the whole day behind me felt silly in an instant. How had I even doubted? The passion in his gaze cut right to my heart. I reached up, touched his hand, and threaded my fingers through his.
“I missed you.”
“I'm sorry I didn't text you,” he said. “I suck at this. I . . . I was afraid that I came on too strong last night. That you'd start to get tired of me. Of us. So I wanted to give you space in case that was what you needed.”
The fear in his voice softened everything inside me. My lips twitched a little as I said, “You're doing a lot of thinking for me.”
He considered that, then sighed. “I didn't think of that.”
“Benjamin?”
He'd moved closer, just enough that I could smell him again. Memories of his sheets, the scent of his pillow, washed over me like a warm wind. I swallowed, my eyes darting to his lips and then back. My stomach