I kept my eyes on her face to make sure not to miss anything that flashed through her eyes.
She was so damn expressive, and I liked to think that I was good at reading people.
“Do you think it’s possible to change your mind about something you once were so sure about?”
Her gaze lifted and her eyes met mine, worry settling in hers.
“If that happens, then I think it’s your heart telling you that your mind was wrong about something.”
She studied me for a moment and let her eyes wander all over my face before her gaze dropped again.
“And do you think it’s possible to try and hide whatever it is your heart wants to feel because you’re scared you’ll get hurt?”
“No.”
My response came quick, but it was an honest one.
“That’s torture. If you keep everything locked up inside of you, and never let your heart feel what it wants to feel, then you’ll hurt yourself more than any other person ever could. I don’t know much about love, other than the one I have for my son, but I know that what you’re asking me isn’t something anyone should ever do.”
I saw a smile appear on her face, and when she looked up at me, I smiled back at her.
“This is the best advice I can give you. Don’t hold it against me if it doesn’t work,” I told her, chuckling.
She laughed softly and shook her head. “I think that’s the best advice I have ever received. Thank you, Wells.”
Her hand moved to my shoulder, and she placed it right at the crook of my neck the way she had done before.
I didn’t want to interpret anything the wrong way, but it was clear that something was happening between us.
Despite our age difference, we were on the same level mentally.
She was smart and beautiful.
We saw eye to eye, which was rare nowadays as she grew up so much differently than I had.
“How are things at work?” she asked, changing the subject and making me stop staring at her.
“Getting better. I decided to start work earlier than usual so I’d have more time to spend with Ira. I started a new project, and to my luck, I’m not getting bothered by any of my coworkers for once.”
“What kind of project?” she asked.
Her fingers moved along the side of my neck, brushing over my beard and then hiding into my curls at the back of my head.
If she kept doing that, I wasn’t sure I could let her leave tonight.
It also seemed as if she wasn’t doing it on purpose, but more so naturally because touching was her way of showing affection.
I liked that.
A lot.
“There’s this diner at the outskirt where a dirt road behind it leads back to town. I need to figure out a way to close that street and build a new one where I’m allowed to put streetlights without interfering with the wildlife out there. It’s a dangerous road either way, as many deer have already been killed by cars. But I’m figuring things out and have a meeting with the town’s mayor to make sure he’s okay with my plan.”
“Your job is one I never even thought about existing. I like it. It’s different,” she said with a smile.
“Yeah, it’s not something I ever imagined doing, to be honest. But I’m glad it’s what I do. Can get a little tricky sometimes, but I wouldn’t change it for anything else.”
I took another sip of my wine, then put the glass onto the coffee table and placed one hand on her thigh so we both had something to touch.
“What’s your plan after college?” I asked.
“I’m not sure yet, but if things work out right, Evie and I would love to open our own gallery one day where we paint and sell our work. Being an artist is definitely my dream, but it’s hard to find people who actually wanna buy your paintings. There are so many amazing artists out there.”
“I’ve seen how good you are just from that little painting of the park you made last week. It’s realistic. Detailed. Far better than all those abstract paintings which have lines and splashes of paint all over. Don’t really see what’s so special about those.”
She laughed and nodded. “We talk about abstract paintings all the time, and I can assure you that more than half of the class doesn’t get it either. Sure, you can interpret things into each