Coming Home

And then he had to go and put his hands on her.

He laughed bitterly, ru

“Da

His head jerked up as he stopped short, looking over his shoulder.

She was standing just outside the bar, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she wrung her hands together in front of her.

He turned, walking back toward her, and she took a tentative step forward before she picked up speed and met him in the middle.

Her eyes were wide, almost panicky, as she approached him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it without saying anything.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “I just…I didn’t say good-bye to you in there. So I just…wanted to say good-bye.”

“Okay,” he said with the hint of a smile.

“Okay, so,” she looked down, spi

The smile he’d been fighting finally broke as he nodded once. “Good-bye.”

She stood there, staring up at him, and he knew if he didn’t leave, he was going to do something stupid. Da

He spun to face her just as she took a step toward him, going up on her toes as she brought her mouth to his.

He froze.

She stilled against him, and for a moment, they just stood there, both struggling to get over the shock of what had just happened. But then her lips softened against his as they parted gently, closing over his bottom one.

He still hadn’t moved.

He could feel his heart slamming in his chest, preparing his body for action, but it was as if he no longer had control of his body.

Her mouth parted again, and this time she brushed the tip of her tongue along his bottom lip before she closed hers over it.

It felt like something inside his chest snapped.

Da

Slow down. Too rough.

But he couldn’t stop. Her lips were so fucking perfect and he needed this and she was so beautiful and he couldn’t stop.

She moaned lightly against his lips, gripping the back of his shirt and tugging him closer as her tongue entered his mouth, and his hand came to her hip, squeezing it firmly as he tried to keep himself grounded.

Fuck. She was going to make him hard right here on the sidewalk.

As if she had heard him, Leah slowed the kiss down, pulling back slightly before bringing their mouths back together, languidly ru

His hand in her hair went slack as it slid down to caress her neck.

She pressed her hips against him as she caught his bottom lip between her teeth, and his other hand slid around to cup her ass, holding her against his body.

And then his eyes flew open as he pushed her away, taking a quick step back.

She gasped as she stumbled backward, staring up at him with wide eyes.

His breath was coming in short bursts, the white puffs of vapor clouding the image of her standing before him.

And then he whirled around, jamming his fists in his pockets as he stormed off down the sidewalk.

Da

He didn’t even check for traffic before he pulled out onto the street, hitting the gas and causing the tires to squeal slightly as he took off down the road.

Just before he rounded the corner, he made his final stupid move of the night.

He looked up at his rearview mirror.

The last thing he saw before he made the turn was Leah standing on the sidewalk, her fingertips pressed to her lips as she watched him speed away.

One week.

It had been one week since she’d kissed Da

And one week since she’d heard from him at all.

He hadn’t called. He hadn’t texted. But the most frustrating thing of all was, this time Leah knew it was her fault. After all, she had been the one to push boundaries multiple times that night. She had been the one to initiate the touching under the table. She had been the one to chase him outside after he’d already said good-bye. And she had been the one to initiate that kiss.

She wasn’t angry at him; it wasn’t his fault if he wasn’t interested in her that way. In fact, it was something she had sort of suspected all along. But now she’d made it awkward; he probably wouldn’t ever call or text her again for fear he’d be sending her the wrong signals.

Robyn and Holly had been so upset on the drive home, alternating between bouts of silence and strings of apologies for pressuring Leah to go out after him that night. She tried over and over to reassure them, telling them it just meant Da

At least it provided her with a much needed distraction.

Leah placed her cup of tea on the coffee table before she fell back onto the couch with a sigh, stretching her arms above her head. Her phone buzzed with Holly’s ring tone, and she leaned over, swiping it off the coffee table before bringing it to her ear.

“What’s up?”

“Hello my love. Are you showered and ready?”

“Showered and ready for…?”

“It’s Friday night. Let’s go out.”

Leah yawned, rubbing the back of her hand over her eyes. “Not tonight.”

“Please, Leah? It’s the last weekend before Robyn’s wedding, and then she’ll be gone for two weeks on her honeymoon.”

“Okay, so go out with Robyn. We can hang out whenever.”

There was a stretch of silence on the other end before Holly exhaled. “Don’t go backward, Leah. I don’t want you sitting home and moping over him. It’s not worth it.”

“I’m not moping,” Leah said.

She wasn’t moping or pouting or fuming or brooding. She wasn’t…anything.

“Leah.”

“I swear, I’m not moping,” she said with a laugh. “I’m just tired. We can hang out tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay,” she sighed in acquiescence. “Call me if you change your mind.”

“I will.”

“Alright. Peace out, baby.”

Leah laughed. “Peace out,” she said with an eye roll before she ended the call.

After a minute she sat up, grabbing her mug and turning off the television before she made her way down the hall, shutting off the lights as she went. Leah grabbed the book she had just started before she padded into the bathroom and ran herself a bubble bath.

“Exactly. What. I. Needed,” she breathed as she submerged herself under the steaming water, placing her book on the edge of the tub as she rested her head back and closed her eyes.

She read until the water chilled, and then she pulled herself lethargically from the bath and drained the tub, throwing on a pair of fla

The next thing she knew, her eyes flipped open as a shrill sound echoed in her ears. In her disoriented state, she reached for her alarm clock, swatting to turn it off.

She hit the button, but the sound continued.

Leah lifted her head as she slowly gained coherency, realizing it would be Saturday; her alarm wouldn’t be set. When it finally registered that her phone was ringing, she bolted upright. The room was pitch dark, and she turned to look at the clock on her nightstand.