As we inch closer to one another, I swallowed hard nervously, but can’t look anywhere else than up into his dark eyes, they’ve captured me. They are so intense and so deep; gasping heavily from the feeling he’s aroused in me, I don’t know if I’m relieved or a little sad when he breaks our eye contact, rescuing me from the prison of his gaze.
I laugh nervously, taking a step back and turning to the counter. “Sorry, I always sing when I’m in the kitchen,” I say, focusing on the salad dressing.
Ashton’s eyes are burning a hole in the side of my head. I can feel it like a caress on my body, awakening my senses as I try to concentrate on the salad.
Everything in me is hoping he’d kiss me. No, Acacia! I scowl myself.
Giving him a sly sideways glance, and his eyes haven’t strayed from me. They are as intense as they were a few moments ago, his breathing has quickened in speed just like mine has. Looking deep into his eyes, I watched every little movement in his features. His lips twitch as I turned slightly to face him again, feeling the pull between us. His expression turned into confusion, he blinked quickly as if he’d lost in his head. I see the moment he comes back to reality and turns away quickly back to the stove, breaking our connection.
~*~
We finish preparing dinner in total silence, not wanting to be the one who breaks it even though the silence is uncomfortable.
Finally, Ashton clears his throat.
“I only have white wine from the market in the town,” he says without looking at me. I don’t know if he’s asking or just telling me to deal with it. But I still give him an answer since I don’t want to continue with this awkward silence.
“I like white.”
The dinner isn’t any different. He doesn’t look into my eyes or talk to me. He tries to put as much distance between us as possible. That bothers me. I know he felt uncomfortable about our closeness in the kitchen, but it doesn’t make sense now.
He wants to stay away from me? Okay, then so be it.
“I need some air,” I tell him as I abruptly stand up from the table. I don’t wait for his reply.
The crisp air hits me as I step outside, but it is exactly what I needed right now. I stood there and watched with a troubled mind as the sky darkened, the wildlife in the woods started to come alive. A black dog slowly stalked closer towards the Cabin, I recognize him - Casper.
He walked like he was afraid of scaring me as he padded up the stairs to come to a stop in front of me. He is beautiful with his black fur and chestnut colored eyes.
“Hey, Casper,” I whispered and rubbed the soft fur between his ears, kneeling next to him. He is warm, giving me some kind of comfort as all I feel is the cold and confusion in here.
“Your owner is very confusing,” I whispered. He nudges his nose to me like he agrees with me… or at least that is what I think.
“How can a person get under my skin in such a short time? And half of it I thought I was hating him, you know?” I keep whispering. “Not sure if I stopped hating him, though,” I chuckled.
“Do you know what happened to him, Casper?” He keeps looking into my eyes like he understands me. I wonder if he can understand what I’m saying because he sure looks like it.
“He looks like he’s in so much pain, you know? Can you feel it?” I asked, rubbing under his chin. “I want to help him… do you think I can make him feel better? Do you think I can make him smile, Casper?” I asked like he has all the answers in the world.
A cold wind cuts through the layers of my clothes, making me shiver. My hair swirls in the breeze, and I swear
I see something in the woods - something white, shining brightly… totally out of place, but it disappears just as quickly as it appeared… all of a sudden.
I hear the door open behind me. “It’s cold, you’ll freeze out here - come inside,” Ashton gruffs.
“I’m good here,” I answer stubbornly without looking back at him.
I hear him sigh heavily, but instead of going back inside he talks to me again. “Acacia, please. You’ll catch a cold.”
Why can’t I refuse him when he says please? Is it because he says it so rarely?
I hugged Casper before standing up. “Thank you for the chat, Casper,” I say as I get up and re-enter the Cabin. Ashton seems confused, and he should be.
He follows on behind me.
“You can use the bathroom if you want to take a shower,” he murmurs.
I want to, but looking at my stained coffee jeans and his white tee I decide against it. “I don’t have anything to wear. I’ll pass.”