The Stages of Loving You

03.

"You're right, Ma'am," he replies, not wanting to meet her gaze in case she made him blush again, and caused his palms to sweat up again. "She led us both here under false pretences," He took a seat at the other end of the living room, on the sofa next to her, resting into the recliner, he raised an eyebrow at Evie. "But it isn't so bad. I can see Cora thinks the world of you, Evie,"

I think the world of you too.

Don't reject me. Don't reject me.

The tension rose in the room, and through the kitchen, both of the young souls smelled the delicious scent of coffee brewing. The smell of coffee beans, the light shining through the open windows in the living room, and the sound of both their hearts beating loudly in their ears, they gaze at one another, wondering what else could be said to bring the conversation to the next level.

Jacob moves his legs to cross them. Evie moves her palm into her chin, seeing the taxermery behind him on Cora's walls. The stag, noble and brave. Glass eyes, and brown fur, forever frozen in time.

She looks away. At the cookies in the basket on the coffee table, sensing Jacob's gaze on her. It didn't make the young woman uncomfortable, but something about it made all of her senses come alive. Like her skin pop with goosebumps, her body instantly knowing he was trying to look at her and failing, or the way he looks like he wanted to say something important to her but didn't know how to yet.

"Evie," he starts. His voice is soft as silk. Soft as hay. Soft as his brown eyes. She moves her palm to her lap, wishing for Cora to appear with the coffee. Anything to break this tension. Anything to break her away from the spell this American boy had on her.

"Will you—" and he stops, the freckles on the bridge of his nose deeping with a shade of red as he suddenly changes the subject, "Hey, you dressed it all up and everything. Orange is my favourite colour."

"Oh," Evie gives Jacob a surprised look. Her gaze darted the orange bow on the basket of cookies. Almost, she says it was Cora's idea. The bow, then as she was thinking of Cora, her best friend appeared in the doorway with two cups of coffee, steaming and hot, and bitter, breaking the tension between the two, "No, it was all Evie's doing. She's an artist, you know. Good at making anything look aesthetically pleasing, aren't you, Evie?"

If Evie wants zips to magically appear on people's mouths, she would have one on Cora's mouth in an instant. Jacob raises an eyebrow, fascination clouding his face.

"Wow, an artist. What do you do with that?"

"Draw, paint, you know, the usual?"

The scent of Jacob washes past Evie when he moves to claim a cookie in the basket and it's the scent of horses again, clinging to him like a second skin.

A calm, welcoming feeling clings the timid girl's soul to brighter places and makes her feel at ease. It's the scent of home.

She wonders why she was so nervous when she first met him.

Now, Evie wasn't a hopeless romantic by any means but she couldn't help but notice the blush still soaking his cheeks when he gave her a short, quick look.

Evie thinks it's the cutest thing she's seen all day.

Today being a tragic day was now growing out to be a plot twist she didn't see coming:

Jacob Faith made quite the impression on Evie Wilson. An unforgettable, first impression and these types of first impressions were critical. A person decides if they liked one another within five seconds of meeting.

Evie realises in these five heart-stopping-seconds, she likes Jacob Faith.

Evie's face starts to burn. A blossoming rose in the Oklahoma sun. A sun which was in front of her. He was the boy. Flaming red hair, southern accent and also had a fondness for the good old chocolate chip cookies.