Separately Together

Chapter Twenty-Five: Its Yours 1/2

"I couldn't." we make it to the elevator, Jared coming to stand closer to us so that he could catch the same ride. Hope swirls its way around my throat almost choking me with its vile realization because I know what my heart wanted to believe but my head was trying to come up with any other reason.

"You couldn't? Why?" I ask as we all three step into the empty elevator. I decided that staring at the buttons would be a better place for me to look than in his eyes because my brain might not be so against listening to my heart. All logic went out the window when those green orbs lock on mine. All I can think about is how he is the only person in the world I want to be with, how I wanted to be so close to him, literally in his skin all of the time.

"Did you have a business meeting?" I ask one of my brain's doubts coming to the surface. Maybe he had other plans than hooking up with a girl, maybe his business needed his attention or perhaps the clubhouse called him.

"No." He says but doesn't explain further. I am not brave enough to ask another question fearing that it would be right, but also fearing that it would be wrong.

We make it out of the local hospital, and we walk our separate way from Jared. I read here with Harley. I could find my keys and we could afford to wait until I could find them. We ride in silence until I noticed that Harley wasn't headed in the direction of the house. No, he was going in the opposite direction. "Where are we going?"

"To make sure you have some fun." He tells me with this devious smile on his face.

"And where can we find this funny?" I ask twisting my fingers nervously. I didn't want to be around a lot of people, the movies are never too packed, and I can manage that, but anywhere with too many more people were going to set me on edge. The fair was still in the back of my mind, and his hands felt like they were wrapped around my wrist.

The boot was still attached to my foot, a steady reminder that he was right there in front of me a week ago.

"You'll see." It takes us a few more moments of driving before we pull up to this in the middle of town. The windows have a for sale sign that has another one on it stating that it had been sold. This used to be my favorite breakfast place but it closed down months ago, I wonder who bought it and what they were going to put in its place.

My curiosity was short-lived when Harley threw the keys in my lap. "It's yours."

I look him in his eyes for the first time the whole drive here and I already know that mine are sparkling like the night sky, with a million stars dancing in them. This man was making it hard not to fall head over heels for him.

"Harley I can't accept this," I whisper the words looking at the key in my hand, and then back out at the shop I've sat at nearly every morning for the past three years before it shut down.

"Why not? Don't think I haven't noticed all of the banks runs, the google searches on the computer about opening up one, or the fact that you graduate culinary school next week. I don't even like sweets, but I can eat my weight in your cookies, or your muffins. The cakes you make at your workplace sell so quickly that you can never catch up on orders. Plus, you are fucking hot with flowers all over you." I chuckle at his last sentence, but tears brim my eyes when I realize that he has been paying way more attention to me than I had ever realized.

He cared about me and that was enough, for now. All I needed to know was that I meant something to him around the same level that I cared for him.

"Harley... " My bottom lip pokes out as tears soak my cheek. "I don't know what to say."

I chuckle through the tears, open my car door, and walk towards the building with Harley walking right behind me.

I notice Jared's car park a couple of paces behind us, making sure that The Forefathers weren't going to cause us any trouble. My hands shake as I try to put the key into the knob, Harley places his hand over mine steading it so that I could be open to open it up for the first time.

This was amazing, I was gushing on the inside just thinking about all of the decorations I could put up and all of the things I could bake in the back to be sold in the front.

I spun around looking around at the familiar building now bare of its tables and signs.

I was sad to see the place to go but I could have never imagined that one day it would be mine. It just seems unreal.

I turn my gaze on Harley to see him watching every move I make, something akin to defeat in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked walking up to him so I could read his face better and maybe get a little bit of an idea of what was going on in that head of his. "If you think it was a mistake, I understand." The excitement of it all wears off as fear creeps its way in at the thought of Harley regretting getting the bakery for me. I knew he was well off but maybe it put a strain on his finances. Maybe he thought I would read too much into it.

"It's not that." He says taking a step closer to me, resting his forehead on mine, our breath mingling together. "I couldn't go through with the plan, because ..." He gets closer to me, our chests pressing together.

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