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Six.
Time was passing too slowly for Daniel Colman. Normally the family dinners, which had grown to include a certain lovely brunette, spanned over two hours. Filled with love and the deep bonds that only being close family can provide, the time always sped past him. Now, however, barely twenty minutes had passed since the foursome were seated, but time appeared to have halted with a screech.
On one side of the red cushioned booth, Becky and Julius sat so close that one of her legs was nestled comfortably in Julius’ lap. Their heads were huddled together and arms became intertwined; no world existed outside of them, not for them anyway. Daniel was all too aware of a little girl seated beside him, her elbow on the table, palm up and being used as a holder for her chin as her eyes roamed the parking lot.
He watched her, trying to figure out what was so interesting out there. The only lights were the ones provided by the restaurant, and they were not much thanks to the rain pelting down in a steady stream. Becky and Julius had each other. Adina had the entire outside world. And poor Daniel was stuck looking at the back of Adina’s head, wondering if she was ignoring him.
With a silent sigh, he leaned forward, flicking his eyes to his sister and friend momentarily to make sure they were not watching him. Seeing the coast was clear, he leaned closer and closer until his head was next to hers, his body’s heat intermingling with hers even though they did not physically touch.
With a gasp, Adina realized a head had moved next to hers, and she turned to look at the perpetrator. She saw Daniel’s face oh so close, but his eyes were decidedly fixed on the glass windows, making him seem so far away.
“What are you looking at so intently, Adina?” Daniel whispered, just low enough that only she could hear him.
“Nothing,” Adina whispered back without a thought.
She had forgotten that moments ago she had been looking out the window. Now, she could only focus on the defined planes of his face, the slight crook near the top of his nose, the evenness of hairs throughout his eyebrows. She could not think as her eyes roamed the seamless lines of his lips and the beautiful course of his jaw. How badly did she want to touch, but she could not let him know that. So she answered ‘nothing,’ and hoped he did not notice she was gazing intently at him.
Daniel’s head turned in her direction, his slate-navy eyes beaming to her soft, sky blue ones. Daniel swore that there were streaks of white in her irises, little ribbons showing her innocence. He loved it. He loved watching her eyes dip down to his lips as they curved into a soft smile at her answer.
“Nothing?” he quizzed with a breath.
Blushing at their proximity and the intimacy of their gaze, Adina chuckled to let out her nerves. Biting her lip, she turned back to the window, but let her eyes flick to Becky and Julius for a glance.
“I guess I just don’t want to watch them all night. It’s making me feel . . . um, weird, you know?”
Daniel smiled at her answer knowing he had seen - and heard - his dear sister doing much more with Julius. What they were doing now was as innocent for them as it tended to get. “You don’t have to watch them. Come on, we’ll move into the next booth.” Without waiting for Adina’s reply, Daniel slid smoothly out of his seat and extended his hand.
Adina watched with disbelieving eyes. “But, we can’t do that,” she quipped.
Daniel’s smile broadened. “We’re the only customers here. I’m sure they won’t mind if we move one seat over.”
“But, but what if they do? I mean, what if they kick us out?” Adina thought horrified at all the possible repercussions that might ensue should they change locations.
“Trust me,” Daniel said, looking unwaveringly at Adina’s face. Sucking both her upper and lower lips between her teeth to nibble, Adina frowned but slowly nodded.
“Okay,” she whispered, bringing her eyes away from the table and up to Daniel’s eyes, needing to receive affirmation. His deep grin provided it. So she took his hand and allowed him to pull her out of the booth before ushering her into the next one over.
As she sat down, Daniel let his eyes flow to his sister, who was snuggled into Julius’ side with a big grin. She pointed at Adina’s back before giving Daniel a pleased nod. Julius even had a brotherly eyebrow raised. Daniel rolled his eyes and shrugged them off, moving to sit beside Adina just before their food arrived. As promised, no problems ensued.
Gently, the rain began to slow during the duration of the meal. Daniel thoroughly enjoyed being so close to Adina with no one technically around. For once, he did not have to divide his attention, and for once, her attention was settled on him. Whenever she began to focus on her food more than him, however, he would steal a nibble from her plate, and once or twice from her fork as it headed towards her lips. Her little protesting squeals made him laugh aloud each time. That is until she had enough.
Next thing he knew, Adina slipped under the table and popped up on the other side of the booth. Dragging her plate over to her side, she strategically popped up menus around it as a barrier. Although he missed the warmth of closeness of being next to her, being able to see the pouting frown in her eyes and the little challenging smile of victory on her lips was worth the loss.
When both couples had finished eating, it was apparent neither were ready to be done for the night. Julius and Becky wanted to stay in, while Daniel was itching to stretch his long legs. Adina, not wanting him to be alone - after all, it was dangerous to go in the dark by one’s self - decided to accompany him. Following the side walk path that circled the large building, the two were able to walk under the roof’s overhang and avoid the last sprinkles of rain drops.
“I know I tell you this every time we go out, but thank you for letting me come and paying for my dinner,” Adina whispered after a moment to break the silence. When Daniel did not speak after her pause, she continued, her fingers picking nervously at the bottom of her cardigan. “I don’t . . . I don’t annoy you, do I?” she whispered shakily.
Caught of guard, Daniel immediately stopped walking and turned to her. “No, not at all. What made you think that?”
Adina rushed to meet his gaze at his tone. He sounded like he was beating himself up for making her think such a thing. She had to let him know it was nothing he did. “It’s not you, I promise! I just,” Adina paused to growl in frustration. Turning aside and continuing the walk, she tried to be open with her feelings.
“Becky always invites me out, and she’s really outdone herself by inviting me to help cook tomorrow. I’m just so grateful. She’s like the only friend I have here. It’s like, she doesn’t just put up with me or let me be an acquaintance. She treats me like part of her family, and I mean, I see the way she treats her family.” Adina looked pointedly at Daniel to let him know she was referring to Becky’s strong, loving relationship with her brothers.
“And since I’m getting so close to her, well, that’s bringing me close to you and Dorian as well.” Adina paused again, brushing her bangs back from her face as she stared pointedly at the ground. Her voice was down to a meek mumble. “I guess, I just want to make sure it’s okay with you that I get close to you, you know? I don’t want to start to think of you as a brother and have you push me away or not want me near you in the first place.”
Did she think of him like a brother? These feelings certainly did not feel anything like the way she felt for her blood related brother, but what else could they be? More importantly, what else could she describe them as aloud and not be rejected? There was no way she could come out and admit that she might like Daniel in a non-friendly, non-brotherly way.
Daniel swallowed dryly. Brother? Of course. She cared for him like a brother. That made perfect sense. And his feelings toward her, they were of a sisterly sort, right? Daniel through a hand roughly through his hair. He was so confused with how he felt.
“Daniel?” Adina squeaked. His rough movements scared her. He had yet to reply, but he looked frustrated. Had she made him upset? Did she ruin everything already?
“Adina, no. I’m sorry. Just trying to think of what I want to say.” He smiled apologetically at her, just visible thanks to the nearby parking lot lamp. “Becky tells Dorian and me almost everything little thing about you. I know it’s only been a month, but trust me, she cares for you, Adina. I swear, she loves you like a little sister, and I doubt blood could make that love stronger.”
Adina’s eyes widened with the raw knowledge he gave her. Becky cared for her that much? She loved her?
“And Dorian and I, well, we’re getting there too. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we, uh,” Daniel paused to cough, trying to open up his throat. Why was he so nervous? “We really love you, Adina.” There he said it. That wasn’t so bad, was it? It was not like he was saying he loved her loved her. He was not proposing or even saying he liked her. He was just admitting the affection his siblings, and he, had toward their newest friend. Nothing awkward about it. Right?
“Wow,” Adina whispered back, her eyes fixed upon her pink toenails, barely visible through her peep toe flats. She was almost feeling guilty for how they had so accepted her into their family. The kindness she received from all of them was unprecedented, and there was a burning within her heart to not mess it up and to repay them.
And then for Daniel to drop that bomb on her, well, she was highly overwhelmed. Tears prickled her eyes and she hurriedly blinked them away. Who knew being cared for by people other than your family could be so heavy? Adina’s heart literally pounded in her chest. They loved her? Someone besides just her mom and brother and aunts loved her? And she knew that it was not a simple love. No, their actions toward her showed this was a deep love, a true love. Not something fickle like, ‘I love the color green’ or ‘I love pizza.’
Wanting to see Adina’s eyes, and needing to know what was going through her mind, Daniel slowly stepped forward until their bodies almost touched. Lifting both of his hands, he gently cupped her jaw and chin and tenderly tilted her head up. Seeing the slight fear in her eyes, though he did not know what it was about, he offered a comforting smile, which she quickly returned.
Before he knew what he was doing, Daniel was leaning down, his eyes fixed on her lips. Closer. And closer. He wanted to touch them with his own. Teasing one of his thumbs over her soft lips, he tortured himself with want. He was barely an inch away from making contact when Adina gasped softly.
Wanting to make sure she was all right, Daniel lifted his blackish navy eyes to her pearly blue orbs, which were wide with curious inexperience. A thought struck Daniel, and he had to ask. The odds seemed improbable, but, he had to ask.
“Adina,” he started gently.
“Huh?” she breathed out with a small puff.
“Have you ever been kissed before?”
Not able to speak, Adina shook her head no with as much movement as his sturdy hands would allow.
Lowering his head with a deep sigh, Daniel commanded his libido to slow. Keeping his eyes closed, he straightened back up and drew his hands back to his sides.
“I will not be responsible for stealing your first kiss,” he stated firmly, irritated with the huskiness of his tone.
‘Control yourself,’ he commanded himself.
Opening his eyes, he meant to offer her a smile to show everything was okay, but he could not prevent his disappointment from showing. He had really wanted to kiss her. Really wanted to. Still did.
Adina watched in surprise as Daniel turned away from her and began to walk once again along the path. He was going to show her respect, just like that? Immediately impressed, Adina skipped to his side and grabbed his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together. When he sent a questioning gaze down to her, she smiled encouragingly up at him.
She did not know exactly how she felt about him, but the tingles she was experiencing had to be a good sign, right? If he wanted to kiss her, then he obviously felt something toward her, another good sign. And if she was honest, Adina would have to say she wanted to kiss him too. Just . . . maybe not yet.
Proud of his ability to say no, and attracted to the honor he had shown her, Adina definitely wanted to get closer and holding his hand looked like a good place to start. The beauty in his smile and the way his dark face lit up when she smiled at him was so touching, the joy Adina felt let her know she made the right decision.
Letting out a small chuckle, Daniel’s laugh broke the slightly awkward air. Adina buried her head against his arm, not even noticing she did it. She never would have had the boldness to do it with any other guy, but there was just something about Daniel that made her guard slowly melt away.
She instinctively trusted him and felt comfortable around him. Then again, he was not a random bloke; he was special, even Adina could sense that.
Five minutes later, they were almost back to the front door, where Julius and Becky could be seen waiting. Daniel re-swallowed with a grimace as he tried to will away the butterflies spiking his stomach, which had been having a party ever since Adina took his hand and smiled that breathtaking smile up at him. Did men even get butterflies?
Daniel had not wanted to feel this way about anybody. For all he knew, women got in the way and were a senseless distraction, but now, he began to wonder, could they be a good distraction? After all, his parents were able to be committed to each other, their children, and to the hunt. Perhaps he would be capable of doing the same.
Tilting his head just enough to allow him a view of Adina’s face, he could not stop half of his lip from curling into a pleasant, content smile. He could see himself coming home from a successful job, Adina rushing out of their home eager to greet him no matter what hour it was. She would run into his arms, and he would effortlessly pick up her delicate body, holding her to him and walking them inside. She'd place tender yet passionate kisses across his face as he would ask in a whisper, ‘Are the kids asleep?’
. . . Kids? Where had that come from? Daniel had never wanted kids. In fact, he desired them less than a permanent female companion. Why had he suddenly dreamed them up?
Noticing the slowing of Daniel’s steps, Adina wondered if something was wrong when he suddenly stopped moving altogether. Turning to face him, she lifted her wide eyes up to his face curiously. “Is something wrong?” she asked quietly. He was studying her face too intently for everything to be all right, or so she thought. She had no idea of the thoughts lurking in the forefront of his mind.
Looking into Adina’s big, beautiful blue eyes, Daniel saw their kids, his wife, and his very future. Yes, he could most definitely see it.
“No,” he answered once his brain finally registered what she had asked. “Everything is perfect,” he commented with a genuinely happy smile.
'Absolutely perfect.'