Free A Beautiful Forever by Lilliana Anderson Page B

take this the wrong way, but you look really
beautiful tonight,” I tell her, nudging her lightly in the arm with my elbow.
    She laughs, and I prepare for the coming lecture. I know I
shouldn’t have said anything, but I couldn’t really help myself – the woman is
gorgeous, she should be told.
    “Thank you Elliot,” is all she says.
    “Wait, what? Where’s the brow beating?” I ask jokingly.
    She shrugs and smiles at me as we reach the front of the
line, I order for both of us, and we go and sit at a table near the window
while we wait.
    “So why did you go to a salsa club if you didn’t want to dance?”
I ask, watching her play with the packets of sugar on the table. She's
reorganising them, so they're lined up in their colour groups.
    “I don’t know why,” she answers. “I hate clubs; I really do
– all that gyrating against strangers,” she makes a face to illustrate her
distaste before continuing, “it just… isn’t my thing. I suppose I thought a
salsa club would be a bit different, and it was. It didn’t have the massive
crowd, but it still had the gyrating and the touching. So I was glad to leave.
Thank you again for coming to get me.”
    “It was my pleasure Paige,” I say placing my hand over hers
to stop her fiddling with the sugars. “Relax.”
    Quickly withdrawing her hand, she places it in her lap, her
cheeks flush as she looks around the room nervously.
    Feeling an emptiness in my palm where her hand was, I move
the sugar to the side and watch her flit, curious as to her behaviour. “Paige,
does it also bother you when I touch you?” I ask, suddenly concerned.
    The flush on her face seems to increase as she focuses her
attention on me and meets my eyes. “No,” she breathes, shaking her head
lightly. “No, it’s just the opposite. That’s what bothers me.”

Paige
    Did I seriously just say that? I see confusion pass over his
face before the realisation of what I admitted dawns on him. I’m ever so
grateful when our coffees are brought over, and our attentions are diverted as
we accept them and thank the server.
    He’s watching me, his eyes boring through me as I take a
shaky sip from my coffee. “Oh, fuck that’s hot!” I exclaim, almost spitting the
scalding liquid back into my mug.
    A smile plays on the edge of his lips as he watches me
fiddle about with a napkin as I wipe my mouth and try to cool my tongue.
    “So um… Naomi’s a fantastic dancer. You should see the way
she twirls around the dance floor. I’ll have to ask her if she’s had lessons
when I see her next,” I say, trying to salvage some sort of normal
conversation.
    “Paige,” Elliot says reaching across the table and placing
his hand over my own. My breath catches in my throat as I close my eyes to the
feeling his touch evokes inside me. I’m aroused and frightened all at the same
time. My fear wins out and I try to pull my hand away, but I’m met with
resistance as he encloses his hand firmly over my own. “Please don’t pull
away,” he whispers.
    With a shaky breath, I open my eyes, focusing on our
combined hands. I catch myself thinking about what it would be like to give in
to this attraction between us and simply go with the flow for a change instead
of trying to control everything. It’s so tempting, being half way around the
world, to just pretend everything will be ok… so tempting.
    I place my other hand on top of his, my thumb caressing his
skin absently as I meet his intense eyes. The attraction between us crackles
and sparks through the air between us, numbing our senses to all that surrounds
us. Closing my eyes, I inhale slowly in an attempt to calm my rapid heart.
“Please Elliot, just let go,” I whisper, a frown etched on my face as my words
betray my feelings.
    The moment his hand retreats, I’m at a loss. The ache in my
chest seems to slide down into my stomach and turn sour. “I’m sorry Elliot.
It's not you ok?”
    “Save it Paige,” he says, unable to hide the hurt