Free I'll Be Seeing You by A.P. Hallmark Page A

apologetic smile, and he nods at me in return. I observe as he interacts with my sister, and after he's done flipping hamburgers and turning chicken, he calls everyone to grab their plates for dinner. I head over to get Joy and I burgers.
    "So, Matthew." I’m startled as Laura comes up behind me.
    "So, Laura," I mock.
    "About Joy."
    "What about her?" I challenge, not really interested in discussing my relationship with her.
    "What are your intentions?" she asks, and I jerk my head toward her.
    "Right now my intentions are to get her a hamburger,” I say, with a smirk.
    "I love her, Matthew. Brian and I have always looked out for her, and I don't want her heart broken. She’s never been in love before, and if you make her fall for you and break her heart, I will get you when and where you least expect it," she whispers her threat.
    "Understood, Laura," I say, turning to finish Joy's plate. When I look up, she’s walking back to her seat.
    "Here you go, Joy. One cheeseburger cut in half. Ten and two," I say, explaining where the two halves of her burger are on her plate. "Chips are in the middle." Taking my seat next to her, she smiles a thank you.
    The conversation is flowing and I’m especially enjoying hearing Joy laugh. She has an intelligent wit that I find attractive and an incredible sex appeal about her that I didn't know existed. Throughout the evening, she sought out my hand every now and again for comfort. Every time she did this, I would bring her hand to my lips for a light, acknowledging kiss.
    The party dies down and on the drive home, we’re both silent. Reaching over to take her hand into mine, I hear her breathe a deep sigh. When I look over at her, her head is lying against the headrest, her eyes are closed and there’s a contented smile on her face. Walking arm-in-arm to her door, she turns to face me, raising her hands to my cheeks. She slides her thumbs over my lips and gently pulls me down to her.
    "Thank you, Matthew," she says when her lips touch mine. That’s the second kiss she’s given me today.
    "You're welcome, Joy," I return. I wait until she enters her apartment, shutting the door behind her.
    My body craves her.
    ~.~
    The following morning, I look at the clock and it reads nine thirteen. Rolling over onto my back, I think about yesterday’s events and the first day I saw her across the café.
    She sat alone, sipping her coffee, while reading her book. Her fingers scanned over the pages, and when a giggle erupted from her, I couldn’t help but chuckle right along with her. I was mesmerized by the way she would absentmindedly push her hair behind her ears, and then play with her bottom lip, deep in concentration. I often wondered what would cause her to abruptly stop reading and sit up straight, inhaling the air around her. Sometimes her face would turn in my direction and I would catch myself looking away from her. Considering she can’t see at all, I had a feeling she would just know I was watching her.
    Realizing the time, I stop dreaming and jump out of bed. Not bothering with a shirt, I step into my board shorts and head downstairs to my gym to work out some of these frustrations. After running eight miles and working in my scheduled reps on the weights, I finish, shower and settle in for a cup of coffee and the Sunday paper. Taking a seat at the breakfast bar, I begin the arduous task of sorting out the annoying advertisement sections, which is enough to wallpaper an entire room. Unexpectedly, my phone pings with an incoming message.
    I wanted say good morning and tell you I had a wonderful time yesterday. See you tomorrow? ~ Joy
    Good morning, beautiful. I also had a good time. I’ll meet you at the same place, same time. Looking forward to seeing you. ~ Matthew
    Me too. See you then. ~Joy
    ~.~
    "See, I told you he would be happy to see you tomorrow. You just need to flirt a little bit," Laura says, nudging my shoulder.
    "I have no idea what I'm doing, Laura," I say in response,