The Poison Season(65)

Isola stared at Leelo for a moment. “You don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?”

But Isola only shook her head slightly. “Come find me when you have time to talk. I really do need to get back.”

Leelo swallowed and waved goodbye as Isola disappeared among the trees. She returned to the cottage, shutting the door behind her.



Chapter Thirty-Seven


“Leelo, I—”

“Jaren—”

They both laughed nervously. She wasn’t sure why things should be awkward between them, but they had been tipsy when they’d kissed, and now they were both completely sober, with Isola’s presence still hanging in the air like clouds after a storm.

“I’m sorry I was away for so long,” she said, taking a seat on the floor next to him and raising her eyes to his for the first time since she’d arrived. She was afraid of what she might find there: anger that she’d abandoned him; hurt that she hadn’t come when she’d said she would; fear that Isola wouldn’t keep their secret.

But all she saw there was longing. Sweet, desperate longing. For her.

Leelo raised onto her knees and took his face in her hands. He had a few light freckles across his nose that she’d never noticed before. “I’m so sorry. There were a dozen reasons why I couldn’t come, but it doesn’t matter. I should have found a way.”

He blinked slowly, his lips curling in a soft smile. “I’m just glad you’re here now.”

“I can’t believe Isola found you,” she whispered. “I was so scared.”

He rubbed his hands absently up and down her bare arms, sending a shiver up her spine. “It’s all right. I’m all right.”

Her lip trembled when she thought of how close she’d come to losing him. She’d known how tenuous this was, how fragile. But today had shaken her more than she would have thought possible. “Jaren.”

“I know,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her, his voice low with understanding.

They eventually ended up lying beside each other on the blanket, though Leelo had been so absorbed in kissing Jaren that she didn’t actually remember how. He had been the one to pull back, though she could see it hadn’t been easy for him.

He sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You probably need to get home, don’t you?”

She pretended to sit up. “Well, if you want me to go...”

He laughed and pulled her back down next to him, tucking her into the soft nook where his chest met his shoulder. “Stay. Stay as long as you want.”

Now it was her turn to sigh. “I wish I could. But I should get home.” She explained about Sage’s engagement to Hollis, how her cousin had needed her the past few days.

A look of guilt washed over Jaren’s features, but she smoothed the wrinkles away from his brow with her fingertips. “It’s all right. She has my aunt, and she seemed better today. I can stay a little longer.”

“Do you think the boat has been repaired?” he asked after a few quiet minutes, each breath filled with equal measures of bliss and fear.

“I don’t know. I’ll try to check tomorrow.”

“A part of me wishes it would never be fixed.”

“I know.”

“But I have to get back.”

It took her a moment to find her voice. “I know.” She rolled to face him and gently traced the line of his jaw. She wondered what he would look like in ten years, if he would wear a beard or cut his hair short. She understood now what her mother had meant when she said she wanted to freeze time. Leelo wished she could live in this moment, just for an hour or two, so she could memorize his face.

“Do you remember how I told you I felt like I’d always been searching for something?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Would it be strange if I said I feel like I’ve finally found it?”

A bloom of warmth spread in Leelo’s chest. She sat up a little and he did the same. “Why would that be strange?”

“We’ve only known each other for a short time.” He flushed and dropped his gaze. “I don’t want to say anything that might upset you or frighten you.”

She placed a finger under his chin and tipped it up so he would look at her. “I’m not frightened.”

“I feel like I know you, Leelo. Like I’ve always known you.”

“So do I.”

“And that doesn’t scare you? Not even a little?”

One side of her mouth curled in a grin. “Why? Are you scared of me?”

He laughed softly. “Terrified.”

She placed her hand in the center of his chest. “Your heart is beating very fast.” She traced his lips with the fingers of her other hand. “Hmm...even faster, now.” She leaned forward, feeling bold, and kissed him exactly where her fingers had been. “It’s really racing. Perhaps you need to—”

He cut her off with a playful growl, pulling her toward him to kiss her firmly. When he placed a tentative hand over her heart, she bit back a gasp.

“Is this okay?” he asked softly.

She nodded, and his touch became less hesitant. In just a short time, they were learning to read each other. She wondered what it must be like to have a lifetime with someone, if eventually you didn’t even need to speak to communicate. Or maybe, she thought, it had nothing to do with time. Maybe with the right person, you just knew.