Louise: A New Beginning Read Online Free PDF Page B

mattered anymore. It was as if those long days and nights without him didn’t exist at all. It was as if we were back in his house, sharing silent messages that could say so much more than words could. It was as if he was still mine, and I was still his…unconditionally. For a moment I thought about taking the robe off, leaving only his shirt to cover my body, but then I changed my mind, knowing that taking even one article of clothing off would end with a conversation that didn't involve words, and neither one of us was ready for that. Or maybe I was too ready for that kind of conversation, and that is exactly why I needed to think about something else.
    I swallowed my desire to run and wrap my arms around him, and said, “Would you like a cup of coffee?”
    He breathed a sigh of relief as if he were afraid I would show him the door and nodded, saying, “Yes, please.” We shared another silent glance, then I turned around and headed for my kitchen, hoping I wouldn’t trip and fall on my way there. That would be just another perfect moment of my screwed-up morning. My legs felt like they were made of gelatin. I didn’t feel anything but the wild beating of my heart, echoing in my head like a drum.
    I got to the kitchen, found a cup, and poured some coffee in it. Then I opened the sugar bowl and. . .
    “Shoot, no sugar in the house.”
    I heard Will laughing quietly behind me. “No worries. Seeing you now is the sweetest thing that could have happened to me this morning.”
    I felt my pulse accelerating. With my shaking hands, I took the cup and turned around to give it to Will.
    “Always wanted to see you make me coffee in the morning,” he said, taking the cup from me. And his eyes… God, those were the eyes that no sane woman would ever ignore staring at you with so much adoration and uncovered need.
    I panicked.
    Too close, too soon, too good to be true. . .
    His silence said so much more than words would ever be able to explain.
    I shook my head, and took a step back. “Please…don't.” I felt like my defenses were fading away with every breath I took next to Will, but I couldn’t let things get out of control. Not today.
    “Sorry,” he said, lowering his eyes to the cup in his hands. “I forgot about the rules.”
    We didn’t set any rules, not really. He knew I needed time, and he agreed to give it to me. The unspoken part of the agreement meant no calls, e-mails, or anything else that could have the potential to bring us back together.
    “You just broke the most important one by showing up here, so. . . The rest hardly matters.” I forced a smile, hoping he wouldn’t misinterpret my words and think that he was not welcome here. He was more than welcome to come and see me, just not today. Or any other day, for that matter. That is, until I was ready to be that close to him again.
    Will took a few sips of his coffee and put the cup down on the kitchen table behind him.
    “Is there anything you need, Louise? Anything that I could. . .uh. . .help you with?”
    “Like sugar?”
    He smiled that familiar smile I had been seeing in my dreams, every single night, since the day we last met.
    “And that too,” he said, giving me another longing look. God, there was so much pain in his beautiful eyes, as if he were begging me to stop avoiding him. That almost made me give up, almost.
    “I’m fine, Will. I really am. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m a big girl now, I can take care of myself.”
    “I’m sure you do. It’s just that. . . I’m trying to find an excuse to stay here, with you, at least a little longer.”
    Uh, if only he knew how much I wanted him to stay with me forever, starting now.
    “Christopher told me about your performances at school. Are you enjoying your classes so far?”
    I nodded, appreciating his question. At least it gave me a chance to switch my thoughts to something more real than being with him again.
    “Yes, a lot. Maybe even more than I could have ever