and brownies - and beer
thanks to Gus running to his place before the show started. He had adamantly
told her that she didn't need to train like that to look like she was in shape
and instead of taking it as a compliment, she ignored him. He was already
proving to be quite the charmer and she couldn't handle it.
No matter how serious she got, however, Gus easily pushed
the mood where it needed to be between the two of them. It was exactly what the
last few months had been like whenever they had spoken over the phone. Never in
a million years did she think it could be even better, especially after their
recent discovery about each other. But it was better.
Gus was better than Dreamy could have ever been and it
scared the hell out of her. Friends she could do, but she was finding that it
might not be enough.
It was baffling to realize that after all they had shared,
they still didn't know a damn thing about each other. All the details that
hadn't seemed so important at the time were now the reasons why she found it so
hard to move forward. His job being the biggest obstacle.
Over the next week, she only saw Gus once or twice during
the day and it was usually a quick "Hey, how's your day going?" and
that was it. Work kept him busy and she stayed occupied trying not to paint the
things he inspired in her. Those blue and grey eyes were all she saw when she
stared at a blank canvas, his smile was all she could think about when she went
to bed, when she woke up. To think that just over a week ago, she was plotting
ways to take out her revenge on him, only to now find herself plotting ways to
just see him.
It was turning into a mess of a problem and it didn't help
that Lily was constantly asking about him and begging her to delete her profile
from the dating site and just go for it with Gus.
When Aiden walked away at the restaurant that night, she
thought that would be it. It was over. No more late night talks with a man she
was dying to meet in person, no more hostile witty banter with her handsome
detective neighbor. She had been sure that the course of her life would have
shifted. Instead, she found that there was a reason they stayed clueless until
that perfect moment.
There was a reason she had hated him so much in those months
after she moved in. The line between love and hate couldn't be any
thinner. She couldn't say that she loved him, but there was no way in hell she
could say that she hated him anymore.
It was Sunday night once more and she'd had no luck finding
a studio. Her apartment was practically overflowing with paintings that she
could never put on sale because they were too personal. She sold four more
pieces at a local auction during the week and made enough to maybe look for a
nicer studio than she had originally planned.
She was going over the ads in the paper when a thud on her
door gave her a welcomed interruption. She glanced at the clock and realized
that she only had twenty minutes to start her pizza and brownies before her
show started.
She hurried to the door and peeked through the peep hole.
Her gasp was loud enough to be heard through the door. How did she know this?
Because Gus' smile widened as she stared at him through the tiny distorted
window.
Willing her blush away, she slowly opened the door, looking
up at him through her lashes. He shifted on his feet, eggs and a bottle of oil
in his hands and an anxious expression, as if he wasn't sure he was welcome.
Smart man, because she wasn't even sure about it. She
may have made certain discoveries about her feelings for him, but that didn't
mean she was willing to address those discoveries out loud or by any kind of
action on her part.
Instead of smiling back like she wanted to and welcoming him
inside to obviously share another night of their show, she decided to take the
sassy route he appreciated so much.
"Can I help you, Fergus?"
His smile went crooked, like a smirk, but sweeter. "Red.
Good to see you."
Knowing his reasoning for calling
thanks to Gus running to his place before the show started. He had adamantly
told her that she didn't need to train like that to look like she was in shape
and instead of taking it as a compliment, she ignored him. He was already
proving to be quite the charmer and she couldn't handle it.
No matter how serious she got, however, Gus easily pushed
the mood where it needed to be between the two of them. It was exactly what the
last few months had been like whenever they had spoken over the phone. Never in
a million years did she think it could be even better, especially after their
recent discovery about each other. But it was better.
Gus was better than Dreamy could have ever been and it
scared the hell out of her. Friends she could do, but she was finding that it
might not be enough.
It was baffling to realize that after all they had shared,
they still didn't know a damn thing about each other. All the details that
hadn't seemed so important at the time were now the reasons why she found it so
hard to move forward. His job being the biggest obstacle.
Over the next week, she only saw Gus once or twice during
the day and it was usually a quick "Hey, how's your day going?" and
that was it. Work kept him busy and she stayed occupied trying not to paint the
things he inspired in her. Those blue and grey eyes were all she saw when she
stared at a blank canvas, his smile was all she could think about when she went
to bed, when she woke up. To think that just over a week ago, she was plotting
ways to take out her revenge on him, only to now find herself plotting ways to
just see him.
It was turning into a mess of a problem and it didn't help
that Lily was constantly asking about him and begging her to delete her profile
from the dating site and just go for it with Gus.
When Aiden walked away at the restaurant that night, she
thought that would be it. It was over. No more late night talks with a man she
was dying to meet in person, no more hostile witty banter with her handsome
detective neighbor. She had been sure that the course of her life would have
shifted. Instead, she found that there was a reason they stayed clueless until
that perfect moment.
There was a reason she had hated him so much in those months
after she moved in. The line between love and hate couldn't be any
thinner. She couldn't say that she loved him, but there was no way in hell she
could say that she hated him anymore.
It was Sunday night once more and she'd had no luck finding
a studio. Her apartment was practically overflowing with paintings that she
could never put on sale because they were too personal. She sold four more
pieces at a local auction during the week and made enough to maybe look for a
nicer studio than she had originally planned.
She was going over the ads in the paper when a thud on her
door gave her a welcomed interruption. She glanced at the clock and realized
that she only had twenty minutes to start her pizza and brownies before her
show started.
She hurried to the door and peeked through the peep hole.
Her gasp was loud enough to be heard through the door. How did she know this?
Because Gus' smile widened as she stared at him through the tiny distorted
window.
Willing her blush away, she slowly opened the door, looking
up at him through her lashes. He shifted on his feet, eggs and a bottle of oil
in his hands and an anxious expression, as if he wasn't sure he was welcome.
Smart man, because she wasn't even sure about it. She
may have made certain discoveries about her feelings for him, but that didn't
mean she was willing to address those discoveries out loud or by any kind of
action on her part.
Instead of smiling back like she wanted to and welcoming him
inside to obviously share another night of their show, she decided to take the
sassy route he appreciated so much.
"Can I help you, Fergus?"
His smile went crooked, like a smirk, but sweeter. "Red.
Good to see you."
Knowing his reasoning for calling
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