I wondered who would speak first, or if we would just stare at each other until something broke the tension. Unless I was misreading the moment. I could be inventing this: a flicker of hunger mixed with a look that bordered on desire as he homed in on my face. My lips. He licked his again. My lungs became wild, filled with hornets. My mouth was dry.

Kael stood up and I took a step away from him. I felt the need to protect myself from him, from myself. Not in a dangerous way, just in a this-won’t-end-well way. He stared at the space I put between us like it offended him. I took another step back. My hormones were out of control; this is lust. I hadn’t felt lust in my twenty years on earth. I couldn’t decide if I love or hate the feeling, but it’s definitely lust. Not a stupid crush, no false expectations of love and forever, just a physical attraction to a man. That’s it. Lust.

He finally spoke, pulling me out of the mental rabbit hole I was floating down.

“Are you going to the store now?” He didn’t look me in the eyes. I felt like he was purposely avoiding eye contact. It pissed me off. But it excited me. Lust, lust, lust. Now I see why it’s one of the seven deadly sins. It’s so distracting. And random.

I nodded while walking past him to open the fridge and drink some water before I went out in the heat. He watched me move around the room and I chugged straight from my water jug again. What was the point of acting sophisticated in front of him anyway?

“Is it cool if I come to the store with you? I don’t need much.”

Was he inviting himself to hang out with me? Why couldn’t I help but smile? I covered my mouth and cursed my dream, the one that played a big part in the way I was feeling around him this morning. Damn my vivid imagination.

I nodded again. I couldn’t say much to him, and I knew he never really had much to say to me, so we agreed to a quick shopping trip, back by nine thirty, so I could change, brush my teeth again, walk to work, and not be late.

I was searching quietly for my keys. I thought I’d put them where I always did, on the table by the couch.

“I can’t find my keys.” I rubbed my forehead. I tried my hardest not to get stressed. The more time I spent looking for the damn keys, the less shopping time I would have.

“Oh, shit. Sorry, I have them.” Kael pulled them out of his pocket and dangled them in front of his chest.