Invested

His hands were warm as they touched my face and I blinked up at him, happy that he was finally here with me.

“Oh, it's been too long Ruthie!” He gave me a sloppy kiss on the cheek and I laughed. “Where have you been?”

I've been here, waiting for you.

I must have taken a bit too long to reply because he began to laugh. “Got your head in the clouds?”

“What? No!” I shook my head. “Nothing but school for me. You keep forgetting to take me with you.”

“You never pack!” He threw an arm around me and pressed another kiss to my temple, the action probably routine for him but pure chaos for me. My chest constricted and I could feel the blood rushing to my face.

Just my luck.

“So,” I struggled to keep my voice from shaking, “where are we going, West?”

He had called me as soon as his plane landed and had lured me over with the promise of a day out on the town, fifty's style. I agreed, mostly because I knew that I wouldn't be able to function if I said no to his invitation. It was impossible to stay away from him. These past few months without him had been absolute hell. Every few days he'd upload pictures of his newest adventure on the other side of the world and he'd tag me in every single one, almost as if he enjoyed my pain.

“We are going to go eat giant chocolate sundaes and burgers, like God intended.”

“Like God intended?” I raised an eyebrow at his words and watched as he nodded enthusiastically, his eyes filled with mischief.

“Absolutely, but first we're going to have a beer, for old time's sake.”

West tugged me into the kitchen, his hands not once leaving my body. They either touched my shoulders, my arms, or held my hands. He probably thought he was being friendly, affectionate, but the only thing he did was make my blood boil and my heart constrict as I noticed just how close he was.

This boy had no idea what he did to me.

I sat on one of the metal bar stools as he dug around in the fridge for the beer.

“So, how was it? Did you have fun?” I asked as I popped the top off the bottle he handed me. It was a Heineken, the only type he ever drank.

“Loads of fun.” He leaned over the island and smiled at me, those disconcerting gray eyes boring into me, making me feel small and nervous like a new born calf. “I got lost in Madrid and couldn't speak a word in Spanish. I'm surprised I'm even standing here today.”

“Don't tell me, otherwise I'll worry forever.” I laughed with him before I reached out to pat him on the cheek. “You got a tan.”

He ran a hand through his sandy hair and I watched, transfixed, as he swept it back effortlessly. “It was more of a sunburn. I fell asleep on the beach and I woke up lobster red.”

“Nothing but tragedies, huh?”

We shared another laugh before he began to tell me about the sights he saw. “Everything is so beautiful over there, enormous, too. The countryside goes on forever in some parts. “

“Forever?”

He looked at me again, something in his gaze changing as he remembered the rolling fields and the never-ending grass. “Forever.”

I looked away when I could no longer take his stare and I wondered if there was ever going to be more to us. It was a thought that consumed me at night, sometimes during the day, too. I'd had this crush for years and it flared up every time he smiled, every time he said my name, whenever his hand brushed my arm. It was hell for my heart and I usually spent months trying to forget him only to have every feeling come rushing back when he gave me a friendly call. He was an attentive friend, the type that called whenever more than a few weeks went by and it made it utterly impossible to get over him, no matter how hard I tried.

“I wish I could have seen it.” I took another swig from my beer and ignored the bitterness in the back of my throat.

“Me, too. You would have loved it.”

There was a small silence, the type that's loaded and all a person can do is look down at their hands or out the window. West took another drink from his beer and I set mine down on the table before I changed the subject. “So, did you get a European girlfriend?” It hurt to even say the words but I was adamant about keeping our relationship strictly friendly and that meant asking about his conquests.
He looked taken aback for a few seconds and I tilted my head in amusement, his expression too cute not to enjoy. Then he smiled, big and wide like he couldn't believe I was asking such a funny question. He set his beer down and leaned over the table.

“Why would I ever want a European girlfriend when I've got you waiting for me?”

My heart stopped for a few seconds and I was sure that my cheeks were flooded with blood. His tone had been a lilting one, a joking tone, those that I had learned early on to never take seriously no matter how much I wanted to believe him.

“No suntanned Spanish beauties for you? No sun loving Italian girls?” I raised an eyebrow as I tried to give him an easy out from his earlier statement. “Tell me, I want to know!”

He reached out for my face and my lungs shut down as soon as his hand touched my cheek. “No suntanned Spanish beauties, no sun loving Italian girls.” His eyes softened and I froze as he pulled me forward. “There was no one.”

“What are you trying to say?” My voice came out in a gasp and I reached up to cover his hand with mine, something that I probably wouldn't have dared to do if the situation were different. He was close enough for me to smell his light cologne and I struggled to breathe, to function.

“Am I not speaking English?” He laughed lightly and I pulled back a centimeter, only to yelp when he leaned in even more. “There's only you, Ruthie. We both know it, we've just been too scared to act on it.”

“Are you serious?”

He laughed. “Would I joke about this?”

I looked at him, gray eyes filled with sincerity and mouth set into one of his genuine smiles, and I just knew. Our time had come and I was postponing it. “West...”

He smiled once, a big smile, those grins that I only saw whenever he was overwhelmed with happiness, and then his lips were sealed over mine. They stole the breath from my lungs and made it impossible to concentrate on anything else. I forgot how to live for a few seconds as he ravaged me. His lips were perfect, smooth and firm, and they felt wonderful against my own, like silk or rose petals. I reached up to touch his cheek and fought against the disbelief rising in my chest. Could this really be happening to me? West had always been untouchable, too far away and too invested in his adventures to ever notice my constant crushing.

But now he was kissing me, tenderly like a lover right after confessing his eternal love. His lips caressed mine and his hand slowly tangled in my long hair, something that I loved even though it drove me crazy. There was a slow burning fire between us and I had a feeling that he was noticing it for the first time. I could feel every beat of my heart, every second that my lungs refused to work, and every delicious instant that his hands were on me. It was like heaven decided to visit me for a few precious moments and I tried my best to cherish every second of it.

When he finally pulled away I was gasping, unable to form a single cohesive sentence. “West-”

“Stop saying my name, you'll wear it out.” He laughed and pulled me in for another quick peck like it had already become routine for him. I melted right into his touch and he no doubt enjoyed my love struck expression. “This was a long time coming, you know?”

“I know.” I smiled and leaned in for one more quick peck before I pulled back and polished off my forgotten beer. “How about we go get those milkshakes now?”

He grinned like a kid in a candy store and almost took my arm off as he pulled me out the door. “Today is going to be one for the memories.”