I Loved You Before I Met You

7

After getting lost in each other's eyes for a few seconds Lauren breaks the stare and decides to work on dinner. I try to shake off the butterflies I feel from being around her. I sit here staring while her back is to me. I'm not necessarily staring at her ass the whole time, I'm taking her in. I mean all of her, from her bare feet to her hair. My staring game with Lauren's body is cut short when she laughs and asks "can I help you?" She turns her head glancing at me with a raised eyebrow.

I swallow and just shake my head no. Lauren laughs again and turns back to what she was doing. I'm confused on how she knew I was staring at her. I stand up from the island and walk around to where she is standing. I stop right next to her and my arm accidentally brushes against hers. Her skin is so warm and I just can't force myself to move away. It feels like a jolt of electricity runs through me from just that little contact. I wonder if she feels it too. She turns her head and smiles at me. "Can I help?" I ask politely. She looks at me like she is studying me and then nods.

I start helping Lauren with the prep work for dinner after she tells me what to do while she begins to cook. I actually have fun helping her in the kitchen. It's different from when I would help my mom cook but it's a good different. While cooking, her phone goes off with a text message. She turns to the island and checks her phone and sighs loudly closing her eyes before slightly dropping the phone back onto the countertop.

I wonder what the text is about. But I decided its best not to ask her. Especially with the disappointment visible on her face. I don't want to annoy her anymore than the text apparently has plus I don't want to seem nosy.

After a couple minutes I step closer to Lauren and rest my hand on her lower back again. She jumps a little from the sudden contact then looks at me. "Sorry... umm where are the plates and everything and I will set the table?" Lauren tells me where everything is but says only to get stuff for me and her.

I give her a confused look and she tells me that my... 'dad' will not be home until later tonight and he said he was eating at the office while finishing up with work. I wonder if he is just trying to avoid me. Why wouldn't he want to be here since I just got here? Does he even want to see me? I just keep these questions to myself and set the table. Once dinner is ready we fix our plates and sit down at the table to eat.

Lauren cooked Chicken Parmesan which is one of my favorites and it is so good. This is the best Chicken Parm I've ever had. I accidentally let out a little moan after my first bite. I hope Lauren didn't hear me but of course I am wrong. "I take it you like the Chicken Parmesan?" She asks laughing. I take a sip of my water "sorry I didn't mean to have a food-gasm but I do, it is so delicious." Her cheeks turn a light red color after I say that. I wonder if it is from my compliment on her cooking or the food-gasm remark. Maybe it was a little bit of both. She is a really great cook and I can tell she definitely takes pride in what she cooks.

I'm the type of person that likes to talk over dinner and I figure this is a good way for Lauren and I to get to know each other. Apparently she is thinking the same thing because before I say anything she says, "I think we should get to know each other so tell me about yourself." I agree so we sit there talking about different things we like and our dislikes.

She asks about Pensacola and my friends back home. She genuinely wants to know me and seems very interested in my life. I find out she has a younger sister that lives in Dallas and her parents live in Austin and one of her aunts live in Austin also. The rest of her family members are scattered and she doesn't see them as often. She loves to cook which is why she has a kitchen like she does though it's just a hobby of hers.

After we finish eating I tell her I will clean the kitchen up and for her to go relax. "You don't have to do that Kyler, you just got here and it's my responsibility" Lauren says. "It's not just your responsibility and I want to since you cooked and we can talk some more if you want to once I finish." Realizing I wasn't budging after we keep going back and forth, she finally agrees with a smile and suddenly leans in and kisses me on my cheek.

She freezes for a few seconds when she pulls back realizing what she just did. "Sorry, I-I don't know why I did that. T-Thank you though, you're very sweet Kyler." That kiss freezes me in place for a few minutes and my heart is racing like crazy. What is going on with me but more importantly, with her?

Lauren quickly says "I'm just gonna... yeah-" and she grabs her glass of wine and goes to the living room to get comfortable on the sofa. I could have melted into a puddle on the floor just from that kiss even if it was only on my cheek. Damn, she has me feeling some kind of way. After I get all the dishes in the dishwasher and start it, I wipe the table and counters clean. I do a quick check to make sure the kitchen is finished. I don't want her to have anything to do in here. I just want her to relax.