14. Clementine

Clementine

FRIDAY – 6:10 A.M.

Leyland had already arrived when I rolled into Jasper’s parking lot ten minutes late. I cried for so long in the shower, ruined my twist-out in the process and had a hard time slicking my curls into a presentable bun.

Allowing him to see me as disheveled as I felt hadn’t been part of my plans when I texted cancelling our date. But after hearing his voice, I regretted the decision immediately and couldn’t make the same mistake by denying his invite to get coffee.

Go with the flow, Clem.

As I backed into the spot beside him, our eyes met and my heart danced—not from nerves, but something akin to excitement. He’d waited for me to arrive before going inside and that did something to me; it made me realize that the little things mattered, just like Leyland said.

“Wassup, tiny,” he greeted coolly after opening my door, eyes searching mine for something I hoped he wouldn’t find.

I knew he wanted to see if there was more to my story, and I wasn’t sure if I’d tell him at all.

“I feel like I should have a nickname for you,” I said, my gaze moving from his grey and black Nike Air Max, past the black joggers and hoodie to match, the subtle gold chain that had somehow escaped the inside of his hoodie before settling on his sun kissed eyes.

Had I ever really looked at him before? Like really lookedat him?

He’d been intoxicating from the moment we met, but now I wanted to rub myself against him like a feral cat for some reason. His aura was different, more intense.

My goodness.

Leyland chuckled softly, the sound sending a pleasant shiver down my spine.

“You’ll come up with one, eventually. No rush.”

He held out his hand, and I took it without hesitation. His palm was warm and felt nice wrapped around mine.

As I stood, we were suddenly very close, and I could smell the faint scent of his cologne mingled with something earthy.

“Shall we?” he asked, gesturing towards the cafe entrance after shutting my door for me.

I nodded, not trusting my voice at that moment. As we walked in, the familiar aroma of freshly brewed coffee enveloped us. The cafe was empty, just as Leyland had predicted. We ordered our drinks—an Americano with hazelnut creamer for me, a black coffee for him—and settled into the same corner booth from before.

For a moment, we just sat in silence, warming our hands on our mugs. Leyland’s eyes never left my face, and I felt the weight of his gaze.

“I could stare at you for hours and never get bored,” he murmured, leaning back.

“You’re making me nervous,” I mumbled, taking a sip of my coffee to hide my smile.

Leyland’s lips curled into a soft smirk.

“As long as they’re good nerves.”

I nodded and set my mug down, deciding to address the elephant in the room, so we could move on and enjoy this moment together.

“Leyland, about cancelling our date...”

He held up a hand, stopping me. “You don’t have to explain if you’re not ready. I just wanted to see you, to make sure you were okay.”

His concern touched me deeply, and it made me want to share the truth, even though I was still processing.

“He... he kissed me. Without my permission.”

I knew I had nothing to be ashamed of, but I was filled with so much of it as the words left my lips.

Leyland’s jaw clenched, a flash of anger crossing his face before he schooled his features like nothing happened.

“Did he hurt you?” he asked, his tone measured like he was forcing himself to ask calmly.

“No,” I shook my head. “Not physically. But it felt... wrong. Violating.” I shuddered at the memory. “He apologized, but I don’t think it’s registered with my body yet. And…”

My voice trailed, and he sat patiently, waiting for me to get it all off my chest, and I appreciated that more than he’d know. Maybe he does.

I wouldn’t be surprised.

“Part of me feels guilty for feeling that way because we were engaged and…”

Leyland shook his head, the small frown on his face deepening.

“You have every right to feel violated. Being engaged doesn’t give him or anyone else the right to your body without consent.”

I dropped my gaze and nibbled on my bottom lip, trying my hardest not to cry again.

He was right, and I needed to stop making excuses, thinking it would magically make me feel better.

“Thank you,” I whispered, finding the courage to meet his eyes again.

Leyland reached across the table, his hand hovering near mine but not quite touching. “May I?” he asked softly.

I nodded, and he gently took my hand in his and traced soothing circles on my skin.

“You don’t have to thank me for basic decency, tiny,” he said. “But I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to tell me. Is there anything I can do to help you feel safer?”

His question caught me off guard. No one had ever asked me that before.

“I... I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I think just being here, talking with you... it helps.”

He nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Then that’s what we’ll do. We can sit here all day if you want, just talking. Or not talking. Whatever you need.”

I felt a rush of warmth in my chest at his words. Why did he have to be so good?

“You’d really do that?”

“In a heartbeat,” he replied.

We sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, his hand still holding mine while I studied his face, noticing the flecks of gold in his dark brown eyes, the slight curve of his lips and the tiny mole at the start of his left eyebrow.

“You’re staring,” Leyland said softly, a hint of amusement in his voice.

I smiled.

“I’m trying to figure you out.”

He tilted his head slightly. “I’m an open book, remember?”

“Mmmm…” I tapped my chin with the hand he wasn’t holding. “What’s your favorite color?”

It was supposed to be a joke, but then a slow smile spread across his face, like he knew something I didn’t.

“Green. Like the color of leaves just after it rains. You?”

“Purple. Deep, rich purple. But also, green because it was my sister’s favorite.”

“Fitting for royalty,” he said. “Did you know my name comes from the tree clementines grow on?”

“I didn’t know that,” I mused, feeling a little flirty suddenly. “Is that why you’re so sweet?”

Leyland chuckled.

“Not sure about that. But I do know I was destined to meet a Clementine someday.”

“Is that so?” I teased. “And how did you imagine this fated meeting would go?”

His eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Well, I certainly didn’t expect to wake up from a coma thinking we were married. But I’m not complaining, since you’re sitting across from me right now.”

I laughed softly, shaking my head. “You’re something else, Leyland Graham.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he quipped, giving my hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it—much to my heart’s dismay.

“You should.”

We fell into an easy conversation after that, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. He unknowingly helped ease my mind about us dating, about what happened with James. I could breathe a little better as the cafe filled with their usual morning rush.

“I can’t believe how much time has passed,” I said, glancing at my watch.

8:05 a.m.

“Time flies when you’re in good company.”

I felt a flutter in my chest at his words.

“Yeah, it really does.”

Leyland leaned forward, a question lingering in his gaze.

“About tomorrow…”

“I’m sorry for cancelling. I’d still like to go out. I think talking to and meeting with you this morning put some things into prospective for me.”

Leyland’s face lit up with a smile that made my heart skip a beat.

He was so beautiful to me, his spirit… everything .

“I’m glad to hear that,” he said softly. “And I completely understand why you needed to cancel initially. Your feelings are valid. I’m just happy we got to spend this morning together.”

This time, I reached across the table, wanting to feel his skin against mine again.

“I really appreciate how patient and kind you’ve been.”

He put his palm against mine and laced our fingers together.

“It’s what you deserve and you make it easy. Being with you…” His eyes softened as he gazed at our intertwined hands. “Being with you feels natural, like breathing.”

There was something so genuine and open about him that made me feel safe and understood, that made me want to open up completely.

“I’m starting to feel the same way,” I admitted softly. “It’s a little scary how comfortable I am with you already.”

“I know what you mean. But I think sometimes, when something feels this right, we just have to trust it.”

I took a deep breath, a mix of excitement and nervousness dancing in my stomach. “So, about tomorrow... what should I expect?”

“How do you feel about surprises?”

It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if he knew the answer to that already, but then I remembered our conversation from earlier.

I laughed softly. “Normally, I’m not a big fan. But with you, I think I’m willing to make an exception.”

“Good. Because I’ve got a few planned. Just remember what I said about the outfit changes.”

I nodded, recalling his text about comfortable clothes and sneakers for the morning, casual for the afternoon, and dressing up for dinner.

“Does this mean we’re parting ways for now?” I asked.

Part of me wanted to stay in this bubble forever, away from the complications of the real world. But I knew we couldn’t.

“We should, but only because neither of us have slept.”

I began to feel the weight of my sleepless night settling in now that the caffeine was wearing off.

“Yeah, we should probably head home and try to get some sleep before tomorrow.”

We stood from the booth, and I felt a pang of reluctance at the thought of leaving him. As we walked out of the cafe, Leyland gently placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me through the door.

His touch was light, respectful, but it sent a shiver down my spine, nonetheless.

As we reached our cars, we turned to face each other.

For a moment, neither of us said a word, but eventually he broke that silence.

“Thank you for meeting up…” his eyes were so warm. “For opening up and trusting me with it.”

“Thank you for listening,” I replied, voice barely above a whisper. “And for being so understanding.”

He took a step closer, and my feet moved in tandem.

“Can I hug you?”

I nodded, wanting so badly to feel his arms around me and happy he’d done us both a favor and asked.

Leyland pulled me in, his arms strong. I felt secure in them; it was everything I never knew I needed.

I melted into the embrace, resting my head against his chest. The steady thump of his heartbeat was soothing, and I closed my eyes to savor it.

He felt familiar, like coming home after a long day.

“This okay?” he murmured, his breath warm against the tiny part in my hair.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak as we stood like that for what felt like a lifetime.

Finally, reluctantly, I pulled back slightly, looking up at him.

His eyes were soft as they met mine, filled with an emotion I couldn’t quite name, but that made my heart flutter.

“I could get used to this,” he said, his voice a low rumble that traveled right to my core.

“Me too.”

I barely recognized my voice and needed to get away from him before I requested something ridiculous.

“I should go,” I said, though I made no move to step away.

Leyland nodded, his arms loosening but not fully releasing me.

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning at nine. You’ll have to send me your address.”

I nodded, already looking forward to our date.

He eventually let me go and, as I turned to get into my car, he caught my hand. I looked back at him, eyebrow raised in question.

“Text me when you make it home, so I know you’re safe.”

“I will, but if you make it home before me, I want the same.”

He nodded.

“Your wish is my command.”

I slid into my car and looked back at him.

“Don’t say things like that. Next thing you know, I’m wishing for the moon and stars and you can’t give those to me.”

What was meant to be a joke had earned me an intense staring session that I wasn’t sure either of us could break.

“I would try, though,” he said. “To give you the moon and stars, I would try.”

And I believed he would, that he’d go above and beyond simply because it’s me—the woman from his dreams… Of his dreams.