Maggie stiffened, pulling away. He sat back, eyes wide. “What is it, Maggie? What the hell is the problem now?”
“I’m just not ready.”
Placing his head in his hands, he sighed dramatically. “You’re not ready.” His laugh was sharp.
“Why not? Didn’t I just tell you I love you?” His tone rose in agitation.
Was that why he had declared his love for her? Her face must have given away her thoughts.
“Are you kidding me? You think that’s why I shared my feelings with you?” He stood and paced on the boulder. “Let’s go. Time to go.”
What had just happened here? How had everything deteriorated in a matter of mere minutes? And how much of it was her fault?
“No. Don’t. Sit down. Please.” Her eyes looked up at his height, pleading for him to stay.
“I don’t get you, Maggie. I have to be honest here with you. You’re kind of driving me crazy. Pushing my limits, you know?” His face flushed red as he paced.
How was she pushing him? “Sit, please just come back and sit beside me.” Maggie patted the spot beside her, her lip trembling. She didn’t know why he was so upset, only that she wanted things to return to how they were prior to this walk by the river.
“Fine.” He plopped himself beside her, leaving at least a foot between them.
Maggie reached over for him, taking his hand in hers. He didn’t
move closer but didn’t pull away either.
“Maggie. You’re killing me. I love you. I freaking love you, and I feel you not returning my feelings.”
“I…”
“Let me finish. I open up to you, try to show you how much I love you and I’m met with a slam of the door.” His hands moved dramatically. Maggie leaned back so that he wouldn’t swipe her as he spoke.
“No response from you, telling me that you love me back, and now I can’t even show you how I feel.” He was upon her, grabbing her face, his eyes intense.
It was true. She hadn’t said she loved him back. She hadn’t been ready. What she definitely wasn’t ready for was showing him. The words slipped out of her mouth before she could think. “I love you, too.”
Tears sprang from his eyes as he kissed her face over and over. “Oh Maggie, you have no idea how happy you have made me.”
Maggie’s shoulders slumped. Uneasiness washed through her. It was almost as if she had been bullied into saying the words. Then again, she had always had the tendency to overanalyze her thoughts and actions.
Maggie bit her lip and kissed him.
EXCERPT- #2
Sky high cliffs, the serene Hudson River, and blue skies surrounded them. Seagulls screeched overhead as they made their way up the wide, winding path. Maggie jumped out of the way as a cyclist whizzed past.
“Oh!”
He grabbed her waist, holding her tight. “You need to watch out for those guys. They can be relentless around here.”
Didn’t she know it. The local roads were dominated by the cyclists in the warm weather. More than once in the past few weeks, Maggie had to pull over to the side of the road to allow them to pass.
“This is nice.” Maggie followed the sound of the gulls’ cries overhead. Not a cloud in the sky.
“It is, but then again, anything would be nice with you by my side.”
“Thanks.” She snuggled her head against his shoulder for a moment as they walked hand in hand further up the path.
Walking in a companionable silence, Maggie was happy. This was nice, being here with him.
“Would you look at that?” He pointed up toward the edge of the cliff. Maggie could just about make out the tiny figures of two people. She swayed slightly. They had to be nuts to get that close to the edge. They had to be nuts period.
“Yeah, well if you ask me, they’re crazy.”
“Crazy? How do you figure?” His eyes bore into hers.
“Going way up there? They must have a death wish.” Maggie nearly shivered even though the temperature was mild.
He stopped her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “You’re afraid of heights?”
“No, don’t be ridiculous.”
“You are, aren’t you?” His eyes lit up.
“If I’m not mistaken, it seems as if you’re deriving some kind of sick pleasure from this,” Maggie mumbled, head down.
“No, honey. No.” He wrapped his arms around her as more cyclists scurried by. “I didn’t mean to react that way. It’s just that in my eyes you’re perfect. I didn’t imagine you’d have a fear in the world.”
If only he knew. She had plenty of fears, but Maggie figured most people did.
“Really? That’s nice of you to say. Untrue, but nice.”
“Come on. Say, what’s your greatest fear? Top fear of all time?”
Strange turn in conversation. “Where are you going with this line of questioning?”
He blew out a hearty chuckle. “Come on, it’s all in good fun. I’m just trying to get to know you.”
“Okay. Heights. My top fear is heights.” She wished to change the subject but wondered what his own fears were now that the topic was on the table.
