Message in a Bottle - Nicholas Sparks [64]
They stopped for a moment and looked out over the water. He stood close to her, their shoulders barely touching.
“What are you thinking?” Garrett asked.
“I was just thinking how nice the silence is with you.”
He smiled. “And I was just thinking that I’ve told you a lot of things I don’t tell anyone.”
“Is that because you know I’m going back to Boston and I won’t tell anyone?”
He chuckled. “No, it’s not that at all.”
“Then what is it?”
He looked at her curiously. “You don’t know?”
“No.”
She smiled when she said it, almost daring him to continue. He wondered how to explain something he had difficulty understanding himself. Then, after a long moment in which he gathered his thoughts, he spoke quietly:
“I guess it’s because I wanted you to know who I really am. Because if you really know me, and still want to spend time with me…”
Theresa said nothing but knew exactly what he was trying to say. Garrett looked away.
“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”
“It didn’t make me feel uncomfortable,” Theresa began. “I’m glad you said it….”
She paused. After a moment they slowly started walking again.
“But you don’t feel the same way I do.”
She looked over at him. “Garrett… I…” She trailed off.
“No, you don’t have to say anything—”
She didn’t let him finish. “Yes, I do. You want an answer, and I want to tell you.” She paused, thinking of the best way to say it. Then, taking a deep breath: “After David and I split up, I went through an awful period. And just when I thought I was getting over it, I started to date again. But the men I met… I don’t know, it just seemed like the world changed while I was married. They all wanted things, but none of them wanted to give. I guess I got jaded about men in general.”
“I don’t know what to say….”
“Garrett, I’m not telling you this because I think you’re like that. I think you’re the furthest thing from it. And it scares me a little. Because if I tell you how much I care for you… in a way, I’m telling myself the same thing. And if I do that, then I guess I’m opening up myself to get hurt again.”
“I’d never hurt you,” he said gently.
She stopped walking and made him face her. She spoke quietly.
“I know you believe that, Garrett. But you’ve been dealing with your own demons for the past three years. I don’t know if you’re ready to go on yet, and if you’re not, then I’m going to be the one who gets hurt.”
The words hit hard, and it took a moment for him to respond. Garrett willed her to meet his eyes.
“Theresa… since we met… I don’t know…”
He stopped, realizing that he wasn’t able to put into words the way he was feeling.
Instead he raised his hand and touched the side of her face with his finger, tracing so lightly that it felt almost like a feather against her skin. The moment he touched her, she closed her eyes and despite her uncertainty let the tingling feeling travel through her body, warming her neck and breasts.
With that, she felt everything begin to slip away, and suddenly it felt right to be here. The dinner they had shared, their walk on the beach, the way he was looking at her now—she couldn’t imagine anything better than what was happening at this very moment.
Waves rolled up on the beach, wetting their feet. The warm summer breeze blew through her hair, heightening the sensation of his touch. The moonlight lent an ethereal sheen to the water, while the clouds cast shadows along the beach, making the landscape seem almost unreal.
They gave in then to everything that had been building since the moment they met. She sank into him, feeling the warmth of his body, and he released her hand.