Learning to Remember

21. How do you feel?

With a mix of disbelief and wonder, she looked at John with wide eyes. She spoke quietly, her nervousness skyrocketing. "H...how exactly do you feel-"

Her words were cut off as he pressed his lips gently to hers. She closed her eyes and leaned into him, pressing her hands against his chest as he wrapped one arm around her waist and held her to him as they kissed.

"Get off the sidewalk and get a room!" A man yelled as he walked around them on the sidewalk.

They both laughed as he escorted her to the table where he had been sitting. He smiled when she chose the seat beside him instead of the one opposite.

"I would hope it would be obvious how I feel. 1." He held up a finger. "I canceled my three day getaway with my best friend last minute after having begged him to drop everything he was doing to go somewhere with me today because I was so distraught after what I thought was you rejecting me. Again."

He held up another finger. "2. I got on the first flight to New York, paying an obscene amount of money for first class because it was all they had left."

"You what?!"

"And 3... well... I hope that kiss was a clear indicator." He chuckled.

"Oh, John." She reached over and grasped his forearm with her hands.

He turned and brought his other arm over to place his right hand on top of her hands. "Jovie, I want to get to know you more. I want to know everything about you and I hope you want to do the same. I just can't imagine letting what we've started over these last several days end. I don't want to imagine it."

"Really?" She said as tears began pooling in her eyes. "I was worried you wouldn't be interested in me."

"What, why not?" He said as he twisted his hands so he was holding each of hers in one of his.

"I mean, I didn't know if you'd be interested in Jovie instead of Amelia. It was her you were first interested in."

He laughed and she leveled him with a dead stare.

"Jovie, I spoke to your sister all of what, ten minutes before I asked her out? I didn't know her. I thought she was attractive, sure, but I much prefer ...." He reached up and let his fingers touch some of the stray, wavy hairs sticking out every which way from her messy bun and her makeup free face, tucking some behind her ear.

"Oh my gosh..." She pulled away from his hands to touch her hair. "I just rushed out the door to come here, I didn't even look at my appearance. I must look like a mess."

He laughed as he took her hands and put them back in his, kissing her knuckles before putting their joined hands back in her lap.  "Jovie, you're beautiful. Inside and out. I love how natural your appearance is, it's just like your personality.  It's what I've been enjoying and what's been drawing me closer to you the more time we spend together."

She shook her head and looked down at their hands, blushing.

"Jovie, I barely know your sister. I know you. I want you." 

She looked up at him and as a tear fell from her cheek he released his left hand from hers to reach up and wipe her cheek, leaving his hand there to comfort her. 

"Well?" He asked nervously. "Do you think you'd be interested in spending more time with me too?"

"Are you serious? Of course I would." She laughed and leaned forward to kiss him. He met her half way and they shared a short, tender kiss before leaning back to look at each other.

"I don't know how we'll do this with the long distance, but I know we can figure it out.  We can take turns visiting each other and-"

"Actually, it's not a problem." She cut him off.