THREE

They sat silently for a few minutes, sipping their tea. Sarah was enjoying her moment of blissful peace, but when she looked over at Harris, she saw he was frowning deeply, his brow furrowed.

"Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" he blinked, snapping out of whatever reverie he had been in. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking."

Sarah waited patiently, wondering what about her question had upset him.

He ran a hand through his already disheveled black hair. "It's just... I've been wanting to tell you something, but I didn't know how."

"Tell me."

He sighed. "I've wanted to tell you for a while about how I truly felt about you. I've always been afraid that it would ruin our friendship. So I waited for the perfect time. But I'm glad I don't have to wait anymore, because you told me how you felt instead."

He leaned forward, placing his hand on top of hers. His green eyes met hers and Sarah found herself lost within them. "I love you, Sarah.," he said softly.

"I..."  She closed her eyes, trying hard to hold back tears. She could feel herself getting emotional again. "I love you, too," she whispered.

"Can I kiss you?"  His voice sounded so quiet, like a whisper.

Sarah nodded eagerly, leaning over slightly. He hesitated for a moment, before gently lifting her chin, cupping her cheek with one hand. Forcing herself to open her eyes again, Sarah saw he was gazing at her with an affectionate expression. He lifted her face, and slowly, hesitantly, kissed her. Sarah gave a sigh of contentment against his lips, closing her eyes and melting into him, as he held her tightly against him.

His arms tightened around her waist and pulled her close, deepening the kiss, as he ran a hand up her spine and rested it on her shoulder. She felt her body growing warm and tingly, her legs quivering. She wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, pulling him closer, reveling in the closeness they shared. She could feel the heat radiating from his body as she slid her hands along the sides of his chest and up under his T shirt, feeling the smooth skin beneath her fingers. He moaned into the kiss, his hands moving down to her hips and then, wrapping their arms around her legs, he lifted her effortlessly from the ground carrying her bridal style out of the kitchen, and straight over to the couch in the living room. Putting her gently down, he slowly broke apart from the kiss, and pressed his forehead against hers. 

He felt her heavy breathing, it came out ragged and laboured. Her heart was beating so fast and wildly, it seemed to be going crazy. 

When he raised his head, a soft smile spread across his handsome features. Looking up at him, Sarah felt dizzy, her knees weak. She felt lightheaded as his dark eyes locked on hers, glowing brightly. The intensity in his gaze made her shiver involuntarily.

Harris placed his hands gently on either side of her face, running his thumbs across her cheeks, caressing her lightly with his fingertips. With a gentle touch he brushed a stray hair behind her ear.

Sarah swallowed heavily, unable to believe that this was happening. She didn’t dare move, afraid she might wake up and find she was dreaming.

Then Harris leaned down and placed his lips once again upon hers, kissing her with such tenderness, so delicately, as if afraid that she might disappear. She could taste the sweet cherry tea that she had just taken. His lips moved expertly against hers, as if he had done this many times before. His tongue swirled seductively against hers, tasting her and exploring her mouth thoroughly, causing her to moan softly. Her fingers curled themselves against his broad shoulders, holding on for dear life. His hands traveled from her face to her hair, tangling his fingers in the thick mass and pulling gently. Sarah moaned again, arching her back in response, causing her breasts to press against his chest. He shifted his weight, allowing himself to lay her fully down on the cushions. He began trailing kisses from her jaw line, down her neck, towards her collarbone. Sarah gasped as his lips brushed the sensitive spot on her neck, causing her to tremble and squirm beneath him.

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted their moment, drawing their eyes away from each other. They both jumped slightly, startled by the interruption.

They turned their heads towards the doorway of the living room, where they saw Amanda standing there. Sarah let go of Harris' shoulders, embarrassed, her cheeks red. Harris stood up, still holding Sarah's hand as they faced Amanda.

"Sorry to interrupt but I need you two to come back to the kitchen and help me get things ready for dinner," Amanda smirked.

Sarah chuckled, giving Harris’ hand a quick squeeze. "Alright, we're coming."