Serving for Two

[Keller]

He smiled quite warmly at the compliment, it wasn't something he would have expected to hear a few years prior and he likely would have had no faith in ever improving his ability to cook. Retrieving all the dirty items from the table, he would begin placing them in the sink and washed his hands after doing so, turning back and approaching her. By this point she had likely stood up in preparation to leave, but not before bidding him farewell. He figured her to be the mannerly sort, and it would have been rude of her to simply walk away without saying anything.

"I know you must have fought a great deal of hesitation to even come here and speak to me. But I'm glad and appreciative of the fact that you did. I'll miss you when you eventually have to leave-" The end of that sentence was abrupt, mostly owed to the fact that he'd caught himself saying something he actually had no intention of saying. It was a bit like watching a pedestrian crossing and noticing someone sprint through traffic without notice, the words did not seek approval of his mind before being uttered. The situation was awkward enough to raise his heart-rate, made worse by the fact that he had elected to stand close enough to hold her hands again or perhaps offer a compassionate hug. But instead, here he was, having said something quite touching and with her hands in his.

What made this significantly more confusing for the back of his conscious mind to understand was when the awkward looks exchanged between them did not automatically prompt him to back away from the situation and reconsider. Much to the contrary, he had leaned in. With their foreheads gently pressed together like this, all it would have taken was the slightest nudge of either's jaw to result in a kiss. Hesitation ran rampant, but it was likely to occur unless opposed.