All of a sudden, Connell says, at the top of his voice, "So are you all ready to leave then?" In the same breath, he asks, "Sarah, are you driving down with me?"
I see Sarah hesitate and look at the Jeep, but then she turns toward Connell and smiling she walks toward him.
Aaron and Jane start to walk toward the Jeep, with me following, and then I falter, for a moment, as I become aware of him climbing out of the driver side of the ruby red Jeep.
It feels as if somebody punches me in my stomach, violently expelling my breath from me and I am immediately attracted to him.
Aaron steps toward me and awkwardly he introduces me to his brother, Jared.
My eyes look up and into his grass-green eyes. For some strange reason, I feel as if I recognize him and although I know I have never met him before, it feels like I have known him for all of my life.
Jared's expressive green eyes hold my gaze and then one corner of his mouth lifts into a smile. He does not say a single word, while I manage a shy, "Hi."
I am almost one hundred percent certain I used to be more confident in South Africa, whatever happened to me?
Jane pulls Aaron firmly by the arm into the back seat of Jared's Jeep, so I do not have much of a choice in the matter of sitting in the front passenger seat.
Jared walks a little behind me as I walk to the door, scanning my brain for something intelligent to say. He has me on edge and I feel inexplicably nervous.
He holds the door open for me, and awkwardly I lift myself onto the seat. Once I am settled on the seat, he closes the door and then he walks around the back of the Jeep. Jane and Aaron sit silently in the back. It is as if I can feel the broodiness radiate off Aaron like heat from the sun.
When Jared slides onto his seat, he looks over at me and then suddenly, without warning, he leans toward me.
My whole body freezes and I stop breathing. I push myself backward into the seat while he leans across me and pulls my safety belt toward him. He buckles it into the slot.
Still very close to me, he looks up at me with raised eyebrows and he smiles that crooked smile. Cold air rushes into my mouth with such a gush as I gasp that I almost choke, but Jared only smiles wider and then settles back into his seat.