After Leila knocked three times, clasped her hands against her stomach, and rocked on her toes listening, no footsteps came from inside, no voices, and her shoulders sank a little.
But feeling someone walking behind her, the back of her neck prickled, and she turned her head.
"Ah.."
Standing at the start of the path with one hand in his pocket, was Alex with a faint smile on his face.
Her breath caught. Her whole body went still, her fingers freezing halfway to her hair, and for a second she only stared, her green eyes going wide, then soft, then glossy.
Straighting her back, lifting her chin, and setting her mouth into the calm, mature expression she wore for everyone else. But her feet were already moving, down the porch steps, her heels clicking on the path, walking a little too fast for a woman trying to stay composed.
"Hey." Alex walked up to meet her and stopped one step away. She had to tip her head all the way back to look at him.
