holding hands
"It's nice to be outside again," said Cami. Jake watched her take a deep breath, tracing the faint veins on her eyelids with his gaze. Even recovering from the flu, she was gorgeous—short, sleek hair shining in the weak sunlight.
They'd gone out to get her some much-needed fresh air. Well, Jake had all but dragged her, really. As the docks, the halfway point, came into sight, some insane but irrepressible urge seized him and he, in turn, seized Cami's hand.
As soon as he felt her cool fingers against his burning ones, he felt mortified. Time seemed to stretch on as he waited for her to turn to him, eyebrows raised... he saw her expression falter for a moment—but nothing happened.
They walked on toward the docks, Cami beginning to talk about the town happenings she had to catch up on, and finally when Jake couldn't stand it anymore, he said tentatively, "Camille—"
"Hush." She finally turned to him, and her expression was halfway between stern and amused. She squeezed his hand, and the feeling sent a shock through him. "I'm talking. You're interrupting."
It was as close to an acceptance as he was going to get, but it was more than enough. He broke into a grin he felt sure looked ridiculous. "Sorry. Continue."
They continued toward the docks, and he felt her fingers starting to warm against his.