Suddenly, he stood up, leaning right over the small table as he reached out and grabbed her hand.
"Ah!" She gasped, startled, instinctively trying to pull her hand back from his touch.
But his grip was firm, holding her hand tightly and pulling it firmly against his chest, right over his heart.
"Can you feel it?" he murmured, his voice low and intimate.
His dark lashes fluttered slightly as he looked down at their joined hands. "It's beating faster than usual right now. And do you know how fast it was beating yesterday when I was watching the surveillance footage, when I saw that man following you and then you both just... disappeared from the screen?"
He let out a soft, breathy chuckle, his voice a mix of raw confession and quiet lament. "It was beating so fast I thought it was going to explode right out of my chest. I could barely even breathe. My hands... they were shaking so badly I couldn't even hold a simple glass of water."
