“What’s the smile for?” His elbow pushes slightly into me.
I blink slowly, caught between wanting to answer honestly and protecting myself. My arm moves before I can think better of it, sliding around his shoulder to pull him closer, as the voice in my head warns me. “I like spending time with you…” The words come out softer than intended, and I avert my eyes for a moment before forcing myself to meet his gaze again.
The way he lifts his hand to caress my face, like he’s memorizing its curve. The heat blooms low in my belly, spreading outward in waves with my skin prickling and my breath hitching. I’m not sure how I’m making it through this night with him when every nerve ending is suddenly, achingly alive beneath his touch.
He leans in, rubbing the pad of his thumb down my face to my pulse point. And the butterflies in my belly take flight. “I’d spend every minute with you to hear all the stories you want to tell me, share all your wildest dreams, and crazy ideas.”
Then he presses his lips to my cheek, and my brain short-circuits. He’s attentive, and when his lips touch my face, my body melts into him, dreaming about what it would be like to have a partner in life who cares for me and makes me the center of his entire world. Then reality crashes down on me…It’s what happens in fairytales.
Love doesn’t work that way. Love hurts and dampens your soul. I’m such a skeptic. Being around Kai sprinkles a little hope—maybe one day things could be different. I want to lean in and pull away in the same breath. Want to be the woman who deserves this and the woman smart enough to know better. Every cell in my body starts splitting, half reaching toward him, half bracing myself for the inevitable crash.
Being close to him, having him listen—it’s all I can ask for because anything more doesn’t seem possible. My throat tightens around the words. “No one has ever spoken to me the way you do, the way my body relaxes,” I whisper the confession, burning my lips. “You see me, all of me.”
He rests his forehead against mine, our breath mingling in the space between us. “I see all of you.” His voice is rough, primal. The words slam into me like a physical force, radiating through my chest, down until my fingertips tingle and my toes curl. For one exhilarating moment, I can’t breathe.
Our waiter, interrupting us, sets our entrees onto the table, and we untangle from each other. I take a bite, and the flavor bursts on my tongue. “My shrimp is tender, juicy, and fantastic. How’s your fillet?”
“I was too busy staring at your mouth to hear what you said.” He winks as he pops another bite into his mouth.
“Oh, okay.” I wink back at him, savoring the shrimp and rice.
We eat until we are stuffed. The waiter asks if we want dessert. We both say no in unison and laugh. There’s still food to take home; the portion sizes were beyond what I expected.
Once he pays the check and our to-go containers are in the bag, he stands up, holds out his hand, and says, “Come on, let’s go walk the beach before I bring you back home.”
After bringing the leftovers to his car, we walk down the street. At the end is a beach, where you see couples sitting and walking all along it.
The sun is sinking into the horizon, spreading shades of orange across the sky. He kicks off his shoes once we reach the sand, and I unlace my sandals. With our shoes in hand, he reaches for my free one and intertwines our fingers like it’s how it’s meant to be.
His palm against mine sends electricity racing up my arm, my pulse hammering so hard I’m certain he can feel it through our joined fingers. I swallow hard and squeeze his hand tighter, refusing to let my mind spiral into what-ifs and maybes. Right now, his skin on mine is the only thing I’m focused on.
“Want to walk near the water?” he asks, hesitating to move.
“Yes, the packed sand under my feet will feel good.” It’s like a mini foot massage. “My favorite thing to do is let the water roll over my feet so they sink into the sand.”
The water is cool on my feet. He stops walking, wide eyes shooting over at me. “This water is freezing.”
“No, it’s not. Stop being a big baby.” I tease him while pulling him further into the water.
“Nope, not happening.” He roots himself in place. I can’t budge him, even as I grab his forearm tighter and pull, muscles corded under my grip. Then out of nowhere, he yanks me into him. My hands land on his chest, and for a second, I’m breathless. I can feel his muscles flex. All I can think about is what’s under his polo shirt.
I stumble over my words, whispering, “Hey, you.”
“Hey.” His eyes are on me like I could be something more to him. We’re stuck in this moment until he brushes the stray strands of hair behind my ear. His fingers linger as they barely touch my neck. “We can see the sunset if we walk a little further.”
I twist around so we can keep walking toward the sunset. There are couples cuddled up, sharing the view. It’s like beautiful watercolors bleeding across the paper.
Further down the beach, we take a seat on the sand, and he wraps his arms around me as I shiver, both from the cool breeze and the touch of his arms and hands grazing along my skin.
We sit in silence as he draws circles on my arm, each loop sending tiny shivers down my spine. The last sliver of sun melts into the waterline, leaving streaks of darkness across the sky. The moonlight shines on the beach, casting a distant glow over the boardwalk.
“Thanks for saying yes tonight.” He leans into me, and my body seeks the warmth and comfort of his embrace. I’d rather stay here and watch the stars pop into the sky with him. This time with him means the world to me.
SEVEN
Kai
Ican’t stop replaying last night’s date with Ava. The scenes spin through like a carousel. Observing her in the moonlight…I’ll never forget the way my heart swelled in my chest and the ache for her throughout my entire body. It’s only been a day since I last saw her. I can’t help myself and text her anyway before hopping into the hot tub.
