He laughed. “You can’t pass. This isn’t a game. I want you to talk about your future. Keeping you accountable to the promise you made for yourself.”
“Summer’s almost over. The deadline for all my top schools has long since passed.”
“There’s got to be something else.” His hand ran up and down my back, soothing me so that I felt secure.
“Maybe.” I pressed my ear against him to listen to his steady heartbeat. There was the mentorship. I’d been pushing it further and further back in the recesses of my mind because the deadline had been extended and I still couldn’t get my act together.
“Maybe?” His tone perked up in interest. “Tell me. Tell me so I can be the stickler for once.”
I pulled my head up so I could look him in the eye. “You just want to boss me around, don’t you?”
“I do,” he said with hesitation. “You do it to me every day at work. I want a turn.”
“You know, if you weren’t so stubborn, you could have bossed me around the other night.” I gave him a grin.
Leo laughed, holding me close so I wouldn’t slip from his grasp. “Is that so?”
“Yes.” I nodded, not backing down for a second.
“You are more of a flirt than you look.” He looked impressed. “It’s hot.”
“I like to surprise people now and then.”
“Surprises are my favorite.” He kissed my nose. “Now, tell me. And I’ll right my past wrongs of not bossing you around sooner.”
“Promises, promises,” I teased. “You sure know how to get a girl’s hopes up, Leo.”
He raised a brow. “You don’t trust me, still?”
“I do.” I gave him a kiss. “Which is why I’m letting you know, I think I’m going to miss another deadline and it’s the most embarrassing thing ever. Claire might kill me.”
He looked a little concerned. “Deadline?”
“For a scriptwriting mentorship program. It’s with a children’s television network. They pick ten writers across the country to help create scripts for educational programming.”
Now that I said it out loud to someone, the opportunity sounded more incredible than ever. I kicked myself mentally for letting it slip through my fingers.
“Sounds fun and very beneficial. You’d probably be able to leverage it into an entry-level job. Or, at the very least, connect with people in the industry. We have to get you into this.”
I could practically see the wheels turning in his mind. Leo was currently formulating a plan of action for me. That was such a silly thing to get excited over, yet still, here I was.
“What do you need? I could help you tonight. Proofreading, coming up with an idea, getting my little cousin to listen to an impromptu play.” Leo’s voice got more and more excited. He spun us in a circle as he spoke. The water pressed against us like it was also thrilled to be in on the action. “We could act it out together. I was in Hamlet back in tenth grade.”
I laughed. “I remember. You were the best Horatio.”
“That’s very kind.” He smiled at the memory. “I’m sure you’re a bit biased.”
“Maybe a little.” I held my thumb and index finger a centimeter apart. “Regardless, you’re naturally a crowd-pleaser.”
“So what’s it going to be, Kira? Tell me what you need to make this happen and I will do it.”
I took a breath and considered. “Nothing. I just need you to check up on me.”
He looked unsatisfied. “You want me to be a reminder notification?”
“Yeah, those are the best.”
“I’m talking about actual action here. I assumed we’d be staying up all night together.”
