HENRY
“I’m just gonna stay at my buddy's house tonight, I’ll meet you at the Inn tomorrow whenever, no rush.” Miles grabs his wallet and keys as I set up the table for dinner with Maisie.
I won’t lie, I’m pretty nervous. This feels like our firstrealdate and I really don’t want anything to go wrong.
“Are you sure this isn’t too much for her list item?” I look to Miles for reassurance.
“You’re a fool if you think you’re doing this just so she can check something off a list.” He scoffs. “You two clearly like each other, so treat this as the real date that it is. The real date you want.” He grabs his hat, throwing it on his head. “Don’t get too into your head, she likes you, you like her and what is meant to be, will be, okay?”
“Yeah. Okay.” I nervously nod. “Thank you. Just let me know if you’re coming home early for any reason, okay?”
“I know better than to show up unannounced,” he says and the next thing I know, he’s out the door.
I check my phone for the time and it’s 4:45 PM. I told Maisie to come anytime around five in her favorite dress. Since leavingwork early, I've spent the day getting everything ready to make this the blueprint to all her dates in the future.
I want her to remember this moment with me.
Part one of the date is making dinner. I set the table with candles and reached out to Elaine to make Maisie’s favorite dish from her grandma’s cookbook—homemade fettuccine Alfredo. She also let me know her favorite drink is a Shirley Temple so I bought everything needed for that.
Part two to the date is a movie night in the living room. I hung the fairy lights I used for camping and grabbed every pillow and blanket in this house—and the few I bought the other day when I went into town—to create a cozy oasis for us to watch her favorite movie, The Princess Diaries.
I asked Wren for help and though I’ve never seen the movie, just knowing it’s her favorite will make it the greatest film I’ve ever seen.
Seeing the clock hit 4:50 PM reminds me that I need to go get myself ready. I laid out my outfit this morning—a white button down and dark denim jeans. Miles and I actually dug through the few clothes I brought for the summer after I begged him for help. Luckily he had a shirt that was too small for him that ended up being perfect for me.
I spray a little bit of the cologne I know Maisie loves since it’s an important night and I want to make a good impression—also to remind Maisie that this is more than a friendly “let me help you with your fuck it list” gesture. Miles was right that this is more than that, I just need to figure out how to make Maisie mine without taking her away from what she knows. Especially when I don’t even know where I belong.
I’ve been searching for jobs high and low but the thought of settling down in a cubicle in a city I’ve lived in my whole life sounds miserable. Being here in Ruby Lake all summer has shown me that I enjoy the simplicity and flow of a small town.The way everyone knows everyone. If you need help, there’s always someone waiting for you to ask.
Ruby Lake is a place where I could see myself spending the rest of my life, building a home, starting a family, growing old… I just don’t know how to make myself fit here.
I’ve looked for finance jobs here, literally anything I can use my degree on, and nothing has popped up within a 60-mile radius the whole summer.
A knock sounds at the door, clearing my head of what feels like a mid-life crisis. Now my mind is full of sunshine in human form that’s standing on the other side of the door.
I smooth down my shirt and take one last glance around the house to make sure it’s perfect. I have her favorite candle lit as well as light music playing from the TV. I don’t think I’ll ever be fully ready but I have to be for now.
I walk to the door and take a deep breath before I turn the knob. What’s on the other side when the door fully opens makes me feel like I’m in a day dream because there’s no way the perfect woman in front of me is real.
“Wow,” is all I can muster up, nearly speechless.
“Hi,” she speaks so softly.
“You look breathtaking, Maisie.” I look her up and down, my hands itching to trace her body. “You look… ethereal,” I confess. “If I touch you, I’m afraid you’re going to disappear.”
“Henry,” she whispers, wrapping her delicate fingers around my wrist. “You dress up pretty nice yourself.” It’s now her turn to look over my body. Her eyes gazing over me gives me the same tingling feeling in my stomach that conspires every time she’s near.
“You still give me butterflies, just like the first time I saw you.” I break my hand away, claiming her wrist now and pulling her in the doorway. “I think if I don’t kiss you right now, I might die.” My hand cups her jaw. “Can I please kiss you?”
She nods into my hand and I don’t waste a second before my mouth is on hers. The kiss is deep and needy, hands don’t wander, hair doesn’t tangle. This is the kiss of someone who wants to hold on and never let go.
I never want to let her go.
Eventually my hand does wander and grips the hair at the base of her neck, pulling her in deeper; I want to devour her and let her know she’s mine for as long as she’ll let me be hers.
Before I get carried away, I break the kiss. “I missed you,” I say and the words feel like they aren’t enough for how much I wished she was by my side all the time.
“I missed you, too.” She presses a kiss to my cheek. “It smells amazing in here,” she looks toward the kitchen, “like mine and my grandma’s favorite dinner growing up.”
