I grab her duffle bag, slinging both of our bags over my shoulder, and grab the sticks in my other hand.
“Alright, do you want to play some hockey first? Or do you want to eat?”
“Hockey. Definitely hockey.”
She slams the trunk and locks her car.
“Right answer.”
She might actually be better at hockey than I am. She’s a little less than a foot shorter than me and uses that to her advantage. She flies across the ice with each glide and catches up to me in mere seconds.
My size also has its advantages against her. It’s easier for me to block her from the puck or, in some cases, pick her up and carry her with me to my own goal.
She says that’s cheating, but I say it’s being resourceful. I even told her that she could pick me up too and drag me with her to her goal… she just laughed.
“I was kind of worried you were gonna have this extravagant thing planned,” she says, finishing up the second half of her sandwich. “Brinley said I should be excited to see what you had planned, but then I realized I’ve never done anything special for you.”
“What do you mean? Every day I get to spend with you is special.”
“They better be.” She leans forward, kissing my cheek. “But that’s not what I mean. Our first date, that private art studio, that was everything, Declan. You have no idea what that meant to me. You gave me back a part of myself that I didn’t know was missing.”
“Speaking of,” I begin, pulling out one of her gifts from my bag, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“I only got you like a shit ton of chocolate,” she confesses, grabbing the gift from me.
“This is more than enough, trust me. I haven’t been out here in so long; it’s felt nice to be back,” I reply. “Now open it.”
“Declan.” She gasps. “You got me paint… and brushes. This stuff isn’t cheap, Declan. You have to return it.”
“The price doesn’t matter. Your reaction is all I need and more,” I respond. “Plus, the guys have been nagging me about you painting them each a portrait like you did me. They said it’s not fair I have one, and they don’t.”
“And by they, you mean Zeke?”
“Mainly, Zeke, yes. But the guys said you’re really talented. And I remember you saying all your stuff was boxed up and it’d be a pain to find, so.”
“Thank you.” Her words are gentle, and her eyes wide.
“Of course.” I brush a strand of hair behind her ear. “Thank you for spending today with me.”
“Thank you for trusting me enough to get into my car.”
“I had faith you weren’t going to murder me.”
“The night’s still young. Plus, we’re in a woodsy area.”
“Ha ha, very funny.”
I tuck my forefinger under her chin, tilting up her face to mine. She sticks her tongue out at me, and I smile, my eyes wandering down to her lips, where her tongue was just moments ago. Her hands creep around the back of my neck, and her fingers thread through the hair at the nape of my neck.
I pull her closer to me, with the forefinger that’s still resting under her chin, and brush my lips against hers, but I don’t kiss her.
“I do this sweet thing for you, and this is how you repay me?” I can feel her words against my lips.
“I can think of a few ways to repay you.”
She looks up at me through hooded eyes, and I see something in them I’ve never seen before. Not with her. There’s a heat behind them… a desire. She kisses her way up my jaw until her lips meet my ear.
“Then we should probably go.” Her warm breath sends goosebumps down my body and sends all the blood in my body to one spot. “Because my place… is completely empty.”
