Me too, Sunshine. Me too.

“Lucy, I don’t know what occurs from right here.” I pull her towards my chest and stroke my hand down her arm. “However I need to discover out.”

“I do too,” she whispers. Then we’re nonetheless for some time, and at last she speaks once more. “And I do know you’re nonetheless leaving on the finish of the summer season. That scares me. However we’ve got a while to determine this out, proper?” Her maintain round my torso tightens.

Possibly I ought to inform her that there’s a small probability I’m leaving sooner than deliberate. However nothing is about in stone, and I don’t need to break this second with what ifs. As soon as I do know something for certain, I’ll inform her. “Proper.”

She seems to be up and pulls me in once more for extra kissing. I fortunately comply.

Lastly, after we’re each exhausted and respiration arduous, I gently push us away from the rock wall and maintain her at a distance—a lot to Lucy’s whimpering protest, which makes me smile.

“We should always in all probability get again on the market earlier than our mates ship a search celebration.”

“Allow them to.”

I curl a strand of her hair round my index finger. “I don’t find out about you, however I type of need to hold this in slightly bubble for some time. To maintain you this fashion all to myself.”

“Good, so we’re agreed. Extra kissing.” She takes a step nearer, and I chuckle.

“I do like that concept. However…”

She sighs. “I do know. We should always in all probability tempo ourselves.” Then she factors at me. “However I don’t have to love it.”

“Imagine me. If it have been as much as me, we’d by no means depart this spot. However since we’re…” I loop my fingers by hers. “There’s a query I’ve been eager to ask you for a very long time. Like, about twelve years.”

She tucks away a smile. “Oh, yeah? And what’s that?”

“Would you prefer to go on a date with me? Tomorrow, perhaps?”

“Boo. I’ve to work tomorrow till late.” She smiles. “However what about Sunday? I’m off then.”

It stinks to have to attend, nevertheless it provides me extra time to determine the proper plan for her. “Sunday works.”

“Are you able to afford to shut up store that day?”

She doesn’t know but that I’ve just about gotten all the info I would like now. That I don’t must hold the meals truck operating day by day. However I don’t need to go into that simply but. “Undoubtedly.”

Her smile turns shy. “I can’t wait.”

My coronary heart shifts inside me, and I need to give her the world. Nonetheless, I can’t promise her that simply but. However I can provide her a date. A very good date.

I kiss her knuckles. “I can’t both, Sunshine. I can’t both.”

twenty-four

LUCY

Concern has by no means fairly felt like this earlier than.

As a result of that is the very best first date I’ve ever been on.

I permit myself to stare at Blake from the passenger seat of his dad’s sports activities automotive. There’s one thing carefree and wild in the best way he’s sitting with the window rolled down, his elbow propped on the sill. He’s sporting shorts, a T-shirt, sandals, and sun shades. Wind whips by his hair as he drives Freeway 1 down the California shoreline, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel together with the Tim McGraw tune on the radio.

I’ve by no means seen him so relaxed. So at residence. Ever since our kiss—kisses—on Friday evening, I’ve puzzled if the magic would disappear. If he would. If I used to be an excessive amount of, or if now that he’d gotten me out of his system (twelve years is a very long time to attend for a kiss—what if he constructed it up in his thoughts and it wasn’t as nice for him because it was for me?), he’d change his thoughts about this date.

However from the second he picked me up at my bed room door 4 hours in the past, we’ve laughed collectively, chatted about nonsense, and had a good time. First, we stopped on the native gasoline station and snagged a wide range of street journey snacks (peanut butter M&Ms and bitter gummy worms for me, Crimson Vines for him). Then we grabbed lunch at this hole-in-the-wall Mexican place just a few cities up the freeway that had the very best guacamole I’ve ever tasted. We spent the entire meal making an attempt to dissect what made this inexperienced stuff so good, so we are able to attempt recreating it at residence.

After that, a farmer’s market—with all the things from selfmade jams to fruits and veggies, clothes, arts, and crafts—was the proper place to decelerate and peruse whereas holding palms. And solely holding palms. Blake hasn’t tried to kiss me or present any extra bodily affection since Friday.

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