Page 41 of Only You

I rolled my eyes. I could imagine how frizzed out it must be. “Glad someone enjoys it, at least.” The affectionate glow in Daniel’s expression conveyed the sincerity behind his words. He genuinely liked how I looked.

I liked how he looked, too: a warm, honest man who made me feel good. It could be love. It very well could be.

Daniel grabbed his glass of water and lifted it. “Wait, we forgot to toast.”

Raising mine, too, we dinged our glasses together. “What should we toast to?”

“Hmm…”

Lights twinkled, and the sound of cicadas lifted into the air like a thrilled buzz. Instead of waiting for him to answer, I offered, “To our first date?”

Daniel nodded. “May there be many more.”

We drank to that.

Chapter Nine

‡

Dinner was wonderful.

Inside, I was like Maria inThe Sound of Music, running over internal mountains, happy with the idea that he’d done any of this,allof this, just for the two of us. I felt special and sparkling, or like I might burst into giggles and glitter, or maybe sprout feathers and fly away.

But I didn’t want to fly anywhere. I wanted to be right here.

We didn’t talk about anything serious as we ate. We looked at the photos I’d brought to show him. All shots of our friends from the summer. I told him about meeting with Marta Neuheim, and Minty’s crush on our green-gilled TA. He told a few funny stories about the kids, but for the most part, he just wanted to listen to me.

As we finished our food, the night started to drop, and the air grew soft. Our moods softened as well. We breathed the fading light in, letting the evening sink into our skin. At some point, I took out my camera, and I fulfilled my promise to take pictures of Daniel—as many as I wanted, and he obliged.

I caught images of him in the dying sun and felt pleased to have cataloged his eyebrows and lashes, the angle of his cheek, and the curve of his chin. He seemed happy to let me.

After I’d satisfied my urge to press the night onto film, we took our dirty dishes downstairs to the kitchen, rinsed them off and loaded them into the dishwasher. Daniel put the leftover pie in the fridge. Then we went back outside.

Daniel took me by the hand and led me down to the river’s edge to watch the sun set on the water. The colors were beautiful, and I’d have loved to get a few shots, but I’d left my camera behind on the deck. I’d nearly run out of film, and though I had another canister in my backpack, it was 400 speed. Better for inside pictures.

Milky Way’s bark broke the quiet. Her white body streaked down from the house.

Daniel’s mother stood on the back patio calling for her, but the fluffy thing wasn’t having it. She raced toward us across the yard. When she reached us, I bent to scratch her ears and greet her. She was giddy with joy at seeing me.

“It’s fine!” Daniel shouted toward the house. “We’ll bring her back in.”

His mom waved and went inside.

“She’s been happy here,” Daniel said. “The first few days, she seemed confused, but she’s settled in. I think she’ll miss the kids, though, when they go.”

I picked Milky Way up in my arms and settled her down with a cuddle. She calmed as I petted her head, and the three of us stood, looking out at the water dancing with the coral, orange, and flame of the sky. Daniel surprised me by slipping behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. He hooked his chin over my shoulder. “This okay?”

I leaned back against him. He felt strong enough to hold me forever. “Yeah.”

We stood there, a little trio, breathing together and cuddling, until the remaining sunlight grayed, and Milky Way started to squirm. When I straightened from putting her down, Daniel was right there, looking at me. His golden hair had been tousled from the rougher breeze by the water, and his eyes glowed. My breath stuttered.

He turned his attention to my hair as he so often did, reaching out and smoothing his hands over it. I let the motion pull my head back, so my chin rose, and I was gazing up at him. He stepped into my space. The heat of his body against mine made my pulse pound.

His breath ghosted over my cheek. “Is it all right if I kiss you?”

“Yes.”

“You’d like that?”

---