Page 41 of Pretty Relentless

What I’m not expecting is for her to adjust the blanket and wrap it around me too. Now, we’re sharing it, sitting close. My left leg is pressed against her right one and she leans just a bit against my side. On instinct, I slip my arm around her shoulder and hold her, fully aware she may pull back. When she doesn’t, I mentally throw my arms up in the air in celebration, because this seems like something monumental.

Plus, it feels pretty fucking amazing to have her with me, against my side. Despite the fact we’re both wearing enough layers to keep an Eskimo warm, I can still feel the heat of her body, and I know this was a big step for her. I’m content to just sit here, holding her close, and watching the night sky.

Beautiful woman.

Beautiful surroundings.

Beautiful night.

It doesn’t get much better than this.

I can’t stop smiling while I watch her take photos.

The sky most definitely has a different hue to it, but it’s not the bright pink I was expecting. However, when she showed me the view through her camera, it’s every bit as beautiful as I’ve heard. I even went as far as to take a few pictures with my phone.

Now, I’m using said device to take pictures of Ava. She hasn’t caught me yet, her focus on the aurora borealis, but I’ve managed to snap a handful of images of her smiling up at the majestic sky.

“I can’t believe how beautiful it is,” she practically sings, smiling widely as she gazes heavenward.

“Stunning.”

But my eyes aren’t on the sky. They’re on her.

She’s simply breathtaking.

Her nose and cheeks are red from the cold, but she hasn’t once complained. Considering we’ve been outside for more than an hour, waiting for the time when we can see these amazing lights, she seems completely at ease. We’ve talked about work, Annabelle, and growing up in Pine Village. We’ve spent the last hour snacking and keeping warm under the blanket, and yes, have remained very close, perched on our rock.

“You’re not even looking at the lights.”

I give her a quick grin, realizing she’s caught me watching her. “I saw them, and you’re more beautiful.”

Her cheeks turn a darker shade of pink, and she averts her gaze. I watch as she licks her lips and wonder what she’s thinking. “I don’t think that’s possible, but thank you.”

She spends the next twenty or so minutes snapping pictures from different angles and just enjoying the view. I do the same, though we’re not exactly looking at the same thing. Yes, I grab a couple of pictures of the pink sky, which I do admit is pretty cool, but for the most part my eyes are on her. That crush I had in high school comes back, if it ever truly left. Maybe it just sat dormant, waiting for the opportunity to reemerge and grow. Well, the moment I saw her in the bar wearing that damn red dress, that crush exploded like a bomb in my chest, and I’ve lusted after her since.

From a distance.

Until that Friday night of Blair and Gabe’s wedding where I found her on the side of the road.

Since then, I realized these feelings aren’t going anywhere, and I want to explore them, and while she seems hesitant—for good reason—she’s not pushing me away. I’ll continue to show her I’m interested, while respecting her boundaries and distance. Stealing time with her, like tonight, is the perfect way to demonstrate my intent and sincerity.

“I’m freezing,” she says when she joins me over by the big rock.

“There’s a little more cocoa left in the thermos,” I tell her, digging into the basket and retrieving the insulated device. “I use this a lot for work. During the winter, I’ll keep extra coffee in it, and throughout the hot summer months, we store ice to dump into our individual insulated tumblers.”

She takes the remaining cocoa and sips. “You sure you don’t want any of this?”

“No, I’m good. You enjoy it.”

Ava takes a seat on the rock and retrieves the blanket, carefully covering her legs and waist without spilling. When I slide in beside her, she tosses the blanket over my legs too. Together, we just stare up at the sky. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt this content, this relaxed in my life.

Ava is so completely different than Julia. Julia was all passion, full of energy, and hated sitting idle. Ava, on the other hand, seems completely satisfied to sit, whether with a book or gazing up at the night sky. It’s nice to just…be, sometimes. No running, no expectations, no worries. Just sitting on a rock, watching the beauty of the world around us.

She shivers and leans into me a little more. As much as I like having her pressed against me and could sit like this for hours, I don’t want her to catch pneumonia. “Are you ready to go?”

Without looking away from the sky, she replies, “A few more minutes.”

So I do my part to help keep her warm and slip my arm around her. She fits like a glove, her perfect body against my own. We sit like this for a while, continuing to enjoy the view, when another idea hits me. I carefully pull my cell phone out of my coat pocket, slip one of my gloves off my hand, and bring up the photo app.

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