Page 95 of Hot Girl Summer

“This is nice, cooking with you,” I say, cutting a slice of sourdough ciabatta and eating it. The loaf is delicious, the perfect balance of soft and crusty, and the salty tang makes my mouth water.

“I think I’m in love with this bread.”

“That hurts. Also, that bread starter is probably older than I am.”

“You and your fancy carbs.”

“Fancy and delicious.”

“Just like you.” I grin, and bite off another chunk as I watch the rain out the window subside. The timer chimes, indicating that dinner is ready. Steam and the smell of garlic perfumes the kitchen when Danny opens the oven door, and I sit on a stool, salivating while he dishes up and hands me a plate. I take a bite. The sweet, buttery, garlicky goodness is enough to make me squeal in delight. “I think I’m having a mouthgasm. This is incredible.”

I tuck in, dipping a chunk of bread into the garlic butter. Danny takes a seat next to me.

“Buon appetito,” he says, in his best Italian accent. It’s terrible, but I kind of love it.

“Eat up, the final part of our date awaits.”

“There’s more?”

“If you have room for dessert.”

Everything is dark, but I trust him implicitly. The next surprise requires a blindfold, and only Danny’s guidance to lead the way. As soon as I step outside, the coolness in the air nips at the exposed parts of my skin, and I wish I’d worn something a little warmer. Pebbles crunch under my feet, and I stumble numerous times as Danny guides me across uneven terrain, then after a few minutes, he helps me down onto the ground.

“Wait here,” Danny says.

I shift to make myself comfortable. The darkness and uncertainty has me feeling on edge and tempted to remove my blindfold, but the sound of waves crashing against the shore grounds me and gives me comfort. I wait, eventually feeling Danny’s weight next to me.

“Okay, take off your blindfold.”

My eyes adjust quickly to the warm orange glow emanating from candles anchored between pebbles, and I soak up my surroundings. A scattering of cushions lays against a stack of rocks, and a picnic basket is nestled amongst them on top of a large, circular blanket. I can’t quite believe what I’m seeing. It’s like something from a movie, a little cheesy, but also entirely perfect, and I’m blown away. I blink hard, making sure I hadn’t fallen asleep and entered dreamland somewhere along the way.

“I can’t believe you did this,” I say, finally focusing on Danny, his silhouette shrouded in candlelight. The moon, stars and ocean create a perfect backdrop to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, and an acoustic guitar lays between us.

“Do you like it?” Lifting the strap above his head, he checks the tuning with his fancy watch gadget.

“It’s beyond perfect. Thank you.”

He smiles gracefully, and I melt a little more. How could I ever think I could be without that smile?

“Welcome to “Beat the Intro: Summer Edition.”” He lowers his voice in an attempt to sound like a game show host. “With a little twist.” He snaps the tuner off his guitar and clicks it back onto the watch. “I thought if all else failed today I could serenade you. Never fails. Girls love musicians.”

Stop. It.

It’s ridiculous how he doesn’t even have to try to turn me on.

The song kicks off with clean, crisp, open chord strumming. I try to focus, but the thing about acoustic covers is that the intro usually sounds nothing like the original produced song. After the opening bars, Danny starts singing the first line of lyrics before I have a chance to guess the familiar tune. As soon as I hear the first line, I know it.

“Latch,” I say.

He stops singing, but continues to play.

A soft, sweet smile spreads across his face like he’s holding onto a memory. I lean across, gently pressing my lips to his, and the song fades out.

“This song was playing the first time you kissed me,” he says. With his hand behind my neck, his smile widens, and he pulls me in for another raw, emotionally charged, perfectly imperfect, all-consuming kiss. “You really left your mark on me that night.”

Suddenly, there’s no need for a blanket.

“Next one,” he says, smiling, his breath warm and inviting against my mouth.

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