Page 42 of Love Rewritten

The corner of her mouth ticks up when she looks at me. Her eyes are soft. I nod toward the gift again, waiting for her to open it.

She lifts the top and pulls out a notebook. I see the moment realization dawns on her. “A Castelli? AcopperCastelli?” Her eyes are wide as her grin spreads. She drops the box, not caring about it anymore, and flips through the copper-edged pages of the notebook. “God, this is gorgeous.” She runs her fingers over the floral detailing on the front.

I’ll never understand how a bundle of bound paper can make her so excited, but it doesn’t matter. She’s happy, I’m happy.

“How did you know?” she asks, still paging through the notebook. “Wait, don’t tell me. I bet it was Meredith again, wasn’t it?”

I smile and nod before approaching her from behind and wrapping my arms around her waist.

“Well, thank you. You really didn’t have to get me anything.”

That makes me laugh. “Have you seen the condition of your current notebook? The thing is hanging on for dear life, practically begging to be put out of its misery.”

She laughs this time. “Hey now, that notebook has been good to me.”

“Well, let me be good to you, now.” I nuzzle my nose into her neck. She giggles before laying her new notebook on the blanket and turning to kiss me.

“What do you have in mind?” She asks after pulling away.

“Mmm. I could think of a few things,” I say, voice low. I run my hands down her arms and twirl her around, the dress fluffing out with the motion. I pull her back toward me and press my body to hers.

A mischievous smile plays on her lips before she kisses me again. It’s delicate and drawn out. I let her lead, wanting to take this night slow. But just as we start getting into it, she gives me one more peck and pulls away.

“I want to try this wine before we make a mess of the place.” She sits down on one side of the tray and picks up the bottle to examine it.

I stand there, my arms and lips empty, and take a deep breath.A mess of the place.The implication already gives my dick a heartbeat. “You are such a tease.”

She looks up at me from the ground with a sly grin. “I know.” I shake my head and take my place on the other side of the tray, handing her the corkscrew. “Did you pick this out?” she asks, still reading the label.

“No, Logan did.”

“Logan?There’s no way.”

“His mom is a bit of a wine connoisseur, so he had no choice but to learn a few things.”

She lets out a sound like she’s impressed yet heavily amused. “Well, I’ve never had this one, but I think I’ll like it.” She inserts the corkscrew and starts twisting. It pops out relatively easily, and she pours herself a glass. “Do you want some? What are you going to drink? I don’t want to be the only one sipping on something.”

“I got myself some sparkling juice. Kid wine. The next best thing.” I unscrew the cap, pour myself a glass of the juice, and take a sip.

She smells hers, then sips it, and I watch that liquid pass her lips, her dark red lipstick almost the same color as the wine. My eyes trail the line of her mouth, then down the soft skin of her throat as she swallows. I force myself to take a sip to refocus.

“This is good. I wasn’t sure if it would be too dry, but I like the hint of spice behind the sweetness. How’s yours?”

I hadn’t even noticed how mine tasted when I took a sip, my mind so far away from the glass in my hand. “Not bad.”

She looks out over the pond, listening to all the sounds of the wildlife still wide awake. I follow her gaze to the tree line, the silhouette of them soothing. Above us, the stars seem to speak another language entirely before winking back. The moon sets the water ablaze in white fire, reflecting every star.

Abby breaks through the silence. “Do you ever think about how one small decision could have changed the whole course of events in your life?”

That’s a loaded question. I let out a long breath, sending it far across the pond. “Yeah, sometimes.”

She keeps her eyes forward, sipping her wine slowly. “Me, too.”

Curiosity gets the best of me. “In what way?”

She’s thinking. I can tell by the way she chews on the inside of her cheek and lip. She adjusts her position and the fabric of the dress, letting it rest to the side, a full view of her legs on display. The serpent tattoo on her thigh peaks out just past the dress. She kicks off her heeled boots. “I wonder, sometimes, if I hadn’t switched which class I was in two years ago if I still would have met Sam.”

Ah. That’s where she’s going with this. I hadn’t exactly prepared myself to be talking about Sam tonight, but if that’s what’s on her mind, if that’s what she needs to get off her chest, I won’t stop her. The problem is, I’m not sure what to say. I don’t know if she’s looking for an answer or just needs to vent. So, I remain quiet and steal glances at her while she sips her wine and thinks.

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