I rested my chin on his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist, relaxing with his touch. Of course, he wouldn’t take anything personally. Though, if I were in his shoes, I definitely would have had a different response. A smile met my lips and the excitement returned; the weekend activities I’d planned were back on the agenda.

“Thank you for being so great about everything,” I said and then reached up on my toes to kiss him lightly.

“Hey, Squirt!” said a familiar voice said from behind us.

Dev separated from me, and we turned to see my dad approach. He was middle-aged and balding, his faded t-shirt was tucked into high-waisted shorts, and white socks protruded from his sandals. I cringed inwardly at his atrocious sense of style, hoping Dev wouldn’t judge him by his over-the-top ‘DAD’ attire.

“Hi dad! This is my boyfriend, Dev.” I hoped reiterating his name would reduce the possibility of him getting it wrong.

“Hello, sir!” Dev said, reaching out his hand.

“Steve! Call me Steve.” My dad shook his hand enthusiastically, his other holding an empty Coors Light bottle. “Is this an M-3?” he asked, turning his attention to the car.

“Yeah, it is,” Dev replied.

My dad whistled and stepped to the side, appreciating it. “Turbo? Straight six?”

“Good eye, yeah. You a car guy?” Dev tucked his hands into his pockets and stepped up beside my dad to appreciate the white sedan.

I took the bags and left the boys to talk cars, glad they had a common interest. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. I’d order us a pizza later so he could eat something more than rice. Instead of heading inside, I walked to the separate garage that had been converted to a suite. The wooden, moss-covered shingles gave it an earthy, almost hobbit-like vibe. Inside it was just as quaint. There was a vintage armoire in the corner, a beige and green patchwork quilt on the bed, and a mini-fridge and coffee machine next to the tiny bathroom with a stall shower.

Stepping in, the slight musty smell transported me back in time to slumber parties, scary movies, and, of course, boys. I’d lost my virginity in this room. Dev didn’t need to know that. I left our bags on the bed, used the washroom, freshened up, and headed back outside to see Dev and my dad making their way down to the dock, each holding a beer bottle in hand. Knowing he was too polite to turn down such an offer, I sighed and wondered which parent had handed him the bottle. My guess would be my mom. She’s not the kind of person to take no for an answer. As overbearing as she was, she meant well. I leftt the to men get to know one another and headed back inside to chat with her. Waiting for me was an open bottle of wine and two full glasses. “Welcome home, darling,” she said as we took up our glasses and clinked them together. “Scrabble?”

Wine in hand, we entered the living room, where the board was all set up and ready. The sun streamed in through floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the burgundy sectional and emerald green carpet. I sighed, wondering when they’d finally tear the old carpet out and reveal the perfect hardwood underneath like on all those HGTV shows my mom watched religiously.

“Well, darling, he sure is handsome! You met him down in Mexico; is he from there?” she asked, grabbing her letters.

“No, he’s Canadian. His family was from India originally,” I said and then explained to her that his family has resided within Canada a lot longer than ours had. She found that interesting, laying the first word down as I eyed my strange assembly of vowels. Three ‘I’s. Not off to a good start.

“As long as he treats you well, that’s all that matters to us. It sure was nice of him to go with you to Miranda’s wedding. How’s work?”

I caught her up on all the boring details of my job and could feel her eyes glazing over as I did so. Halfway through our game (which I was losing), the timer went off, and mom got up to finish dinner. I wandered outside to alert the guys.

Outside, the fresh air blew in off the water. I inhaled deeply, the smell of forest and saltwater a combination no candle could ever compare to. Though I descended the stairs as quietly as possible, I wasn’t able to catch what my dad and Dev were talking about. The pair stood out on the dock as the sun set, an orange glow illuminating the sparse cloud cover and gentle fog that had begun to roll in.

My heart leapt in my chest, and a smile rose to my face upon seeing Dev there with my dad, both so relaxed and engaged.

“Hey, boys!” I said. The two turned to look at me, both of their faces alight with a similar expression. Suddenly shy under their gaze, a blush came to my cheeks. “Dinner’s ready.”

“Thanks, Sweetheart! Come down here for a second, let me get a picture of you two while the light is good,” my dad said, setting his beer bottle down on the dock and unclipping his phone from his belt.

Dev set down his beer, still nearly full. I grabbed him by the hand and pulled him toward the railing. He released my hand and took a step back before turning to look at my Dad and the camera.

“Scooch a little closer, guys!” Dad encouraged.

Grinning, I grabbed Dev by the waist and stepped up close, our chests touching. He looked down at me, surprised at first, but then he relaxed into a smile. His hand settled tentatively on my mid-back, thumb caressing in slow circles. The setting sun highlighted his gorgeous eyes and rich brown skin, the breeze tousling his black hair. Our eyes connected, and I was lost. For a moment, the world stood still, as if we were the only souls inhabiting it.

If I could bottle a moment, keep it forever, pour out a little bit at a time and taste it for the rest of my life, this would be one of them.

“Got it!” Dad announced, breaking the spell. “I’ll meet you two up there,” he said, leaving us alone on the dock. What a brilliant man.

We turned and faced the water. The forest on the other side of the harbour began to disappear behind a layer of fog. Coal Island stood in the middle of the water, peaceful and untouched. A flock of geese took off and flew past, calling out to one another. Seemingly more comfortable now that we were alone, Dev wrapped his arms around me from behind and nuzzled his face into my hair. I held onto his hands, my body aching for more of his touch but resigning myself to wait.

“Have a good chat with my dad?” I asked.

“He’s a great guy,” he said, softly kissing my neck.

I smiled. “Glad you think so. He’s not usually that talkative. You have a gift with people.”