Page 58 of Keeping it Casual
“Is that a good ‘oh my god,’ or is it an ‘oh my god, I can’t believe how pathetic this is?’”
“It’s definitely a good ‘oh my god,’” I say.
His tense expression finally breaks into a smile. He grabs my hand and tugs me toward the pond.
“There’s a rowboat here that Vince, the guy who mows my lawns, lent me. He assured me it’s watertight.”
I laugh shakily as he leads me by the hand to the small pier where an aluminum rowboat is moored.
A tiny needle of skepticism pierces my bubble of happiness when he picks up the oars. “Do you know how to row a boat?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Okay then.” I step into the boat.
Dustin joins me, the boat wobbling slightly. He unties the boat from the pier, using one of the oars to push us away.
“I’m so glad you trust me to keep you afloat,” he says as he starts to row.
“It’s more like I had to wade in here when Lucy threw her shoe in when she was a toddler, so I know it’s only thigh deep at the deepest point.”
He laughs, and my heart continues to swell.
As he rows us to the middle of the pond, I continue to gaze around in wonder at the lanterns glowing in the trees.
“How did you manage to set this up?”
“I didn’t do it by myself. It turns out when you say that you want to do something romantic for Jeremy King, a lot of people in this town volunteer to help.”
My chest feels tight. “I can’t believe you did this for me,” I whisper.
“I figured I owed you some romance after being such an obtuse idiot.”
“We were both kind of obtuse idiots,” I say. Then I pause to consider. “Although you were definitely more obtuse than me.”
He laughs softly. He stops rowing, resting the oars, and we float along for a few moments. I’m transfixed by the lanterns, transfixed by the idea that Dustin set this whole thing up just for me. The lights reflect on the water, creating the effect of floating in a sea of stars.
Dustin reaches forward to take my hands into his.
“I want you to know that I do recognize what this is between us, Jeremy,” he says.
I tear my gaze away from the lanterns to meet his.
“I’m sorry. I was so worried about being the best parent that I lost sight of everything else. And things with you came so easily that I didn’t fully understand it. I’ve never met someone I just…fit with like I do with you.”
All the emotion in my throat threatens to choke me.
“I think we’ve proven on numerous occasions that you fit quite well inside me,” I say shakily.
He gives me a look so affectionate it’s surprising I don’t melt on the spot.
“I think it’s like the frog in the pot analogy,” he says.
I screw up my forehead. “What frog in the pot analogy?”
“You know, how if you put a frog in boiling water, it will jump out, but if you slowly warm up the water to boiling, it won’t.
“I’ve been falling more and more in love with you, and I didn’t quite realize how absolutely, incredibly, head-over-heels in love with you I am until now.”
