Page 5 of Hunt for the Roses
These are the moments I cherish most. Sitting in a dive bar with my very best friends in a quaint coastal town in South Carolina. Life just doesn’t get any better than this.
Sunday, June 13, 2021
Kyle’s arms are wrapped around my waist from behind, and he’s nuzzling his nose in the crook of my neck as we walk barefoot on the beach. We just finished dinner at a Peruvian restaurant, and we always like to enjoy the beach when we can. It’s a Sunday night in June. I’m not terribly busy with lesson planning anymore now that school is almost done, so this works out perfectly. When the wind picks up, I have to adjust the hem of my floral mini dress, which is a little difficult since I’m holding my nude wedge sandals in my hand at the same time.
Kyle playfully pinches my butt. “Trying to give me a sample of what’s coming later, huh?”
I laugh as I try to wiggle out of his touch. “Stop! I was just trying to adjust my dress, you animal.”
Repositioning his arms around my stomach and holding me tighter as we walk, Kyle’s lips hover over my ear. “You love it though.”
That’s when I stop walking to turn around and put my arms around his neck. “I loveyou.”
“I love you too,” Kyle says before leaning down for a kiss.
Our lips and tongues connect like second nature, molding into one another like it’s the only thing our mouths were meant to do. Our foreheads press together when we pull away, and we just let the breeze whisk between us as we treasure the beauty of a night like tonight. When we resume our original walking position, I tilt my head back to lean on Kyle’s shoulder and look toward the starlit sky as I ask, “How do you picture our life in ten years?”
“Well, let’s see,” Kyle starts off as he lifts his head up from my neck. “I see us living in a colonial-style house, with two dogs, and three children.”
“Three children?” I peer back over my shoulder and look at Kyle with questioning eyes. “Who do you think is carrying all these babies?”
Kyle’s face scans mine for a few silent moments before he whispers, “I want as many of your babies as you can give me.”
His words encase my heart in the warmest embrace, making it forget to beat for a second. I love this man without a shadow of a doubt. He is my other half, my best friend, and my hero. I stop to turn around again, and slide my fingers through his wavy, dirty blond hair while staring into his blue eyes. “I’ll give you as many babies as you want, Kyle,” I whisper back.
“Mmm, guess we better start practicing,” Kyle murmurs against my lips.
I smirk against Kyle’s mouth. “So there’s an ulterior motive. I see.”
Kyle smiles as he spins me around one last time, wrapping his arms around my stomach again, and I place my hands over his. “Yep. I couldn’t possibly want anything more from you than just incredible sex,” he jokes.
I laugh as I nod my head and play along. “I thought so.” Kyle laughs with me as he places a kiss on my cheek, and I smile widely at the loving gesture. “So colonial-style house, huh? I’ve always wanted to live in a vintage Victorian,” I say.
“They look much better than they are practical. Trust me,” Kyle replies.
I roll my eyes playfully. “Your knowledge of architecture is both a blessing and a curse.”
“Just wait until we start house hunting.”
“Oof, I didn’t even think of that. Maybe you should go solo, so I won’t have my hopes crushed every time I want pretty houses that happen to be dysfunctional,” I say as I look over my shoulder with a smile.
Kyle places his lips on my forehead as he speaks, “I would never dream of making a life decision without you involved, so stop talking crazy.”
His soft lips against my skin provide a solace no other man could ever give me, and I close my eyes as I take in the comfort of his words. I reach behind me to grab Kyle’s upper arms, gently clinging to the cotton fabric of his long-sleeved shirt, and we hold each other the rest of our walk in the sand.
Luckily, our townhouse is only a ten-minute walk from the beach, so we don’t have to wait too much longer to get home. Our one-bedroom townhouse is on a quiet street lined with sidewalks, and although it’s called a townhouse, it’s not connected to the neighboring townhouses. They all look more like tiny cottages than anything. Each townhouse is a different pastel color, paying homage to our beach town. As you look down the line of cottages, you see light blue, sea green, salmon, light yellow, then the colors repeat in that same order.
Our two-story townhouse is light blue with vinyl siding. On the first level, there is an offset white entrance door, and a concrete roofed-over porch lined with a white wrap-around PVC fence. Once you step onto the porch, you enter through white-capped column covers, and next to the front door are two double-hung windows. The porch has a gable-end roof, and on the upper level, there is a centered double-hung window with black shutters, a circular attic vent above it, and a gable-end roof with eave returns. It’s truly picturesque, and every townhouse on the block looks exactly the same in style.
Once we reach the top of the porch of our townhouse, I grab Kyle by the shirt and pull him into me as I lean back against the porch column. “Hey! None of that while I’m out here.”
We’re caught off guard when Dane interrupts us as he walks down the steps of his neighboring townhouse. A year ago, Kyle and I had decided we wanted to move in together, and when Dane found out that the house next door to him was up for sale, he told us right away. As if the stars aligned, this house is within a reasonable distance of our jobs, and still keeps us close to our family and friends. Needless to say, it was the perfect fit.
As Kyle and I both look to see Dane, he’s wearing a black pullover hoodie and gray gym shorts, with a black backwards snapback.
“Where are you going?” Kyle asks with furrowed brows.
Dane walks up to us on the porch. “I wasn’t able to get a workout in today, so I figured I would now. Kind of like you guys are going to in a minute,” Dane says with a smirk.
