Page 81 of Lost in the Current of You

“I’ll be back. You can grab a drink or whatever from the fridge if you want. I’ll be quick.”

He smirked. “Take your time. I’ve got all day. And I’d like to spend as much of it as I can with you.”

I blushed again, before turning on my heels and making my way to my room.

As soon as I closed my door behind me, I leaned against it, closing my eyes and shaking my head at myself. I was pathetic when it came to him. Losing myself in his sweet words. But I couldn’t help it. It was like he knew the exact words to weave into my soul, handcuffed to the spell he had cast.

And it was too sweet to give up.

All the twisted words from the morning washed away in his ocean riptide as I found comfort in his gleaming warmth.

I thought with this offer of a date that maybe things would change. Maybe this was the start of us veering onto the right track. In my delusions, I saw us walking hand in hand towards the sun and away from the rumbling storm.

I changed into a floral sundress with thin straps, slipped on some sandals, and detangled my hair from its mess on top of my hair, letting it fall down my back before I made my way back down to Reece. He sat at the breakfast bench in the kitchen, leaning over the top of it as he scrolled his phone. He looked up as I got to the last step, and he immediately pocketed his phone before standing and making his way to me, the left side of his lips tilting up. His palm slides over my hip, and instantly, my skin prickles under his touch, and I was leaning into him.

His eyes flick between mine before dropping down my body in a slow perusal and back up. The slow lift of his lips almost melted me to the spot, but his sturdy hand on my hip kept me upright and grounded.

“You look so beautiful in this dress,” he murmured, lifting his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “In anything really, but I really like this dress.”

It was like a zoo inside my stomach as I stared into his eyes and the crinkle in them, transfixed by the way he stared back at me. They softened and there was this light in them that carried nothing but sunshine and promises.

“Thank you,” I breathed back, caught up in the moment.

His lips twitched like he knew exactly what he was doing to me before he pulled back and held out his hand. “You ready?”

I placed my hand in his and nodded. “Always.”

We drove into the city, his hand resting on my thigh as he drove and snuck glances at me every now and then. I held his hand as I tried to pretend I didn’t notice, though it didn’t stop the grin from escaping on my lips.

He parked in a parking lot close to the ice cream shop, and we walked hand in hand through the streets, a lot busier than near home now that we were in the middle of the city. Even though we didn’t know a single person around, I couldn’t help feeling like he was showing people I was his. It was all I wanted, to feel like he wasn’t scared to hold my hand, or kiss me on busy streets and let everyone know we were together. It was a start, I guess.

We entered the little ice cream shop called Polar Express Creamery and the cool air conditioning hit my skin with relief. Even in our short walk, the sun had not given up its torment.

The shop was small and cute with a few tables and booths set along the wall opposite the counter showing the many flavours of ice cream. The interior was neutral and added a calming feel to the environment.

We browsed over the flavours before ordering our ice creams and taking a seat in one of the booths. Reece chose to sit next to me rather than opposite me, his thigh pressing into mine with how close he was, and I didn’t move away.

We offered each other tastes of our ice creams, almost feeding each other spoonfuls like a couple of sickly high schoolers in love with goofy grins on our faces. It was a real first-date type of vibe where everything was new and exciting.

“You know, every now and then it pops into my head that you got a matching tattoo with me, and I still can’t believe you did that.”

He beamed over at me. “You better believe it. It’s you and me, we’re attached now. Tattoos are for life, so you can’t escape me.”

I giggled before tilting my head from side to side. “I kind of like that idea.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, Reece. I could never handle losing you, remember.”

He leaned in, and I felt his lips curve into a smile as he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Me either, Kody.”

And it was true. After that nine months of silence, I felt like a puzzle piece I had been missing finally fit back into place when I ran into him at the airport. Things between us were different now, and I couldn’t imagine that changing.

“Have you talked to your mum since that internship?” he probed.

I shook my head as I took a bite of my ice cream to draw out my time to answer. “I don’t know whether that’s a good or bad thing. I guess it’s good she’s giving me the space I need. We’re meant to have lunch on Thursday.”

He nodded. “It sounds like it’s a step in the right direction.”

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