Page 44 of Adrift

There he is, coming around the corner. I couldn’t possibly miss the bright pink hair, or the shirt he’s wearing—almost the same colour.

“Hi!” Kieran calls out, fluttering his fingers as he speeds up his already quick walk to a trot.

“Hey.” I tuck my hands into my pockets, stepping up onto the road as I smile.

As he gets closer, it becomes obvious that his fuchsia pink shirt is soft and drapey—I think it’s silk. He’s paired it with tight black shorts and white high-tops.

Whoa. I thought my nerves would get better when I saw him—not worse. But Kieran looks stunning. Next to him, I’m suddenly regretting my choice of date night outfit: classic, crisp white button-up shirt and blue jeans.

“Hi,” Kieran says again as he stumbles to a halt, twisting his hands in front of himself as he sidles from foot to foot. His cheeks are flushed pink, and he sounds breathless.

I haven’t seen him like this before.

“Did you run the whole way?” I ask him, and when he sheepishly nods, I can’t help my grin. “Oh, jeez. Come on, let’s sit down,” I tell him, and then I offer him my arm. “You look gorgeous, by the way.”

“So do you. Who knew you clean up that nice?” Kieran teases me, slipping his hand around my bicep. I can feel the little shiver running down his spine, and the way he steps closer to me like he can’t help himself.

I swallow hard, pressing my other hand on top of his and walking him down the freshly-mown path.

“Oooh. This looks nice,” Kieran tells me.

“Thanks.” It doesn’t end there, though. We step off the path that leads between the road and the beach, and I lead him down another mown path all the way to the furthest corner of the orchard.

Kieran stumbles to a halt and stares, and I swallow nervously as I wait for his reaction.

Is it too much? God, I hope not.

I know how much Kieran wants to see the world, and I couldn’t bear it if I finally put my heart on the line only for him to drift away. So I can’t waste any time blowing him away—or straight into my port.

So to speak.

So, at the end of this newly-made path, I mowed a neat circle like a green carpet. Then I picked wildflowers and scattered thepetals across the picnic blanket in the middle. I lit candles and put them around the edges—with buckets of water hidden in the long grass nearby for safety, of course—and set up my camp stove to cook dinner.

The rest of our provisions are in a picnic basket I borrowed from Berty and Doug: a second blanket to wrap around our shoulders, a couple of bottles of wine I’ve just finished chilling in the ocean, and snacks.

“I…” Kieran trails off, and he finally turns to stare at me. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Is it too much? Or not enough…?” I ask.

Kieran slides both of his soft hands into mine and smiles at me like he’s completely baffled. “Neither. It’s great. Come on, let’s go!”

I can’t help a laugh as Kieran trots off for the picnic blanket. He tows me along behind him by both my hands until we get there. Then he grins and lets go, pirouetting into a seated position on the blanket.

And he doesn’t even trip over a single candle, to my immense relief.

“Okay,” I breathe out, settling cross-legged onto the blanket. “Food. Let’s see. I made a frittata, and there’s also a salad. And potato chips. And wine, of course…”

“Let’s start with the wine,” Kieran grins at me. He’s glowing like I’ve never seen him before, but he’s still got that sweet little shy air about him as I pour us both glasses. “Seriously, though. This is incredible. Thank you, Gage.”

Phew.

Relief makes my shoulders sink as I hand over his glass. “I’m really glad you like it.” I lick my lips and hold up my glass. “So… here’s to us, huh?”

Kieran tilts his head, squinting up at me, and then he smiles and clinks his glass. “To us,” he says, and he takes a nice long sip. “Mmm. This is nice.”

“Mmhmm.” I take a few more sips myself, swirling the glass around and smiling as I finally get to enjoy the beautiful evening atmosphere. We can just about glimpse the ocean through the trees, but the beach is hidden behind the rocks.

“You pulled this off pretty quickly, considering you weren’t even planning on asking me out.”

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