Page 62 of Unforgettable

Because it isn’t just about the touching. It isn’t about the kissing. It isn’t even about the sex.

It’s just Oz.

Oz the son. Oz the uncle. Oz the brother. Oz the friend. Oz the lover.

In a perfect world, he is the man I’d be proud to have on my arm. To call mine. To be his.

Pushing the unrealistic, yet wishful, thought away, I sigh and lean my head against his shoulder. “Thank you for bringing me here. It’s beautiful.”

“I don’t do it as much as I should, seeing that it’s so close.”

“Why did you bring me here?” I ask, knowing this isn’t really something “just friends” usually do.

I feel his body rise and fall underneath my head. “I’ve never been on a date before,” he admits. “I’ve never taken someone on one and nobody has ever taken me on one.”

Grateful he can’t see my face, I swallow hard and wait for him to continue. Because if I open my mouth, I’m going to reveal my deepest needs and wants and there will be no coming back from that.

For either of us.

“Never have I ever?” This time he’s asking me a question. Asking me permission to be honest.

I tilt my head up to look at him. “Always.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever feel this way about someone else or find another person who I would want to share something like this with.”

I rest back on his shoulder, not feeling courageous enough to look at him when I ask, “Like what?”

“Like a date.”

“And you feel that way about me?”

“I think we’re way past lying about our feelings for one another.” A small chuckle leaves my mouth, because he’s right, but I keep my head down while he continues talking. “I set this up thinking I wanted you to experience Vermont, but I was lying to myself.Iwanted to experience Vermont withyou. I wanted to go on a date. I wanted to do something I’d never done before.”

We’ve both lived lives that are both similar and yet very different, but I’ve never felt so in sync with someone as I do right now.

I get it. I get him.

And with the end looming, it’s obvious the lines are blurring, and I’m not the only one who’s stuck trying to do what’s right by myself as well as what’s right for him.

“You’re the only one I’ve wanted to do this for, or do this with,” he admits. “I hope you have a good day.”

I don’t tell him that being with him is the only thing I need for the day to be a success. Instead, I bury myself farther into his arms and sit with him in a contemplative silence as we watch the sunrise.

As the morning gets brighter, more and more people mill around the lake. Both the view and the calming nature are a huge attraction.

“Are you ready for what’s next?” Oz asks.

Standing up, I enthusiastically stretch my arms and legs, as if I’m warming up for a marathon. “What’s next?”

“I was thinking we could rent some bikes and do the bike trail around the lake?”

Ah fuck.

My face falls and Oz is immediately on his feet. “Bad idea?”

Nervously, I chew on the inside of my cheek. “I don’t know how to ride a bike.”

The smile on his face makes me think he thinks I’m joking, but when the silence lingers, he drops the smirk. “You’re serious?”

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