Page 91 of Sunsets & Slow Dances

When he heard my request, his eyes doubled, growing to half-dollars.

“You can use two hands,” I offered.

He looked at his mom, and she nodded in encouragement.

He looked back at me, still seeming unsure. I was just about to tell him not to worry about it when Nadia bent down and whispered something in his ear. Eric giggled and immediately agreed, “Okay.”

“Hey,” I protested playfully. “No secrets.”

“It wasn’t a secret,” Nadia explained. “It was a strategy. Right, Eric?”

Eric nodded his head emphatically. Nadia lifted her hand, and he gave her a high five.

Moments ago, this kid had been starstruck from meeting his ‘hero,’ me, and now he was totally enamored by Nadia. That was the effect she had on people. When she walked into a room, everyone was drawn to her, regardless of their age. When she spoke to you, it was like the sun was shining on you. When she loved you, you were the luckiest person in the entire world.

I still didn’t know how I managed to fuck things up with us, but I knew it had to be my fault. I shouldn’t have moved to Arizona. That was the only thing I could think of that could have been the final straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. If we hadn’t been long-distance, I don’t think we would have ever broken up, not for real, anyway. I’m sure we still would have“broken up.” At least until we matured or went to therapy, but I don’t think we would have really ended for good if I’d stayed back East. I was selfish. I thought I could have my career and my relationship with Nadia. I took for granted that she’d always be there for me. I was wrong.

“Alright, let’s do this.” I shook off those melancholy thoughts and put on a happy face for my young fan. We sat down at one of the small bistro-style tables that lined the pier.

“I’m keeping my eyes on you two,” I teased as I glared at Nadia and Eric.

Eric and I placed our elbows on the table. He gripped my hand with both of his, and we stared into each other’s eyes. Both Nadia and Eric’s mom held their cameras up, and Nadia counted us down. When she said one, Eric strained, and I pretended to try and resist him for about fifteen seconds before being defeated as Nadia snapped pictures.

After he won, Nadia and his mom cheered wildly, and we said goodbye to them. We began heading back down the pier in search of the other items on our list.

“What did you say to Eric?” I asked.

“I can’t disclose your opponent’s strategies.”

“You’re onmyteam,” I reminded her.

“Ah! Z!” She pointed to a nasty clear baggie with a half-eaten sandwich beside a trash can and snapped a photo. “Ziplock bag. Mark off something that starts with Z.”

I did as instructed and also put an X next to arm wrestle someone. I had no clue how the other teams were doing, but we were flying through these, and we’d even stopped long enough to grab cotton candy and a pretzel, which was a tradition of ours every night we were at the pier. If we were here during the day, we would get a snow cone and roasted peanuts.

“What do we have left?” she asked.

“We just have to find one more heart-shaped thing.”

“Seriously?!” She grabbed the list, and I couldn’t help but take the opportunity to study her profile as she studied it. She was so fucking beautiful.

She handed the list back to me with even more determination. As I followed behind her, all I could think about was all the years we’d wasted being apart. Being back here, on this pier with her, made everything else in my life, except Matty, just feel like filler. Even my career.

“Are you looking?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder.

“Yep.” I was looking at something heart-shaped; I just didn’t think her ass would count.

“Look!” She bent down, and I had to suppress a moan.

The hem of her skirt lifted, revealing her creamy thighs. I wanted so badly to run my hands up them and find out what underwear she was wearing. Or if she was wearing any at all. I’m sure she was. I think her not wearing underwear was more of a fantasy thing than a reality thing.

Her face was beaming as she spun around, holding a seashell in the shape of a heart. “This is a good one.”

“It is,” I agreed.

“Done!” she exclaimed as she pressed send. The expression of pure joy did something to me. It cracked something open in me that had been closed off for a long time. “We did it!”

“You did it,” I conceded.

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