Page 38 of Swiped
He looked up at her. Round sapphire eyes, high cheekbones shadowed in a dashing hint of stubble, and a megawatt smile that practically made her see rainbows beaming around him.
“Nat,” he said.
“Yayyyyyyyy,” the hostess drawled as she dropped a thick menu onto the table with a loudthump.
Chapter 11
Rami sat on a blanket in Dolores Park, gazing at the lavender clouds that glowed with orange haloes in the early evening sky. He loved this idea for a date. Watching the sunset! How wholesome and environmentally conscious of them, and not at all boring or aggravating to his allergies!
Gemma approached him through the immaculate golden hour light, her long white skirt shining like an angel’s robes.
“There you are!” he said. “You’re, like, the third person with pink hair that I’ve waved to.”
She sat down and handed him one of two mason jars full of what looked to Rami like green sludge.
“And you brought . . .” he trailed off, peering into the dark concoction.
“Probiotic green super smoothies! My own recipe,” she said with a bright smile. “To say thanks for the kombucha the other night.”
Rami was genuinely touched. “Aww. Thank you!” he cried. But he hesitated as he brought the glass to his lips. “So, you just carried these here? On the bus? Open like this?”
Gemma held out her jar. “Yeah. Cheers!”
Rami wiped the rim of the jar with his shirt and took a sip. It tasted like sucking on a rusty nail and had the consistency of toothpaste.
Gemma dropped some crystals onto the blanket around them. “Do you like it?” she asked.
“Super good,” he croaked. He thought she’d been joking when she mentioned bringing her crystals for him. “What are we doing with the rocks again?”
“An energy cleansing.”
She pushed his shoulders and gestured for him to lie flat on the blanket. He gratefully put down the jar of vegetal goop and nestled against the cool ground. Gemma lit a sage smudge stick.
“No thanks,” said Rami. “Makes me paranoid.”
She giggled and shushed him. “No joking!” She waved the smudge stick at his feet. “Just try and surrender to the moment.”
Rami took a deep, fragrant breath. “Surrender . . .” he said, wondering what that should feel like, exactly. He closed his eyes. The fading sunlight made shadows flicker across his eyelids. He could sense Gemma moving the smudge stick over him, waving her hands inches away from his body. He liked that image. He felt her warmth leaning over his chest. Her long braids dragged up from his belly button. He liked that feeling.
Then, suddenly, she was on top of him.
“Whoa!” he cried, opening his eyes. She was straddling him, skirt hiked up around her thighs. The sunset lit her from behind, and all he could see were her sultry eyes and glistening lips as she leaned in. She pinned him to the ground with a deep, delicious kiss. Rami’s hands flew to her soft hips before he could stop himself. They were in public!
Gemma leaned back with a smug and satisfied expression. She put her hands on his chest.
“Wow,” he said. “Was that part of the cleansing?”
“No.” She winked and waved the smoking smudge over his head. “I just really wanted to.”
* * *
Nick held the door open for Nat as they left the tapas restaurant.
“Well,” he said in the no-nonsense tone of a father at a road trip rest stop. “We finally met.”
Nat willed herself to smile. “That was fun!” she said. “How long were we in there?”
He nodded with a polite chuckle. “A while.” He put his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels. “Well,” he nodded again, “that was good.”
