Page 78 of Summer Ever After
“Oh, yeah,” I answer casually. “I must’ve been really annoying for you to break down and buy the CD for me.”
“I wasn’t annoyed. I just wanted to do something nice for you.”
Nice gestures don’t equal love. I have to keep reminding myself of that.
“But I have always wondered…” He faces me, lying on his side with his head propped on his hand. “Why do you love this song so much?”
“It’s stupid.”
His smile deepens. “Now I have to know.”
I shift my head so I’m looking at the stars,notWalker. “I just always thought it was the perfect song to accompany a dramatic declaration-of-love moment.” I steal a glance at him. “You know, the kind you see in the movies? The grand-gesture moment.”
“Okay.” His smile holds as he watches me.
“I don’t know.” I shrug, looking away. “I just like how the music swells and builds until the desperate vocals on the chorus. It sets up the perfect ending scene in my mind.”
“Describe it to me.”
“No, it’s embarrassing.”
He pushes my shoulder. “Describe it to me.”
The beat drops at my favorite part, and I sit up. “Okay, right here. Can’t you just imagine a man running through the streets to get to the woman he loves?”
“Why is he running?”
“Because he’s desperate for her, and that’s just what you do in a grand gesture.”
“Or maybe she’s about to get on a train and leave him forever, so he has to run to get there before she goes.”
I can’t help the goofy smile Walker’s suggestion draws out of me. “Even better.” He nods for me to continue. “So he’s running through the streets, trying to get to her before she climbs on the train. And it’s raining.” I shoot him a smirk. “It’s always raining in the best grand gestures.”
“Why?”
“It just adds to the drama of the moment.”
“I can see that,” he says in appreciation. “And what happens when he gets to her?”
I smile, sighing a little as I picture the moment in my head and how it matches the song. “He doesn’t say anything, just pulls her body to him and kisses her.”
“That takes some serious balls to just pull her in for a kiss without saying anything.”
“He doesn’t need to say anything. The kiss says it all. The fact that he came back for her says it all. That’s the romance behind it. They both know what the kiss means. They both understand that whatever is keeping them apart doesn’t matter anymore. They just want to be together. Words or a big explanation aren’t needed.”
“Then what happens next?”
“They live happily ever after.”
“Wow.” He lets it all sink in as the song winds down. “I feel emotionally wrecked from that fictional moment.”
“Right?” I don’t even bother hiding my excitement. “It’s the best!”
“I mean, it works for a book or a movie. But I would hate something like that in real life.”
“Why?” My enthusiasm drops with my shoulders.
“I told you. I’m kind of a private guy. I’m not big on grand gestures in front of people I don’t know. The last thing I’d want is a public display of affection with so many strangers watching. It gives me second-hand embarrassment just thinking about it.”
