Page 51 of A Summer Mismatch
“Remember that day we met in the gas station?”
“Pretty unforgettable,” she said dryly.
It had been, in more ways than one. He shifted to bring himself just a tiny bit closer to her. “It was one year to the day from when my mom died, and I didn’t think there was any way I could smile again. Then I saw you, and it was like a light turning on.” His chest seemed to open up as the words poured from him. “She died in a car crash on her way home from a doctor’s appointment. It was an accident. A devastating accident.”
Her hand squeezed his, and he placed his other hand over their clasped fingers.
“Sometimes, even now, it doesn’t feel like she’s really gone. Like my brain just can’t process it completely. And I guess with my sister’s husband leaving, and Adia getting sick, it’s all…” His voice drifted off, and when he looked at her, he knew she’d see the pain in his eyes, and he didn’t care. He didn’t want to hide it from Julia. “I don’t want to lose anyone else I love,” he said, his voice raspy.
She slid her arms around his waist in a tight hug. Her face pressed into his neck, and he tucked her closer to him.
“I don’t know the right words to say.”
“There are no right words.” He closed his eyes and inhaled her fresh vanilla scent.
“I wish I could fix this for you.” She pulled back from the hug, but linked her arm with his and rested her head against his shoulder. He dropped a gentle kiss on the top of her head, then rested his cheek against her hair, already feeling lighter just by sharing his fears with someone.
Her fingers trailed a fire-lit pathway over his arm as they watched the waves curl over one another in a natural dance. Sand coated his hand where he gripped the weather-beaten wooden edge, and he focused on settling into the moment. Of letting go of his fear of loss.
All around them was quiet, the beach mostly empty for a weeknight as people went home to eat dinner and get ready for bed. The sun had nearly set, and the soft lighting gave the entire beach a sense of otherworldliness.
The tightness in his chest loosened, and he turned to Julia. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You were here, and that’s enough.”
It was nice to be with Julia. To be with someone who allowed him time to settle into his feelings, with whom he didn’t have to pretend to be happy, but at the same time not feel guilty that he was feeling happy. Like two separate emotions existed within him at the same time. Grief and contentment.
It seemed impossible.
But it also seemed impossible that he’d be lucky enough to meet someone like Julia.
He caught one of the tendrils of her hair twisting in the wind, and her eyes met his, full of awareness.
He moved slowly. So slowly, she’d have plenty of time to make an excuse and run as far away as she could. But she didn’t. Her eyes fluttered shut, and when his lips pressed against hers, the entire world shifted.
They were still on the beach, the waves still gently rocked the pier, the warm, setting sun still glowed on their skin, but they were also in a space of their own, where only he and Julia existed. She shifted toward him, and he groaned in pleasure as her hand reached up to grip the back of his head and pull him closer.
He brought his arms around her waist, wishing they weren’t on this pier, that they weren’t sitting, that they could kiss like this forever.
Their kisses slowed, and she pulled back, but pressed her forehead to his while they caught their breaths.
He tenderly touched her cheek as they stared at one another, their chests rapidly rising and falling, Logan wondering if his face was as pink as Julia’s, because it felt like his entire body was on fire.
“I’m sorry,” Julia spluttered. “I didn’t mean to kiss you. I was trying to comfort you.”
He felt his eyes sparkle. “I feel comforted.”
She laughed abruptly, and her bright red blush softened to pink.
“In fact“—he stretched his arms out, relaxed in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time—”I’d take that kind of comforting any day of the week.”
She pulled her lips in to hide a smile, making him want to capture them for another kiss.
“Besides, I’m the one who kissed you,” he reminded her.
“And I’m the one who grabbed the back of your head and wouldn’t let you go.”
