Pretty Hurts (Left 1.50)

“Then I’d be happy about it.” I trail my finger down the top of her hand. She shivers.

“Edgar? What are we doing?”

With me running the business and her working all over the place, we hadn’t been on many physical dates, but we talk daily. Its felt like courting long distance.

“What do you want us to be doing?” I reply.

“No, I asked you first,” she says, lifting the drink to her lips.

“Darling, I don’t think you’re ready to know what I’d like us to be doing right now.”

“And if I am?”

I growl quietly. “You’re playing with fire. I’m trying to be the gentleman you need me to be. I know what you’re going through right now.”

“But I don’t think about any of that when I’m with you.”

I rub her full bottom lip with my thumb. “I don’t want you to look back and regret this.”

She grabs my wrist. “I won’t. But I will regret if we don’t try.”

We’ve been dancing around this conversation for weeks.

“If we do this, I’m not holding back. I want to make you my girl. I’m going to be frank about that ’cause I plan on doing whatever it take to get us to that point. But you have to give me a fighting chance.”

“I will. I’m ready,” she says.

Cupping her face, I lean forward to brush my lips against hers. Her eyelids drift shut, and she leans in to me. I add pressure, turning the exploration into a light kiss. I see the waiter returning with our tray out of the corner of my eye, so I pull back. Her eyelids flutter open, and the glossy gaze convinces me now is the right time. I run my hand down her back and return to my space. Her days as a single woman are numbered.

***

She’s like a mermaid. Completely enchanted by the aquatic animals, she peers through the thick-paned glass windows with a wistful expression on her face. A sting ray skims the sand beside her face, and I grin. Maybe he’s caught up in her spell, too. I can’t blame him. I reach out and twine our fingers together, and she turns to me and gives my hand a gentle squeeze.

“What?”

“Just admiring the beauty,” I say.

She peers up at me from beneath long, lowered lashes and I admire her almost coyness. It’s a different side of the bold beauty I’ve come to know. She’s a complicated puzzle. Every piece I overturn comes together to create a whole picture. I like a good mystery, and I never minded having to work for what I wanted. It made me appreciate it more when I finally got it.

“Stop.”

“Speaking the truth,” I say with a shrug. I tug her hand. “Come on, let’s go watch them feed the stingrays. It’s one of my favorite things to do here.”

“Did you plan this whole day around that?”

“No, but I made sure we’d have time to do it,” I answer with a goofy grin.

“You’re adorable. Come on, let’s go see your stingrays.”

We make our way over to the stingray reef pool. It brings back family memories. We grab our food and line up with the others on the side of the tank. The stingrays know it’s time to eat. They swim up to the edge, accepting the offerings from our fingers.

“They’re so cute,” she coos.

“My nieces and nephews love to do this,” I say.

“You spend a lot of time with them?” she asks.

“I try. They’re good kids, and I try to let Mom and Dad get some time in alone every now and then.”