“No!” He sighs, exasperated, and I grin.
He notices.
“Wait, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? Being bratty?”
I shrug. “Maybe.”
“Nessa…” he warns.
I giggle, skipping away to look at more fish. He groans from behind me, and I know it’s not because he’s annoyed. No, he’s turned on, and I am too. To be fair, I don’t think I’ve stopped being turned on since we finally accepted this. I can’t believe how freeing it is to just be together now. We don’t have to hide. We don’t have to lie. We just get to beus.
I like us. I like us so much that I grab Gavin by the shirt and drag him down to me, kissing him hard and fast. He returns it with the same fervor, his hands roaming all over me, tugging me closer.
A throat clears, and we break away. The guy behind the counter flips the sign fromOpentoClosed, then narrows his eyes once again. We laugh and keep browsing.
Then I see him. Or her. I have no idea.
“This one!” I press my face to the glass like a kid looking into a toy store. “This is the one.”
“That’s a goldfish.”
“I know. It looks just like Sir Fishsticks the Fourth.”
Gavin frowns. “Goldfish are freshwater. We’re looking for saltwater.”
“But…” I look at the little thing in the water, already half in love with it. “But…”
He sighs. “Are you sure this is the one you want?”
“Yes, I love him.”
“It’s a girl.”
“What? How can you even tell, fish nerd?”
He ignores the jab and points at my new friend. “Look at her shape, for one. And her vent is protruding instead of being an innie.”
“I have no idea what that is, but I’ll believe you, and I’ll take her. She’s perfect.”
“Then we’ll get another tank.”
“Really?” I throw my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly, inhaling the cinnamon I love so much. “I love you, I love you, I love you, fish nerd!”
“I love you too.Clearly.” He laughs as he squeezes me back. “Now, come on before this kid blows a fuse or something.”
The associate checks us out, not looking up a single time, and by the time we make it out of the store, fish in hand, we’re laughing like fools.
“Oh my god, hehatedus,” I say.
“He hatedme, he loved you.”
“He did not! Did you see the way he grimaced when I told him that joke?”
“Because the punchline was artifishal coloring.”
“That was hilarious! And clever!” I argue as he opens the door to his SUV and helps me inside.
“So,” he asks, “what are you going to name her?”
