“That sounds divine actually.”
“Right? What else sounds divine to you?” he asks with his eyes locked onto mine.
“Ice cream. Always.”
“Favorite flavor?”
“Chocolate chip cookie dough.” I could eat it for breakfast if I could. “What about you?” I ask in return.
“Vanilla.”
“Vanilla!” I say in mock outrage. “With all the different flavor possibilities?”
“I’m a classic guy, what can I say?”
I hum with quiet acceptance.
The beach is quiet with only the random person here and there. The only light blasts from the lighthouse up the bay, with the occasional house lights on from nearby houses.
We take our time strolling along the beach and talking.
“Do you think we could make this work?” he asks, his face sincere.
“Dallas, I don’t know…” I trail off. “We are just so different.”
“Different, how?”
“You are all out of questions.” I shrug.
“I’m pretty sure I have one more,” he argues.
“Fine. One more.”
“Can I?” His fingers trail the bottom of my powder blue eye mask.
I swallow, then nod once.
My hands start to sweat as his fingers trend upward to lift the mask, but then—
Donnngggg.
The fog signal from the lighthouse down the shore sounds off, indicating that the clock struck midnight. I step back, and Dallas’ fingers drop down to his side.
“Everything okay?” he asks, but I’m already grabbing my shoes and slipping them back on my feet without clasping them.I tug off his jacket and toss it to him, then pull up my dress as I run backward on the sand, still facing him.
“I had a lovely time!” I yell as I run farther from him as fast as I can in the sunken sand.
His steps pick up, trying to match my speed, but luckily I’m still ahead.
“I must go!” How do I tell him that it’s not him, it’s me?
“Do you have a curfew or something?” His tone is perplexed.
“Something like that!”
“Wait, I need a bonus question,” he doesn’t wait for my response as he asks, “You’re an actual adult, right? You’re at least eighteen?”
I stumble over my feet as I hear his strained voice. “Of course!” I scream, hoping he’ll hear me through the waves and the distance.
