Ronin busies himself starting a fire, and my eyes are drawn to him, watching him work. His hair has been cut recently, its ends barely poking out of the bottom of the soft gray beanie he pulls over his head. He’s wearing his glasses for the first time that I can remember since I came back to Blue Fields. The sight of them makes the butterfly residents of my stomach emerge, fluttering to life. I’m filled with a sudden wave of nostalgia.
Ronin in his glasses across the table from me, playingMagic.
Ronin in his glasses, leaning down to kiss me in his grandparent’s basement.
Ronin in his glasses, telling me that he loves me.
I shake myself out of that headspace, focusing once more on Ronin now. He’s dressed in black sweatpants and a dark navy hoodie, and he looks so cozy that I find myself yearning to be wrapped up in his warm arms instead of the blanket enveloping me.
Brooklyn offers me a hard seltzer and I thank her, popping the top open. The refreshing taste hits my tastebuds as I take a sip.
Once the fire is started, Ronin takes a seat to my right, settling into his chair with a contented sigh. I offer him a beer, and his fingers brush mine as he grasps the bottle. A tingle starting at my fingertips shoots up my arm, causing me to shiver involuntarily. His eyes stay locked to mine as hebrings the bottle to his mouth, taking a sip. My pulse throbs; I can feel my heart in my throat.
What is with me and this man with beer bottles?
A peal of laughter sounds loudly causing me to jump. Cat giggles on Evan’s back as he runs circles around the clearing like a little kid.
He dumps her gently into a chair across the fire, and plops into the chair next to her, scooting it closer so they can hold hands.
“So,” Bree starts, tucking her legs under her petite frame. “Shall we play a drinking game to get this party started?”
Everyone agrees, so she starts, “Never have I ever…been arrested!” She glances around eagerly to see if any of us drink.
Crickets.
“Wow, we’re off to an exciting start,” I quip, laughing.
We go around the circle, each of us sharing a fact of something we haven’t done. If we have done it, we have to take a drink. Our answers range from the innocent to the spicy, and we are all in tears laughing at one point or another.
Bree and I drink to dying our hair. Ronin, Bree, and I drink to being the ones responsible for detergent in the town fountain. Evan and Cat drink to hooking up in a bar bathroom, and I groan while everyone else laughs.
“TMI!” I screech, covering my ears as Evan almost falls out of his chair, cracking up.
The evening passes, full of laughter and good food. Ronin grills hot dogs over the fire for supper, and we all roast marshmallows for dessert as the sun slips behind the trees. After a while, the two couples break off and head to their respective tents, turning in for the night. Before I realize it, Ronin and I are the only ones left sitting around the dwindling fire.
I steal a glance at him in my peripheral. The small, dancing flames play across his face in the dim light. Shadows flicker around him and I find myself entranced as he lifts his beer to his lips.
He catches my eye and I flush at being caught staring. I clear my throat, sipping my drink for something to do.
“So,” Ronin breaks the silence, drawing out the word. “How are you doing, Mel?”
I tilt my head back, drinking in the stars in the inky sky above us. “I’ve been fine,” I reply. “Went wedding dress shopping with Cat last week. Turns out orange really isn’t my color.”
Ronin chuckles.
“Otherwise, mostly just working on my story.”
“And how is our favorite fated couple faring?” he inquires.
“They’re great…hypothetically. I haven’t gotten many words on the actual page yet. I’m struggling a little bit with where to start.”
I turn to him, and he gives me an encouraging smile.
“I know you’ll figure it out, Mel,” he says. “You’re the smartest person I know.”
I laugh. “Oh, I doubt that, but thank you.”
“I’m serious,” Ronin contends, his voice lowering. “You’re an amazing woman, Mel. I think you can do anything you set your mind to, and kick ass while doing it.” He pauses, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “Don’t you already know? I’m your biggest fan.”
