“Tina.”
I take the napkin from her, scrawl my name across it, ending with afor Tinaand a small heart at the end, then hand it back. “For you, Tina.”
She’s crying now, smiling through it. “Oh my god, thank you so much.” She sighs, wiping her face, and hurries back to her table. The whole group explodes into muffled squeals.
Kasia watches, something thoughtful in her expression. “You really just made her entirelife. By signinga napkin.”
I stir my coffee. “Reminds me what it’s all for on the harder days. ”
She leans back, studying me. “You forget sometimes?”
“Sometimes,” I admit.
Her voice softens. “Then I guess it’s good we came.”
I smile. “Guess it is.”
Back at the cabin it’s peaceful. She’s sitting on the arm of the couch, scrolling idly through the comments one more time before setting the phone down. I'm nervously playing keys on the piano, in random patterns that make enough sense to pretend I'm not just watching her. The light’s shifted, warmer now, slower, sliding across the floor like it’s running out of places to go. Neither of us talks, afraid to say what we know needs to be said. I could almost believe the world stopped caring the moment she stopped looking at the screen.
Then she sighs and stands. “I should head home. Charts to finish, laundry, real life things.”
The words hit harder than they should. My brain starts tallying the distance between here and her door.
I try to play it cool. “Real life? Soundsextremelyoverrated.”
“It’s also messy and Idesperatelyneed a shower,”
My mind trips over itself, water, steam, the glide of her skin, the sound she’d make if I—I catch myself.Focus, Ashton.
She’s still talking, listing her errands: groceries, maybe sleep if she’s lucky. I rejoin the conversation halfway through as she says, “—and I haven’t even managed to brush my teeth properly. I feel disgusting.”
“Right. Spare toothbrushes,” I say, like that’s a normal response.
She laughs. “Yes, buy some.”
“On it.” I push off the piano, try to keep it light. “Didn’t plan on having many guests, as you can tell.”
Her smile falters, a half-second where the color drains from the room. She’s already leaving even though she hasn’t moved.
I take a step closer. “You could stay.”
“Rafe…”
“I’m just saying, it’s a long ride and there's a shower here.”
“Any shampoo or conditioner? Body wash?” She levels a look at me.
“I mean...” I try to pretend I'm not aware there's nothing here.
“Nice try.” She looks down, then back up, coy. “You’ve got more time in Seattle, right? Then you’ll just have to ask me on another date.”
The smile that comes with it hits like sunlight after a long tunnel. She steps in, hands on my chest, and kisses me once. Enough to restart my pulse. Enough to ruin any good intention I have about letting her go. When she pulls back, her voice is soft. “Come on, give me a ride home before I change my mind.”
I start to argue, but my phone buzzes on the table. The screen lights up: Stefan
I groan. “Perfect timing.”
She laughs, already heading for the door. “Answer it. You know you have to.”
