Page 50 of Reaching Gavin

Chapter Eighteen

I didn’t remember fallingasleep. I woke to the sound of Gavin softly snoring behind me. It was twilight outside, far too early to fall asleep for the night. But I couldn’t bring myself to wake him. Instead, I lingered in his embrace for a moment before realizing that I really needed to go to the bathroom. I wiggled out from his arms, which were quite heavy when he was unconscious.

The girl in the mirror was glowing and rosy-cheeked. My dark hair had a wild, tousled style that I could never replicate with every product in the world. This was a look that only getting laid could achieve.

“Fancy meeting you here.” I said to myself. It had been a long time since that face had greeted me. Too long and somehow just long enough. No other man could have put that smile on my face.

I tiptoed out of the bathroom and found Gavin’s T-shirt on the floor. It was just long enough to cover my booty, and since I didn’t really know how close any neighboring houses might be, I decided it was best to cover up before I explored. I needed a glass of water and a moment to commit every detail of what had just happened to memory. I grabbed one of the water bottles from the nightstand and snuck out of the bedroom. In the kitchen I found a glass and filled it with ice before dumping the now tepid water in, then I began to wander.

Outside the living space, there was a large patio and another cobblestone path leading off in the direction of Gavin’s room. I wandered down it aimlessly, struck by the rosy hues of twilight over San Juan Island, one of the most beautiful places I’d ever seen the sun set. The path led to a small garden that sat directly under the balcony of Gavin’s bedroom. Like most foliage in this area, it hadn’t been tended to in a while and didn’t really need to be. Wild flowers grew recklessly, unconcerned with whether they were wanted or not, but there was a small sitting area and two Adirondack chairs where I sat down and watched the sun began its descent over the water.

This was the most beautiful place in the world. Calm and lush and richly colored. My infatuation with this place might have had something to do with the company I was keeping. I really had it bad if I was getting poetic.

The real poetry existed in the memories we had just made though.

I recalled how his lips had felt on my body, how his hand moved between my legs, how we found our bliss together. The connection was undeniable, and I could see it in his eyes, too.

Why had I ever thought I’d been in love before? The thought rocked through me. Because if I hadn’t been in love before, could I be in love now? It didn’t seem possible. It didn’t seem rational. But admitting it to myself felt right. A deep peace settled over me and I knew.

I loved Gavin North. I loved him beyond reason or expectation. I should have felt scared—to lose him, to move too fast—but I didn’t. I couldn’t.

It was just right.

Overhead I heard doors swing open and Gavin came out on the balcony. “There you are,” he called down, “I thought you’d finally gotten what you wanted out of me and left.”

“You think that’s all I’ve come for?” If so, he had another thing coming. How many positions were in the Kama Sutra? We might have to give up sleep if we stood a chance at satisfying me.

“Are you hungry?”

I remembered with a start that we had promised to go to his friend Thomas’s restaurant. It was a good thing that I was famished. I nodded and popped onto my feet. “I’ll be right up to get dressed.”

“Those are the saddest words ever spoken,” he said, shaking his head as he made his way back into the bedroom.

It turned out getting dressed was a lot harder in Gavin’s presence. Mostly, because neither of us wanted to be dressed when we were around each other. But, he gave in and finally let me throw my sundress over my head when my stomach growled so loudly that he heard it over my moaning.

The walk downhill was much easier, but I still stuck to a pair of flat, strappy sandals with extra cushioning. We walked hand-in-hand toward the twinkling lights of downtown. The sun hadn’t faded entirely, but the dusky pink was gradually settling into violet as the moon began her appearance. Summer was my favorite season, because day and night seemed to dance with one another, and I had never experienced a more beautiful summer night than this one. It was amazing to think that a place like this existed on earth—quiet and magical.

Downtown was still full of life though, and the Weekend Café was packed. Clearly, Friday Harbor wasn’t hurting for tourism. But we were ushered into a quiet corner of the restaurant as soon as we arrived. A few tourists shot us dirty looks, and I smiled sheepishly as we were led to our table. I did feel bad about it, but I needed sustenance after my afternoon shag. The restaurant was charmingly simple with rustic wood floors and a large stone fireplace on the far wall. Its most stunning feature, however, was its waterfront location. Gavin ordered a bottle of wine and the waiter disappeared to bring it.

“They didn’t bring us menus,” I said, looking around as if one might appear on the table.

“Thomas would never hear of that,” Gavin explained. “He’ll bring us something delicious. Probably too many delicious things.”

“Then we’ll have something to work off,” I said coyly. I grabbed my napkin and placed it over my lap.

Gavin took my hand and brought it to his lips. “Earlier was amazing.”

I bit my lip, unsure what to say. Amazing wasn’t quite the right word for it.

Spectacular.

Life-changing.

Earth-shattering.

All of those it seems apply. I was saved from falling victim to hyperbole by the appearance of Thomas.

Thomas was thinner than I might have expected from someone who loved food, tall and reedy with graying hair and a perfectly-lined face. At the moment, he looked tired but happy, just what I would expect from a chef coming off the evening rush. Wiping his hands on his apron, he grabbed a chair, spun it around and sat down. “Any allergies I should know about?”