AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Thanks,” I said tightly. In a different world, or at least a different spot in this world, I would be proud to touch Knox, share his food, bump shoulders sitting side-by-side, walk back to the house together holding hands. The need to touch him was palpable, and knowing I couldn’t was almost a physical pain.
“It’s okay.” Knox sighed, then smiled at a group of young girls practicing a cheer. The line for ice cream snaked around the small building, and clumps of people waiting greeted new arrivals to the line with smiles and waves. “The people-watching is almost worth being unable to touch you.”
“People-watching?” I didn’t agree. The only thing better than touching Knox was touching Knox naked. “You mean the tourists?”
“Better watch it, or you’ll sound like a longtime resident.” Shaking his head, Knox gave an easy laugh. “And it’s easy to see why tourists on their way to the coast love it here. Eighties nostalgia over that one movie filmed here, historic homes, and best ice cream on the planet.”
“You’re cute happy.” I wasn’t sure I agreed with Knox that this was the best small town ever, but I sure did love the sound of his laugh, the dimples almost obscured by his jaw scruff, the bounce of his messy ponytail, the curls escaping around his temples. God. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about him.
“Hey, what’s not to be happy about?” Knox beamed. The sun was starting to set, pinks and oranges streaking the blue sky, but the sun inside Knox never dimmed. It wasn’t that he never had bad days or got moody, but even at his most melancholy, he still glowed with an indescribable inner energy. “I love summer nights in Safe Harbor. Pizza. Ice Cream. Sounds of kids playing. Hard to beat that.”
“You’re an easy date,” I said without thinking. This wasn’t a date, couldn’t be a date, yet damn, how I wanted it to be one.
“Ha. Lucky for you, I’m also an easy roommate.” The truly lucky thing was Knox not picking up on how badly I wanted to date him for real. Roommates. We were roommates. Friends sharing an after-dinner treat, nothing more. “And I can’t say as I’ve ever done that.”
“Gone out on a date?” I shot him a critical look.
“Not really. I never did any activities in college that had formal dances or dinners, and sure, I went to prom with a dude, but it was more as just friends because he’d recently broken up with someone.”
“Rebound.” I rolled my eyes at him. Someone needed to take him on a real date. Dinner, a nice shirt, strolling hand-in-hand, snuggling at a show—I had to work hard to not sigh longingly.
“Yep. I’m predictable.”
“What if someone asked you out? What would be your ideal?” Clearly, I was a glutton for punishment, going down this line of thinking, but I wanted to know more than I wanted to finish my double scoop.
“Hmm. Like you said, I’m easy. And you’ve probably been on way more dates. You tell me. What’s good?”
“You’d be surprised. Not many here either.” I pursed my mouth, thinking. Various wedding dates. A charitable function or two. A couple of sporting events. Lord, Knox and I were quite the pair.
“A second date.” Knox gave a sharp nod.
“I’m trying to follow you, but I’m confused.”
“My ideal date would be one where I know there’s a second date coming. Like no first-date jitters, no one-night-stand vibes, just…comfortable. I guess that what we do isn’t as important to me as how I feel.” He bit his lower lip, staring off into the dusk. I could give him that, a date that didn’t feel like a first date, one that guaranteed other dates. We were already that comfortable. But not in Safe Harbor. No way could I date him here.
“You want to feel special,” I said softly because as comfortable as we were around each other, I wanted to make him feel special. Treasured. Not taken for granted. And not merely desired for sex or escape either, but valued for himself, for being Knox.
“Yeah.”
“You deserve that.” Now it was my turn to look away. There had to be a way. Weekend in Seattle? Portland might be too close, but maybe Seattle. I mentally reviewed what I knew about our schedules. Too bad I had an upcoming trip for a friend’s wedding.
Wait. Maybe…I opened my mouth to share my brainstorm with Knox, but he was already chortling.
“And I deserve the leftover pizza when we get back.”
“You’re a bottomless pit.” I chuckled fondly. My big idea could wait.
“You’re the one who keeps giving me reasons to work up an appetite.” He waggled his eyebrows at me.
“Not gonna complain there.”
“Yep. Gotta squeeze in all the sexy times while we can.”
We did. Much as I didn’t want to think about summer ending, we were already in the middle of the season, with hot weather, ripe fruit, and a ticking clock. We did need to squeeze in every moment we could, and I was for damn sure going to make one of those moments an actual date.
