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"It would have been nice if he'd given us a head's up. He ditched Emily. Luckily, Jon's friend Roy had already contacted her to hang out. He was more than happy to a last-minute fill in for the open mic."
"I'll apologize to her tomorrow," I say without thinking.
"I thought we talked about that. No more apologizing for your brother's behavior. He'll never become a man if you and Hailey continue to baby him."
She gives advice I've heard a hundred times from others.
"That's why I like you so much. You've shown the ability to learn." She slips her hands into mine and leads me up the narrow stairway to the back deck of the boat. It's a twenty-five-foot motorized sailboat with a staff. I have no clue how much it costs. She pulls me past the table where we had devoured a private chef-prepared dinner an hour ago. The table's been reset and is now stocked with after-dinner treats and a stainless-steel bucket filled with ice and champagne.
I can't believe I'm here. A year ago, I was rubbing two nickels together, trying to help pay the mortgage on the family house. Now, my sister is in the penthouse of a fancy Paris hotel, and I'm on a boat that costs more than our family home with a private chef and making out with an artist I've followed on Instagram.
Ariel slips sideways on the love seat, facing the dark ocean. It's a clear evening, and the stars in the sky provide enough light to make it feel like we're the only two people in the world. "The fireworks will start in a few minutes," she says, pointing to the sky.
I lean over and swipe a tendril of her dark hair from her face. "That gives us just enough time for this." I press my lips to hers and float away. From the time we left the studio, Ariel and I have shared quick stolen kisses in public, in the back of the Uber, in front of the boat crew. This is the first time we've been alone all evening.
Her thoughts must match mine as she climbs on my lap, lips remaining locked. I squeeze her hips just as she rocks. Her rhythm matches that of the boat. Panted breaths fill my ear as we separate and inhale the salty air. The stars twinkle in her eyes, and I feel a warmth in my chest I've never felt in my life.
"You are so beautiful. So amazing." She cuts off my words with kisses. A half-dozen rapid fire kisses that ignite the spark I carry. I rise, lifting her, and then lay her gently across the couch. Her hands frame my face, and I stare into my future.
"I want…" My voice fills with a desire I barely recognize. I want her, all of her. I feel it in my heart, in my soul. Dare I say these words? This early? "I want…" I pause again. Nice guys don't. That's what my head screams at me. Tonight is the closest to a formal date we've been on. In many ways, a first date. Nice guys don't… not on a first date. Years of conditioning battle the desire I feel in my bones.
"Hey." Ariel squeezes my face, steel in her voice and a look of determination in her eyes. Her eyelashes flicker, and a softness appears in those gorgeous eyes. "I want it too, Adam." Her grip loosens, her index finger trailing along my chin. "If I'm being honest, it scares me how much I do."
I don't believe my ears. Ariel, kickass goddess of the stage, fear nothing and no man, is frightened? I press my hand onto the couch next to her head and push up. She rises but not before peppering a soft kiss on my cheek.
"You're different from any man I've gone out with before." She confirms what I've always suspected. I bury the dark initial thought that bubbles to the front of my head, a nobody.
"You're kind, you're thoughtful, you're quiet." My insecurities pour over the tiny defensive wall I've hastily constructed to protect what little ego I have. I brace for the worst. This list is familiar. It's the one every girl recites right before they place me in the friend zone. "You calm me like no one ever has."
"And that's a good thing?"
Her hand is back on my face. Another soft kiss. "A very good thing. I've always seen you, Adam. Even back in Boston. But this week, I've gotten the privilege of seeing all of you. Let's just say you've got a fan for life."
"Life?" I whisper the dangerous word. A word no couple should whisper after one date.
She plucks the end of my nose and smiles with a joy I've yet to earn. "I'm not saying I'm going to tell the captain to set sail to a deserted island and whisk you away forever, but there's something here." She places her hand on her heart. "And that's what scares me. In a good way."
"The best way."
"When you say I want… so do I. I want. For the first time outside of my music, I have a want. And that want is you."
My knee bounces as I process her words. A hundred thoughts fill my head. It's like searching for the right beat for a song. The perfect word for a lyric. You have to dig through hundreds of possibilities, try each one on for fit, and toss them away until you find the perfect nugget.
"If you don't say something, I might just leap off the back of the boat right now. I know your kind heart is searching for the right words. You don't have to search, Adam. Forget about kindness and tell me the truth. Your truth will always be wrapped in kindness. That's who you are, and it's a beautiful thing. Say something, say anything." She snickers when she realizes what she's just said. Say Anything.
The name of the movie is from my grand gesture. Two words which I know will monopolize our relationship from this day forward.
I open my mouth and let every thought pour out. "I want you, Ariel. All of you. I want you by my side, in my arms, in my life. I want to hold your hand. I want to squeeze your thigh. I want to kiss you from moonlight to sunrise. I want your tomorrows and the day after that. I want you, Ariel, but more importantly, I want an us."
My lips are back on hers as she climbs back onto my lap. Gone is the gentleness; gone is the respectful tentativeness we both carried. Hand on her rear, I rise, and she wraps her legs around me. We're sloppy kisses and needy pants. I fight to maintain my balance as the boat rocks and the sky lights up above us.
Fireworks.
Red, white, and blue lights illuminate Ariel. Even with wild, windblown hair and lips swollen from our kisses, she's the most beautiful person in the world. My chest pounds louder than the fireworks in the sky.
Twenty-four hours ago, I lived a moment on the beach when I shared a first kiss with Ariel I thought would never be topped. Here I am, a day later with a Hollywood memory that's too good to believe. If every night is going to be like this with her, sign me up—for life.
Yes, I said it. For life.
