Page 67 of Next Time We'll Fall

And I asked her if she wanted to dance.

She looked surprised because I wasn’t much of a dancer, but it was her birthday, and I wanted to make her happy.

Something inside of me just wanted to give her a moment.

And so I grabbed her hand, and we danced under the moonlight. It felt like forever, but it couldn’t have been more than a couple of minutes. Frank Sinatra’s throaty voice carried through the night sky, and I held her to me, and she held onto me. And we glided across the sand like we were two ballet dancers at the height of our careers. And then I thought I’d seen a shooting star. We both looked up.

And then the kiss happened. So magical. So sweet. So tender. Her lips felt like cotton candy. They were so juicy and sweet, and I wanted to ravish her. But I could tell from the expression on her face that the kiss had meant something to her. It had been meaningful. The way she looked at me had made my heart race. And for a few moments, I was excited.

But then I saw Mia in the distance, looking for her, and I was reminded that Juniper was Mia’s best friend. That Juniper had just turned eighteen. That she was innocent. That she believed in things like soulmates and serendipity and true love. And I was just me.

I wasn’t the worst guy in the world. I knew that. But I wasn’t looking to settle down, and I wasn’t looking to be her first or her knight in shining armor. And I knew that if it wasn’t going to be a certain thing, I could not act upon it because she was Mia’s best friend. She was almost like a sister. And there was no way I was going to ever play any sort of role in ruining that friendship.

And as the years went on, I tried to forget about that night. I tried to forget about the way she had tasted, the way she had looked, but she just blossomed and blossomed into this beautiful young woman. And now she is fully grown, and I am finding it harder and harder to resist her.

I don’t want to resist her. I am not scared of where it may lead. I am not scared that I won’t be enough. I am scared that she no longer wants me in that way. Sure, we have a physical connection that is undeniable, but I don’t know if she will ever be able to open herself up to me, to look at me so innocently and vulnerably as she did on that night.

I look down at my phone and realize I have to get back to the office.

I shouldn’t have even come out to the beach.

I don’t know why I stumbled down here.

Maybe just to catch a glimpse of her.

Maybe to convince her to leave.

I head back toward the veterinary office, and I wonder what my next move should be.

I have no one I’m willing to ask.

No one I’m willing to trust with the complexity of this relationship.

As I make my way down the street, I see Rosie and Sage standing at the corner, eating ice cream, and I notice that they notice me, so I head over to them.

“Hi,” I say. “Enjoying your afternoon?”

“We are now. This ice cream’s delicious,” Sage says, licking what appears to be mint chocolate chip in a cone. “You’re so lucky that you get to live here and enjoy going to the beach and eating ice cream every day.”

Sage’s eyes widen.

“Yeah, I guess I am. Though I don’t eat ice cream every day,” I admit, laughing.

“If I lived here, I would totally eat this ice cream every day,” Rosie says.

“So, how’s your day been?”

Sage looks down the road and tilts her head to the side. “Did you happen to go down to the beach?”

“I was just taking an afternoon walk like I normally do,” I say quickly. “And, yes, sometimes that takes me to the beach.”

“Did you happen to see Juniper?” she asks.

I nod slowly. “Yeah, I think so. I think they were filming or something. I don’t really know. I obviously didn’t interrupt.”

“Of course, you would never do such a thing, would you?” Sage says with a grin, and Rosie starts laughing.

“I’m happy that she’s getting opportunities.”