Chapter 113: A Day in the City

Lisa's POV

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

I ‘m lying when I say that I don't like surprises even though I'm already excited.

"Yes, you do." He reaches over and takes my hand, kissing my hand once before placing our hands on the center console. "Trust me?"

"Always," I say, and I mean it.

The word nestles warm and secure between us. Outside, the city begins to give way to larger streets, more spacing between buildings that are turning into occasional clusters rather than solid blocks, until I see patches of blue through bleed-throughs. My curiosity spikes.

"Leo," I say slowly, as I am beginning to remember him. "Are we going to the beach?"

His smile widens.

"Maybe."

"It's the middle of a weekday day."

"I know."

“Don’t you have work?”

"I cleared my schedule." He squeezes my hand. “There are bigger issues.”

The offhand nature in his voice when he says it, as if I’m worth completely Novak-ing his whole day around—that makes my chest feel warm. I return his squeeze, grinning like I can’t help it.

When we finally pull into the beach parking lot, the ocean is before us, endless and shimmering in the afternoon sun. It’s not busy few random people walking with dogs, couple of people jogging on the shore, but mainly it’s plain empty.

Perfect. Leo cuts the ignition and looks at me. “Is this okay?”

“Okay?” I pant. “Leo, it is perfect.”

We get out, and the moment I step onto the sand, I feel it—the change in the air, salt-tinted and cool.

Leo is suddenly at my side, shrugging off his jacket and flinging it back into the car.

He holds out his hand to me. "Ready to?"

I take it without hesitation, our fingers lacing together easily. His palm is warm and comforting against mine. We begin to walk our feet a little weak in the sand, walking around the bend of the beach.

For a while, we’re not talking. We just walk hand in hand, with the sound of the waves. It's calm in a way that feels uncommon—just being together right now.

“I was a kid when I used to come here,” Leo eventually says, his voice contemplative. “My dad used to take me on Saturdays when my mom was working. We’d make sand castles, pick up shells, stay ’til the sun went down.”

I look at him, meeting the nostalgic vulnerability behind his eyes. "That sounds nice."

"It was so." He pauses. "He wasn't around much—work always came first—but those Saturdays were ours. Just the two of us."

He looks at me then, something vulnerable in his eyes. "I wanted to share this with you. This place. This feeling."

I choke up. "Thank you for bringing me here."

He stops walking, tugging me gently to face him.

The ocean crashes behind us, the wind whipping my hair in my face. He reaches up, with careful fingers tucking the strands behind my ear.

Thank you for coming," he says softly. "For saying yes. For… everything."

I rise on my toes and kiss him, tasting salt air and sunshine and Leo.

"C'mon," he says, taking my hand again. "There's more beach to explore."

We continue walking, talking more freely now.

“Sounds perfect for you,” he notes, “Peaceful, serene, a good book.

“I was drawn to it,” I say. “I’d go there when I felt like everything was too much. Me and the world I was running away from, whatever that was.” His thumb smoothes across my knuckles. - Do you still want it? The get-away?"

I really think about it. “Sometimes. But less now.” I look at him. "I think I've found 'escape' and then some."

"What's that?"

"Something worth staying for."

His tread falters momentarily and when I look up he’s nakedly anguished. “Lisa,” he breathes.

“Too much?” I inquire.

“What do you want, Lisa?” Leo suddenly asks. “I mean, long term. What does your ideal life look like?”

The question takes me by surprise. “That’s a big question.”

"I know. But I want to know. I want to know everything about you."

I think carefully on his words, and let my look cloud and skim across the large body of water.

“I want peace,” I say at last. “Not necessarily thrill or adventure, although those are good two. But more than anything, peace.

A brief pause. “Where I can be safe enough to just... be.”

“Sounds beautiful.”

“What about you?” I ask as I turn to him. “What do you want?”

His lips purse for a moment, as his jaw works like he is selecting his words. “I spent so long wanting to want achievement. Success, recognition, building something impressive.” He looks at me. “But recently I’ve come to realize that’s not what makes me happy. You know what does?”

“What?”

“This.” He gestures at us. “Mornings when we get all the buttered toast wrong and­ then laugh till we’re crying.

My heart feels too large for my ribcage. “Leo…”

“I want a life with you in it, Lisa. Whatever that looks like. Whatever we build will be beautiful, no doubt. ”

He takes my hand and holds it between his two hands. “I love you. And I want a future where that matters.”

Tears sting in my eyes. "It matters. Of course it matters."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." I snuggle up to him, my head on his shoulder. "I want that too. A future with you in it."

He kisses the top of my head, and his arms come around me. We stay like that for a while — tucked in one another’s arms watching the waves ebb and flow in their endless dance.

Time passes—how long, I don’t know. The sun makes its way along the sky, a breeze stirs a bit, and I find myself chilled. A shiver courses through me, and at once Leo is aware.

"You're cold," he says, not rhetorically.

"I'm fine—"

But that isn't necessary, he is on his feet and pulling me up with him. "Come here."

Before I can protest, he's leading me back to where we'd left our things. He picks up his jacket from where he had thrown it aside before, and then he comes back to me, placing it over my bare shoulders with gentleness. It’s warm from baking in the sun, carrying his scent–clean and masculine and comforting.

"Better?" he asks, as he pulls the collar up, and then his hands rest on my shoulders.

"Much better. " I wrap the jacket tighter around me. "Thank you."

“Not that the wife is going to do any freezing on our first real date now, is she?” he says and then stops. "Is that okay? Call you my wife?”

My heart soars. "More than okay. Though I might need to hear you say it again."

His smile is radiant.

"Say it one more time."

Laughing, he pulls me to him. "My wife," he whispers in my hair. "Mine."

“Yours,” I say, and my arms encircle his waist. “And you’re mine.”

“Absolutely.” He raises my chin. “All yours.”

The kiss is soft and sweet, salted by the ocean and wind and promise. When we're finished, the sky has bled into amber and rose and the sun has finally pulled itself toward the horizon.

“Should we head back?” I say, although I’m not ready for this day to be over.

“Not yet," Leo says. “We’ll watch the sunset first. Then I’m bringing you to eat — they have the best seafood,”

“Planning the whole evening, are you?”

"I'm trying to impress you."

I smile up at him. "It's working."

Leo and I find a place on the sand, he sits down first and I fall between his legs with my back pressed up against his chest. His arms envelop me, the jacket wrapping us both in warmth. His heart beats against my back, firm and comforting.

He brushes a kiss against my temple and his lips trails down to my lips, warm and sizzling.

And as we finally stand, dusting sand from our clothes as we head back to the car, his hand never leaves mine.

Not when we are walking, not when we are driving, not even when we are sitting at dinner later, his fingers laced through mine on top of the table like he’s saying to everyone in the room that I am his and he is mine.

It’s the best first official date I could have asked for. And it's just the beginning….I hope.