“Rose, are you okay?”

Daniel’s hand tenderly resting on my shoulder is like a strong cup of coffee, waking me up from the dull, lifeless week I had hiding out on the beach.

I enjoy the feeling so much that I don’t respond right away—especially once the feeling starts evolving. The feel of Daniel’s touch, which I haven’t felt in a fucking long time, is sending little shivers from my shoulder to my toes.

Heat flows through me as well, and I don’t think it has anything to do with the fact I just vomited right on the fucking sand.

Blech! It’s right between Daniel’s feet and mine—but I don’t want to look at it anymore.

So, at last, I raise my head, and meet Daniel’s pleading eyes. His touch and those eyes obliterate all the bullshit, all the torment I’ve been putting myself through for days.

And all the suspicion and wariness that began weighing on me the instant I saw his face on the beach is crumpling down to nothing in the face of this feeling…

“Daniel, I feel great.”

“But...”

“I don’t know why I threw up, and I’m not even sure why I feel great now...”

“I love you.”

That’s why.

“Could you say it again?”

“Rose, I love you.”

He’s the damn medicine man.

“That’s it, that’s why. I know it’s not rational, and if you asked me five minutes ago...”

“I love you, and I mean it, Rose.”

“One more time.”

“I love you.”

“I...” I shake my head in disbelief, feeling hot, feeling lighter than air. Daniel leans in and gently kisses me on the cheek.

I lean into Daniel, wrapping my arms around him. He closes his arms delicately around me, moving in more closely and landing a feather-light, ethereal kiss by my ear.

“You were saying?” he whispers.

“I...I love you, too.” I chuckle softly, and Daniel does the same. As I laugh a bit more and let my head fall onto Daniel’s chest, teardrops fall one after another from my eyes.

What began as a delicate embrace grows naturally into a warm hug, as we prop each other up in the sand.

The realization is instant, yet the fullness of it dawns over me slowly and beautifully: This is where I belong.

So I stay there, in Daniel’s arms, feeling the sea breeze waft around us, listening to the seagulls and the crashing waves, hearing the distant sounds of joyous beach-goers and Cyclone riders, relishing in just how obvious it is.

Yet, I wouldn’t mind hearing it one more time.

“Say it again, please?”

“Rose, I love you.”

I release a couple more joyous, tearful laughs.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Rose?” Daniel asks.

“I love you.”

For me, those words are like a cure for both of us.

We slide slightly away from each other as the sounds of loud, boisterous crowds start to grow closer, the beach getting more crowded.

Daniel and I are not ready to leave this spot quite yet. He gazes down at me, and I return the look, beholding his gorgeous face and his eyes, seeing that he’s shed a few tears of his own.

How long had we been standing together on the beach? I don’t know, and I don’t care.

“Really, Rose,” Daniel begins, “the whole thing was just...”

“Hush. It doesn’t matter, and you explained it perfectly.”

“I love you.”

“Just like that.”

We laugh, and I watch Daniel’s face transform as a magnificent smile graces his lips.

“What do you want to do right now, Rose? Whatever it is, I’ll make it happen.”

“I want to kiss you.”

“Then please do.”

“I need to brush my teeth first. Remember?”

We both look at the sand. We somehow shifted, unconsciously, away from the spot where I threw up. We look at each other and burst into laughter once more.

“If you insist.”

“I insist. That’s what I want to do right now: brush my teeth.”

Daniel nods as he contemplates my desire.

“As I said, I will make that happen. That is entirely doable.”

“Hey, I can make that happen. I’ve got a toothbrush in my loft and everything. I even have toothpaste!”

“You rented a loft?”

“Come on, how did you find me?”

I start walking towards the building, and I grab Daniel’s arm so he stays with me.

I know things are changing fast. It’s crazy. A few minutes and a few words can transform your entire world just like that.

“Jenna told me Coney Island, so here I am.”

“That’s it?”

“It’s not like you were hard to find.”

Fuck, maybe there’s a reason I chose a vacation rental that’s even closer than the airport.

“Don’t downplay your sleuthing skills.”

Daniel deftly shifts his arm out of my hand, and laces our fingers together.

Then, he looks at me with that smile, and I feel the heat and weightlessness as strongly as ever.

“You don’t mind me tracking you down?”

“No, not this time.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re showing me where I belong.”

Daniel looks away, nodding like he understands but clearly trying to figure out what the hell I mean.

To tell the truth, I’m not sure myself, but I almost start crying again when I say it.

The weather’s especially nice today, and the crowds around Coney Island are growing large and rowdy. Things are starting to get crazy crowded when we finally walk into the loft building.

“Not bad,” Daniel comments when we walk into the loft. “What is this, an Airbnb?”

“A lady never tells. Now, excuse me while I go brush my fucking teeth.”

I do a little spin while walking to the bathroom. I’m actually starting to like this place, a change of heart that evolved over the last thirty seconds since I walked through the door with Daniel.

I go into the bathroom by myself and feel a pang of apprehension that being alone in the bathroom is somehow going to break the spell of the outdoors, that I’ll suddenly start revisiting the uncertain—and maybe even the misery of the past few days now that I’m out of the enchanting seaside air.

I give my teeth a thorough brushing, and it doesn’t happen. I still feel warm and excited at the thought of what the future holds—and even warmer and a bit tingly at the thought of tomorrow.

Just to be sure of both my feelings and my oral hygiene, I floss and then rinse with mouthwash for a full minute.

I feel even warmer, even more tingly—this is where I belong.

Well, to be more accurate, where I belong is in the room with Daniel, who’s being very quiet out there.

“You’re still here!” I cry out joyfully as I leave the bathroom. Daniel’s sitting on the cheap little loveseat, resting his arm on the back.

“Of course I’m still here. I’m not going anywhere. Nothing could move me.”

“Is that so?”

I jump onto the loveseat and land on Daniel’s lap.

“Still not moving,” he whispers about a split second before I start the kiss I’ve been waiting for.

We both dive into it deeply, our lips and tongues desperate for a profoundly passionate kiss. Daniel falls slowly onto his back as I push against him and explore his mouth aggressively with my tongue.

After Daniel’s flat on his back, I climb on top of him and draw my tongue slowly from his mouth. I raise my head up just enough to look him in the eye.

“You still not moving?” I ask in a low growl.

“I could try…”

I grab Daniel’s shoulders and hold him down on the couch, pushing myself up slightly while pushing my lower half against his cock, which has grown long and incredibly hard in his pants.

“What was that?” I ask with a grin.

“Argument conceded.”

I hold onto Daniel’s shoulders, but he’s able to reach up and gently stroke my hair. That sends a serious shiver of heat through me, and I ease my grip.

Daniel’s hand moves down to my tits, and he starts teasing the area around my nipples through my t-shirt.

“Fuck!” I yell, longing to get out of my clothes quicker than I can tear them off. “Hold on!”

I rip the shirt up over my head and fling it as hard as I can towards the bathroom door.

“So, we’re doing that now?” Daniel reaches down and starts removing his own shirt.

“That’s right. Let’s get a move on.”

I start undoing my bra when the sight of Daniel’s bare pecs lobs me into a hypnotic state. My hands cannot do anything but fall onto them, and Daniel helps out by unfastening my bra as I run my hands up and down his chest and stomach, taking in every detail of his beautifully toned muscles.

A barely audible little moan escapes me as I move my hands up and down Daniel’s chest, then his abs, going a little lower each time, as he teases my tits.

I moan more loudly, and so does Daniel, when my hands reach his waist and the bottom of my palms come to rest tantalizingly close to his stiff, throbbing member—still enclosed in his pants.

“I’m so fucking wet,” I manage to say through labored breathing.

“You don’t fucking say.”

Daniel starts sitting up, and I move with him until we’re both up against the couch and revisiting that earlier kiss.

After a few minutes, Daniel leans back and asks an important question.

“Does this place come with a bedroom, or what?”