We sit on a bench at the end of the boardwalk. It’s far away from the few remaining people out here, and tucked under the glow of the last street lamp, it feels romantic. The ocean crashes to shore and then falls back, the sounds of the water and the seagulls flying above reminding me of summer. It also reminds me of being a kid and playing on this beach when I didn’t have a care in the world.

Gavin’s arm is across the back of the bench, and I lean back, letting my back press against the slats. As if on instinct, his arm tucks closer to me, his fingers curving around my shoulder. The touch sends a shiver down to my toes. All I’d have to do is lean a little to the left and I’d be snuggled against his chest.

I take a quick breath and gaze out at the ocean and remind myself of one thing: First date. First date. First date.

I keep wanting to take it further. To cuddle and hold his hand again and, well, even the thought of this sends a ball of heat into my belly, but I want to kiss him.

Gavin is nothing like that cocky jerk who had his feet on my chair that first day of school. He’s sweet and attentive. He pays attention when I talk, his blue eyes focused just on me. He’s not like Shawn, who would gaze off and look at other things, only half listening to anything I had to say.

He’s not like Shawn in a lot of ways.

“You seem very deep in thought,” Gavin says after a moment.

I shrug. “Just enjoying the beach.”

“You sure?” His eyes peer down into mine, his eyebrows raised a bit in concern. “You’ve gotten extra quiet.”

“I’m fine,” I say, smiling so he knows I mean it. “We’ve pretty much talked ourselves out tonight, don’t you think? You might know me better than my own best friend knows me.”

That’s not exactly true. While I’ve shared many things with Gavin tonight, I haven’t told him about my greenhouse and what it means to me. Part of me wants to tell him, to let him know how important it is that I find who ruined it. Maybe if he knew the truth, he’d go face-to-face with his own team mates until they told him. But I can’t bring myself to say anything. It’s just too close to my heart. It’s too raw right now.

I only briefly mentioned that my Grandpa was mostly blind when he picked me up at my house. I didn’t tell him it only just now happened and that we’re struggling to learn how to live with a blind family member. I haven’t told him about my grandma and her greenhouse. We’ve talked all night about silly things, but nothing that really matters. But this is a first date, so we’re not supposed to get too deep. Maybe one day, if he still likes me after tonight, he’ll get to learn all those things about me.

“Do you think we talked too much?” Gavin asks as his fingers trace circles on my shoulder. I wish he’d move his hand down, slide it around my waist, or entwine his fingers into mine.

“No,” I say playfully. “I like taking to you. I’ve liked this whole night.”

He grins like I’ve just complimented him. “Me too. I’m not sure what speed to take this but—I just can’t stop talking. I don’t want to take time getting to know you, I want to know you immediately.”

He breathes in deeply and then lets it out. “Does that make sense? Am I insane?”

Now I’m the one grinning. “No, I get it. Why haven’t we ever met before now?”

“Probably because you were too busy to notice that kick ass soccer player with the great hair.”

I elbow him in the ribs. “Yeah, right. You were probably too busy dating all kinds of hot girls to notice me.”

“There’s a massive flaw in your logic,” he says. He reaches over and tucks my hair behind my ear, even though the wind from the beach will just knock it out again in a few minutes. “If I was dating hot girls, then I would have already dated you. So…flawed logic.”

I snort. “Coming on strong with the compliments, eh?”

He squeezes me closer to his chest. “I’ve got better ones than that.”

I roll my eyes and look away, suddenly feeling very embarrassed. Unfortunately, that only encourages him.

“Let’s see… You are definitely the hottest girl in the school.”

“Lies!” I say.

He talks over me, “You’ve got eyes the color of honey and I just want to look into them all damn night. You smell like a fucking angel. Also—yeah, that,” he says, nodding at me. “That smile. It’s adorable.”

“Okay, okay,” I say, holding up my hands. “You’ve proven that you can sling around some compliments. I don’t need to hear anymore.”

“They’re all true,” he says. “And trust me, I could still go on.”

I fold my arms over my chest and give him a disbelieving look. “All of those compliments could have been used on any girl. Don’t ruin this awesome night by busting out your Casanova moves on me. Just be yourself.”

“I am being myself, Clarissa.” His voice is a touch deeper as he leans over, his lips brushing against mine while he whispers, “You’ve been teasing me with that bare collarbone all night, so much that I’m surprised I haven’t spontaneously combusted yet.”

“Wait, what?”

I look down. My shirt has a loose neck that’s supposed to slouch down over one shoulder. I wore it tonight because the long sleeves would keep me warm without a jacket.

“I didn’t know collar bones were sexy,” I say, absentmindedly touching mine. “I mean, boobs, yeah. Obviously. But a bone in your shoulder?”

“Totally, unbelievably hot,” he says.

I give him a look. I know he’s trying to pull out the big guns with his compliments, but I’m not buying it.

He lifts an eyebrow. “Don’t believe me?”

I shake my head.

With one arm still around my shoulders, his other hand brushes my hair to one side. His eyes pour into mine as he leans closer, and then dips his head into the crook of my neck. I go completely still. I can feel his breath on my skin, hear my heart beat in my head.

Gavin’s warm lips press to my collarbone in a slow, seductive kiss. I close my eyes as his fingers slide across my shoulder, his rough skin sending goosebumps down my chest. He kisses a trail from my shoulder up to my neck, keeping his movements slow, sensual in a way that makes me stop breathing.

I’m not ready for this to end, but he pulls away, making me whimper in the back of my throat.

“Told you,” he whispers into my ear.

“Holy hell,” I breathe. Every nerve in my body is on fire, and it’s going to take me a minute to get back to normal. But deep down, I don’t want to go back to normal. I want him to wrap me back up in his arms and do that again.

After gazing out at the ocean quietly for a while, Gavin reaches over and grabs my leg. In one smooth motion, he pulls my knees across his legs, and then suddenly I’m sitting in his lap.

How the hell did he do that?

I wrap an arm around his neck for stability, and keep the other one in my lap, even though I really want to run it down his chest. When I’d poked him in the stomach earlier, all I’d felt was hard, smooth muscle. I want to know if the rest of him feels that way, too.

“I think there’s enough room on this bench for both of us,” I say playfully.

“I like this way better.” His hand slides down my thigh, sending a shiver down to my toes. His eyes widen. “I mean, if you don’t like this, we don’t have to—”

I shake my head. “It’s fine.”

He looks relieved. “You just tell me if I’m moving too fast. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

I know some guys say that shit, but right now with Gavin, it looks like he actually believes it. My heart warms a little more for him. And now I think I’m definitely in danger of falling for this guy. Like—hard. Head over heels, swoony-eye emoji, grinning all day, kind of falling.

“Thank you for this date,” I say, still holding back on the desire to run my hand across his chest.

“It’s after ten on a school night,” he says with a frown. “I should probably get you back home.”

I nod, knowing my mom and grandpa are asleep and probably won’t even care what time I’m back. But deep down I know I need to maintain a little mystery, be a little inaccessible. If I want him to keep liking me, I can’t become clingy.

And I definitely want him to keep liking me.

Before I know it, we’re in my driveway, and Gavin is walking me up to the door.

“You’re a real gentleman,” I say, batting my eyelashes at him. “Walking me to the door and everything.”

“I’m just making sure you get home safely. For all I know, a murderer could be hiding in those bushes.” He points to the mostly dead bush by our front door. The summer heat wave didn’t leave many of our plants alive.

I laugh. “Well, thank you for keeping the murderers away.”

I know what comes next—the awkward goodbye after a first date. I had this with Shawn, too, and he ended up pulling me in for a quick hug and then jogging back to his truck. Eventually, things got more normal for us, but the awkward first date phase is the worst.

Gavin takes my fingertips in his, our hands just barely touching as we stand here in the dark, facing each other. “I want to kiss you,” he says softly.

“Why?” I ask. He lifts an eyebrow, and I realize I sounded kind of harsh. I let my shoulders fall. “I mean… why do you want to? Because it’s a first date and it’s like, tradition? Or—”

“Because you’re amazing in every way,” he says, cutting me off. He takes a step closer and releases my fingers, then cups my face in his hands. “Because ever since you knocked my feet off your chair, I’ve been totally stuck on you, wanting you to like me. I felt like I had to win you over, and now it feels like I might actually have a chance.” His hands slide down to my shoulders. “I’m crazy about you, Clarissa. That’s why.” His tongue flicks across his bottom lip and he smiles at me. “But I can take my time. If you don’t want to, that’s fine with me.”

I peer up at him, silently thanking the Universe for making him taller than I am, for letting me bask in this moment like a normal girl who isn’t freakishly tall.

“It’s just that first kisses are kind of a big moment.”

“Is this moment big enough?” he asks softly. “I can come back on horseback, with flowers. A thousand flowers.”

I chuckle and press my hands on his chest. “I don’t need pomp and circumstance,” I say playfully. “I just need—I don’t know—honesty.”

“You are honestly the best thing in my life right now,” Gavin whispers, lowering his forehead to mine.

“So do it,” I whisper back. “Kiss me.”

And he does. Without hesitation, Gavin takes me into his arms and pulls me into him. Our lips press together, packed with all the anticipation of this whole night. I forget to breathe at first, all these thoughts of technique and skill making me nervous. I want him to like me and I want him to like kissing me.

But Gavin knows what he’s doing. His lips move over mine in ways that send heat coursing through my body. His lips part slightly, so I part mine, and then his head tilts and he’s kissing me gently, like he did to my collarbone. It drives me crazy. I bury my hands into his short hair, tugging him down closer to me.

He deepens the kiss, and my knees nearly go out when his tongue flicks across my bottom lip. But he’s holding onto me tightly, his strong arms keeping me pressed against him.

When we finally break apart, I am out of breath, and my lips are tingling. Gavin’s cute smile reaches his eyes. “Goodnight,” he whispers.

“Goodnight,” I say back. He steps backward while I slip into my house, and as I close the door, I’m only thinking one thing.

His chest does feel as amazing as I thought it would.