“Yeah, that does sound like fun.” When she moved her head to face the boardwalk again, she kept the rest of her body tucked against mine. “I’m really good at balloon darts. There’s a bin at each booth where you can donate your prize to a local charity. I’d like to donate at least three, but balloon darts is probably the only game I’m good enough at.”
“Balloon darts first, then. I’m pretty sure we could get at least three toys or prizes or whatever at every booth if we go early enough. Want to order some food and get started?”
“Yes.” She clapped her hands and sadly sat up to reach for the menu. It wasn’t like sitting up meant she was much farther away from me than she had been, but I’d liked having her touching every part of my side. “What do you want to eat?”
We ended up splitting a plate of sliders, onion rings, and a few other sides, finished our drinks, and then gave up our table. There were very few moments that we weren’t touching or talking, and as soon as we started walking toward the games, I reached for her hand and threaded my fingers through hers.
“When do you go back to school?” I asked once we’d taken off our shoes and were walking on the soft sand over to the first booth.
Sofia shrugged, the edges of her mouth pressing in. “The fall semester rotation starts in August, but I might just go back before then.”
“Before August?” My heart did another leap. “That’s really soon.”
Much sooner than I had been expecting. While I hadn’t given it too much thought before, in the back of my mind, I’d figured I had at least another month or two with her.
The news that she was expected back at school within a month and was considering going back even sooner did seriously unpleasant things to my stomach. It contracted and flipped in on itself, making me feel a little nauseated.
Sofia swung our joined hands between us, nodding as she stared off into the distance. “It is soon, but it’s also a bit late.”
“What do you mean?” I focused on the surfers lying on their boards, dipping and rising with the swells as I tried to move past the sudden bout of nausea.
She pulled us to a standstill, digging the toes of one foot into the sand as she peered up into my eyes. “I’ve been thinking a lot about our conversation the other night. I’ve been putting things off at school, but I know now that I’m out of my ‘partying and being young’ phase. I think it’s time to double down on my studies.”
“What does doubling down mean?” My stomach contracted again and my heart thrummed in my chest. What the fuck is going on with me?
The blue in her eyes seemed deeper with the water in the bay as the backdrop, but there was also something almost sad in them. “Doubling down for me means finding out if I can join the second summer session of the fast track program. It will accelerate my studies, and if I do well, it would mean graduating by the end of the year.”
“That sounds like a big deal,” I commented. Selfishly, I hated the idea of her leaving early to go back to school, but I also knew it was the right thing for her to do. “If you put your mind to it, I’m sure you’ll be able to do it.”
“Maybe.” She smiled gently, then took a deep breath and spun toward the games again. “Let’s not talk about it anymore for now. Race you to the darts?”
Without waiting for my answer, she dropped my hand and took off running across the sand. I stared after her with a heavy weight attaching itself to my heart. I didn’t know what was happening inside me, but I had my suspicions.
As she’d said, though, this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. Forcing all the foreign feelings into a tight lockbox in my head, I pushed my body into motion and ran after her.
Although I felt heavier than before, I also had fun playing games with Sofia for the afternoon. We played each game until we’d won three or more prizes for the charity bin. It turned out that she took supporting the local charities seriously, which didn’t come as much of a surprise after everything I already knew about her.
Eventually, the sun inched closer and closer to the horizon and the announcement came that the fireworks display would be starting soon. Sofia grabbed my hand, a panicked look crossing her features.
“Crap. I got so caught up in the games I forgot we have to go fetch the picnic supplies from the truck.”
A grin ghosted across my lips as I pushed my palm against hers. “Relax, lo—”
What the fuck? I cut myself off before the word “love” could roll off my tongue just like fucking that. “Relax, babe. We’re not parked that far away. If we go now, we can get the blanket and your basket and be back here long before we miss anything.”
Her shoulders dropped, and she smiled as her head bounced up and down. “You’re right. The fireworks display is my favorite part of the day, though.”
“We’ll make it quick. Don’t worry.” I kept a close eye on her, but if she’d caught the near slip of my tongue, she didn’t let it show.
Crowds of people were doing the same thing we had in mind, searching for spaces to spread out their blankets between those already there. A guy with a guitar had taken the stage and was singing patriotic songs in a deep, soulful voice.
Sofia swayed and hummed along to the music as we walked. We kept up a clipped pace until suddenly
