Sunkissed Serendipity

Chapter 53

Isla

Julian wouldn't tell me where we were going on our date. Our first date. The idea of it made me nervous, even more so knowing that Julian was making it out to be an entire thing. Ever since I mentioned how we weren't dating but doing other stuff, he established a date, and it had its moment. It was wonderful to know that Julian was making this date an official thing, but it also meant that he had stopped kissing me. I got it, but I also had a deep need to kiss him.

But he has cut off all physical contact. He stopped holding my hand, other than casually and defiantly no kissing. He had cut that off entirely, and when I kissed him this evening, he pulled away. I was saddened by it, but I cannot say that when he whispered in my ear, I didn't feel my entire body warming at the words. He was making this date a whole thing, which I was excited for.

The truth is, I've never been on a date. Sure, I spent time with a guy outside, but it was never surprising to be on a date. Most of the time, we were accompanied by our other friends. I do love the idea of someone actually taking the time out of their day to make it known that they chose you. Choose to make it official. But the guys I've talked to are not dating. They didn't date; they just casually hung out, and for a long time, I was okay with it.

I knew instantly that I wasn't okay with it when it came to Julian. He was just such a different guy—especially from those I've been around—that I knew with him I wanted it to be official. I didn't want that casually hanging-out relationship with him. I wanted the real deal, and now I was glad that we were getting it.

Julian pulls up in front of an open field, and my eyes survey the scenery, trying to make sense of it. Julian parks and turns to me. I raise an eyebrow at him. "I know that playing soccer was very fun the other day, but is this really your version of a date?"

"You telling me that you didn't like when we fell and almost kissed?" he asks, and I feel myself blush. That had been a very nice moment, full of tension and yearning. He takes the keys out of his car and then lets out a chuckle. "But no, I'm not here to play soccer with you; we are here for something else."

I look out the window, not seeing much. "What?" I ask, and he only gives me a grin. "You will see, my friend,"  he says as he gets out of the car. I push the door handle but don't get to do much when Julian walks over to the other side and does it for me. I give him a smile but then say, "Did you just call me your friend?"

He looks at me sheepishly, placing a hand inside his pocket as he says, "Sorry, just a phrase. We are definitely not friends."

"Yeah?" I ask, feeling myself flush as I get out of the car. I knew we were friends anymore, but the idea of us being more, something more official, makes me excited. Julian holds out a hand toward me, and I place it in his as he says, "Yeah."

I cannot help but smile at that. Julian closes the door behind me and then spins us so that we are walking to his trunk. I give him a side glance, but he only laughs. "Trust the process, Isla."

"You bring me to a field, and you want to take me to your trunk. How am I supposed to trust that?" I ask with an incredulous look.

"Because you trust me," he says easily, dropping my hand and pulling his trunk open. I do trust him; I decide in that moment. I have been trusting him all this time without even knowing it. He had gained my trust a long time ago, and that thought is oddly comforting. I get a glimpse of his trunk and find that it is full of snacks and a blanket. He hands me the blanket and then grabs the basket full of snacks. I give him a look and say, "A picnic? I guess that is a nice gesture."

He nods, but as he shuts the trunk behind him, he says, "Yes, but not quite." I don't know how to respond to that, so I don't. Instead, I think back to his words about trusting the process and nod. He gives me a grin and says, "Great." Then he reaches forward and takes the blanket out of my arms. I give him a frown. "I kind of like it. It is fluffy."