White Cloud

26- There Is No After

"I sure would like to know where we're going."

"Just let me surprise you," Vincent insists from the driver side of his car. "It's romantic."

"I thought that you didn't do romance very often," I say, looking out the window in hopes of it giving me any hint as to where we're going. All I see is the coastline on one side of us and buildings, shops, on the other side. Basically, it looks like a generic tourist spot on the coast and I have no idea where we are.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, you've said that you had girlfriends but they weren't very serious so I just assumed that it was due to your lack of actual romance. I mean, you have a very romantic mentality but just dating doesn't seem like your forte."

"Okay, sure, it's not my strong suit but I've never wanted to put in so much effort with a girl," He admits to me, the hand that he's not using to drive with is on my leg. "But I really want to impress you because that's just bad that I have it for you so just go easy on me because I'm trying my best."

"Am I different?" I ask him with a little laugh because of how cliché that sounds. He has to know how ridiculous that sounds.

"Yes. I know that you think that it sounds stupid, because you're laughing right now, but it's true," He assures me and I stop laughing because I know that he's trying to be serious right now. I'm starting to think that this date night is more than just a fun night on the town or something because he seems nervous and that makes me nervous too. "And you have to think that I'm special too since you're giving me a chance even after all that you've been through, I know that was hard for you."

"You wore me down," I say jokingly because even in serious situations, my most awkward habit is to continue making terrible jokes until the mood isn't so serious anymore. "But okay, sure, you're pretty special to me too. Is that what tonight is about? To tell me how special I am to you."

"Not in a sex way," He says quickly. "But yeah, I guess it kind of is."

"Are you going to tell me that you're pregnant or something?" I ask him with a little laugh. Vincent pulls into the parking lot across from a boat dock so I make the easy assumption that we're going out on a boat which is really cool because I didn't know that Vincent even had a boat and I haven't been on a boat since I've been in Florida.

"No, nothing that drastic," Vincent assures me, this time he actually laughs at my joke. "And I'm not proposing either, if that thought was going through your mind."

"It wasn't, but now it kind of is," I say teasingly. "A little early but as long as it's a long engagement."

"You're so funny," He says blandly as he gets out of the car and I follow suit. I'm not really dressed for anything fancy, just a blue sundress that's kind of short and some flat sandals. Vincent isn't dressed up either though, wearing jeans and a t-shirt that is, unsurprisingly, inside out.

"I'm actually hilarious," I tell him as the trunk pops open and he pulls out a semi-large tote bag. It's too small to hold a body so at least he isn't taking me out on this boat to murder me. "What's in there?"

"Bea," He says my name in a scolding matter and then he laughs at me before he puts his palm on my jawline and then lightly kisses my lips as a way to get me to stop asking so many questions. It works. "Chill out and let me work my magic."

"Sure, whatever you say," I mutter as he shuts the trunk and we walk into the dock with our hands interlocked. "I didn't know that you have a boat."

"It's a friend of mine's," Vincent explains as our feet pad along the wooden surface above the water with boats docked on either side of us, flowing up and down in the clam ocean water. "Do you get seasickness? I guess I should have asked that before I brought you out here."