Summer [Completed]

Chapter Fourteen

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Moonlit Tryst
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bliss

noun

1. perfect happiness; great joy

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Imani POV

I wait for a good five minutes before I hear the soft pitter-patter of Ethan's bare feet as he climbs the stairs.

I shine my light at his figure just in case, and he squints into the light, holding up a hand.

“Damn Mani, chill with that thing.”

He blinks repeatedly, groping for my camera light.

“Sorry.” I laugh lightly.

When Ethan recovers, he takes my hand. Together we walk down the stairs.

I keep my light trained ahead of us, and I'm shocked when I see that the trail of sea glass leads down the stairs, past the kitchen and backyard, and out onto the beach.

Ethan notices me looking.

“You were originally supposed to follow the path, and I was gonna be waiting for you at the end.” He explains, and I feel a little bad for ruining his surprise.

When we make it outside, I turn off my flashlight. My bare feet sink into the cool, squishy sand as Ethan and I walk along the path. The grity sand sticks to my feet, clinging to the spots in between my toes.

I glance over at Ethan. His hand is still interlaced with mine, and a look of contempt paints his face.

“So what are we doing out here?” I ask curiously. “What is all of this?”

I glance at Ethan and he smirks, “You'll see,” he says as we continue to follow the path.

I'm left speechless when we reach our destination. My hand drops from his as I bring it up to my mouth in shock.

“Ethan, oh my gosh!” I gasp, gaping in astonishment at the beautiful scene in front of me.

A large picnic blanket lies on the sand with pillows surrounding its perimeter along with candles that flicker in the wind. A single, red rose rests on the blanket.

A variety of snacks accompany a bottle of Pinot Noir and two glasses.

The words 'Imani & Ethan' are written in the sand, and a cheesy love song is playing softly through a portable speaker.

It's the sweetest thing that I've ever seen, and it warms my heart knowing that Ethan did it all for me.

And he said he wasn't romantic.

He walks over and grabs the rose from off of the blanket. “I was going to be holding this when you showed up, but there was a change of plans.” He mumbles apologetically.

Instead of taking the flower, I walk over to him and hug him tightly. He grunts in surprise, before wrapping his strong arms around my body.