Happy Anniversary.

12. Little Things.

The hotel Jack made our reservations at was pretty in a run down sort of way. Green moss crept up the sides, covering up the peeling white paint. The painted red sign advertising the name was crooked and fading. Even though it was nearly forty degrees outside, I was beginning to feel damp from the humidity that accompanied being near the ocean. Licking the still, salty air from my lips, I walked into the lobby.

"Reservation for Barakat, please?" I asked over the soft rock music playing to the dark-skinned lady with dreds who, at the moment, was the only other person in the lobby. She typed the name into the computer and handed me a key. "Room 243. It's right back the hallway, sir." She said with a slight Jamaican accent, grinning. I gave her a suspicious look; she must know something. Hoisting my bag over my shoulder, I thanked her and headed back the way she directed.

The room itself was small, only containing one double bed, a dresser with a TV on top, and a small bathroom. I threw my bag next to a green duffel, assuming it was Jack's, before turning to the bed and picking up the white sheet of paper and red rose.

I'll be on the beach waiting...

Eager, I changed from my skinny jeans and vans to looser jeans and a pair of flip flops. Making sure I had my phone and key, I headed out of the room.

The hotel was right off the boardwalk, so within minutes I was in the sand walking towards a small blanket with about ten candles lighting it up. It wasn't totally dark outside yet, but it was dark enough that the candles would help. A body with a basket sat in the middle of them. My heart started fluttering faster and faster. This was it. Thiswasit. He was sitting right in front of me, and this was it. I wanted to run to him, but my feet seemed to have forgotten how to work. A hand connected to the body waved me forward. "Alex, over here!" It yelled, standing up and brushing the sand off its pants.

It was like his voice broke what trance I was in. I fell into a sprint, going as fast as I possibly could to reach Jack.  He took a few steps towards me, moving out of the way of the candles. It turned out to be a smart idea, and just before I reached him, my foot tangled in a pile of dried seaweed. "Whoa!" I shouted, falling forward. I was unable to stop myself as I knocked myself and Jack to the ground, resulting in sand flying everywhere. "Shit, I'm so sorry." I started just as Jack started laughing underneath me, his laughter shaking my own body.

He was underneath me.

"Don't apologize." Jack said as I moved off of him. I couldn't look at him without feeling embarrassed. "That was really cute." He continued laughing, and I couldn't help but join in. I held my hand out to help him up, which he gladly took. He jumped up, knocking my chest as he did so. We ended up being almost face to face. Not even a sheet of paper would fit between us. I hadn't realized how tall he was until now, when he stood up right in front of me. He was about two or three inches taller than me, and I was at least 6'1". "Hi." His breath fanned across my face, and I smiled shyly.

"Hey." His finger found its way under my chin, and he used it to guide my blushing face to look at his. His other hand found one of mine and intertwined them together. "You hungry? I hope so. I made food for us!" He looked excited, having the energy of a five-year old.

"Sure. What did you make?" From there, he launched into the menu for us, which consisted of chicken sandwiches - which, thanks to me, now contained actual sand - , salad, strawberries, chocolate covered pretzels, and fine white wine.

"I hope that's enough for you. If not, I think I saw a McDonald's down the street. Whatever's fine with you." I found it adorable how he was rambling; it was obvious all he wanted to do was make my night.

"This...this is great." I lied. How was I going to eat any of this? I couldn't do it. I was doing so well. Over the past three weeks, I had lost ten pounds. Maybe no one else saw it because I was so fat to begin with, but I could tell, and I wasn't planning on gaining any of it back anytime soon.