10 Things I Hate About You

Chapter 13

"Can't you read, Mr. Grady?" Claire giggled, her head was resting on his lap while they waited for sunrise. The park had yet to open its gates and people weren't expected to start clocking in for another hour or so.

Owen was sitting crossed legged, they were in a small fenced garden by the Innovation Center, the perfect spot for them to admire the sun waking up that morning. He had just picked a white daisy flower, the sign prohibiting this just next to him.

The man smiled softly, looking down at her while grazing the flower down her cheek and tickling her nose with it. He made her sneeze, which he thought was the most adorable sound there was — maybe second best to her laugh.

They had spent the night outside, having planned to just wait up for the sunrise. She was wearing the hoodie he had given her a month or so back. It was mid December and it could get cold in the wee hours of the morning.

The rest of her body was under a blanket they had been sharing. They had a thermos with hot cocoa that they shared. Claire could feel her heart pounding fast, thinking this was definitely one of her favorite moments.

She found her green eyes linked with his hazel ones: for a moment, everything around them vanished. It was just the two of them. The timer they had set on her cellphone started to go off: the sunrise should illuminate the lagoon any moment now.

Owen helped her sit up, she covered him with their blanket before she nuzzled close. She closed her eyes and just let her nose take in his scent, feeling how her heart was the happiest when his arms were around her and his lips on her forehead.

She smiled, feeling a kiss on her cheek before both their eyes fixed on watching the sun rise up. He had her between his legs, her back resting against his chest while their fingers laced and played under their blanket.

It was a moment that lasted a few seconds; Claire looked behind her shoulder and kissed him gently. She let her nose brush against his and pressed their foreheads together. She gulped, feeling how her heart started beating fast. There was something she wanted to tell him for a while now.

Owen let his eyes find hers, and reaching out, he brushed his fingers up her cheek, kissing her nose. Claire adjusted and sat across his lap so she could face him. "What is it, gorgeous?" He saw her nervously chewing on her lip.

She blushed. "I love you..." She murmured, feeling how gentle he was when brushing her skin and playing with her hair.

His eyes sparkled, there were not better words to hear from the woman you had fallen in love with than the three she had just said, confirming she reciprocated the feeling. That glow she had injected in those hazel orbs soon vanished and a frown grew between his brows. By then, a couple of seconds had gone by, but they felt like minutes to Claire.

"Is...that okay?" She mirrored his frown, this foreign anxiety invading her mind.

The instinct to keep her happy brought him out of his thoughts as he realized those green eyes were confused. "I love you, too." He blurted out, resting his hands on her jaw and letting his thumbs caress her cheeks. The desperate need to assure her that he in fact loved her to death invaded him. He smiled and pecked her lips gently a couple of times, making her giggle.

"Never ever doubt that." He begged, his lips now brushing down her jawline.

"Don't give me a reason to." She teased, before poking his nose with her finger. He let her giggles work as a transition to avoid acknowledging that request.

It was the sound of vendors opening their restaurants and the many stores in Main Street getting ready for another day that worked as a cue for the couple to stand up and find a more private space.