Dani had all of the ingredients laid out on the small island counter top in the kitchen. She had a white apron tied around her waist, and was busy chopping a head of iceberg lettuce.

I was leaning on the counter directly across from her near the sink and just watched her. She looked up and caught me staring but didn't say anything. Faint music was playing in the background, and I pretended that I wasn't looking at her this whole time.

At the same time, Dani had two pieces of meat that looked like beef on the stove and potatoes boiling in water. She then turned around to check on the steak and was putting slices of butter and herbs on it before spooning the liquid from the pan on top of the steak.

I caught myself staring again and can't help but feel mesmerized by her skills. Her shirt rode up a bit and I could see her lower back and I blinked. I forced myself to look away, and then realized what's the worst thing she would do if she caught me staring again?

I let myself ogle a bit more and realized that Dani might be more muscular than me. Her arm muscles flexed while she kept pan frying the steak.

"Would you like to help me dress this salad?" She asked now turning around and giving me a knowing look like she knew that I've been checking her out this whole time. I grinned from ear to ear and leaned over to steal a piece of sliced red cabbage and munched on it.

"Sure, but if I mess up you can't hold me accountable. You put me in charge." I replied while finally grabbing the salad bowl wondering where I should start.

Dani has been following a recipe written on a notebook that was kept in one of the cupboards in the kitchen. I'm guessing it was her grandma's because the title said Nonna's Balsamic Salad Dressing.

The recipe told me to combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender. In front of me was a mini blender, and all the ingredients laid out. It shouldn't be that hard right? I just put all the portioned ingredients in the blender and press blend? No way I could mess this up right?

"I like how you talk to yourself when you cook." Dani said, now working on the potatoes and mashing them. Have I been saying the things in my head this whole time?

"Yeah."

"Oh. Did I also said the things about your muscles out loud earlier then?" I asked, while spooning in honey in the blender.

Dani gave me a look of amusement.

"You know what, nevermind." I said blushing from embarassment but smiling nonetheless. "Everything smells so good right now, I can't wait to eat it."

Dani snickered followed by a,

"Oh?"

"Stop looking at me like that."

"Stop what?" Dani asked innocently and held my gaze. I didn't break eye contact while the loud noise of the blender incorporated the ingredients together.

Sighing, I pressed stop button and unplugged the blender. Then, I poured the dressing in the bowl making sure I didn't spill a drop. I dipped a finger in and taste tested it. My eyes lit up in excitement thinking that it was better than I thought it would be. But of course Dani has been watching this whole time.

"Like that." I pointed out.

"You were doing the same earlier, imagine how I feel!" She banter back.

"You should try the dressing. It's really good." I offered her a spoon that I dipped in the sauce and she held my hand with the spoon and quickly licked it. It happened so fast but at the same time it was like in slow motion. I bit my lip and looked away.

Holy mother of God why is that so fucking attractive?

"W-who taught you how to cook?" I asked, trying to calm myself down.

"My grandma, of course. And I guess my Aunt Susan too." She replied. "How do you like your steak?" She asked now focusing on the steak.

"Medium well." I said.

"I like mine medium rare." Dani said and now plating them but leaving mine on the pan for little bit. The way she said it held so much innuendo that I was starting to get shy and nervous around her. Dani sensed this and backed off to keep continuing on the mashed potatoes. "Anyways, I was thinking about playing that game that I bought after we eat dinner."

"What game was it?" I asked now curious while tossing the salad.

Dani finished plating, and turned off the stove. She hurriedly went to the bags that we left in the living room and pulled out a box that looked like a card game. She handed it to me and it says, Intimacy.

"Says here that it's perfect for a date night." I said while reading the label. "This looks fun. It also says here that it's supposed to make me know you better. Like I don't know everything already." I said giving her a playful look.

"Mmhm." Dani said, now untying her apron and grabbing untesils from the drawer. "You'd be surprised."

"Well then, I can't wait."

***

Dinner was delicious. I finished the plate that Dani prepared for me and she asked if I wanted dessert. I refused saying that I couldn't possibly eat any more.

There was a brief conversation about universities while we were washing the dishes but then it came to a halt when Dani suddenly said she had picked a school that she liked. I had asked which school it would be but Dani shook her head with a pained look in her face.

"How about a drink? My grandparents have a whole cupboard full of liquor." She said, both distracting us from the earlier conversation.

"Dani, are you trying to get me drunk?" I asked playfully, but following her towards the cupboards anyways. "Vanilla orange rum, ooh." I said, looking at a certain bottle.

"I'm not trying to make you drunk, I'm wanting to calm my nerves." Dani replied and picking up the vanilla orange labeled bottle.

"Are you nervous?" I asked.

Dani nodded and pulled out diet cola from the fridge.

"You make me nervous just by standing this close to me. I'm genuinely surprised that I have been standing upright this whole time." She replied. "Should I fix you a drink?"

"Yes please." I replied.

"To be honest, I'm nervous too." I admitted. Dani seemed surprised. "I've been having so much fun with you that I sometimes forget how much I wanted you so badly. At certain times when I catch myself feeling like I'm about to do something that's unlikely me- I thought that I shouldn't rush into things and distract myself with something else."

"I've been noticing that recently." Dani said, while putting ice cubes in two tall glasses. "I thought I was imagining it. It looked like it was just you being you but then you'll have this certain look in your eyes like you're about to devour me." Dani chuckled and started to pour our drinks.

"I don't know if you know this Dani, but I am very attractive to you." I said, daring to roll my eyes but a blush reached my cheeks. "Often I feel like I can't keep my hands off of you. Or often it's very hard to focus around you."

Dani smiled at me, and I smiled back. She reached a hand to cup my cheek and asked quietly and almost shyly,

"May I kiss you?"

I nodded my head and met her halfway. Her lips were so soft and warm that I can't help but lean towards her more to deepen our kiss. I felt feverish as I let myself be comfortable around her warm embrace. Dani had pushed me gently against the counter and had both of her hands holding me which made me let out a moan that I would never believe it was coming from me. One hand now on the crook of my neck, and the other holding on to my waist. I could feel the one gripping my waist go up a little to take hold of my shirt.

I couldn't think of anything else except for wanting more of her. We had so much tension and it was surprising how much of it was being let out.

And I was scared.

"Dani..." I breathed out in between breaths.

"Hm?" She asked, her lips now on my neck as she trailed kisses up to my ear. I could feel her hot breath there and it sent a shiver down my spine.

"I'm a little scared."

Dani pulled away gently and gave me a comforting smile.

"Okay, we should slow down a bit. I'm getting ahead of myself and I don't want to rush you into doing this without you being ready." She said now gently pulling away but was still holding my hand.

"It's not that I don't want to, because trust me I want to." I said trying desperately to explain myself but no words are coming out.

"Mave, it's okay. We have all the time in the world." Dani said. "Why don't we start playing that card game that I was talking about?"

I nodded my head and was glad that she could understand my emotional self without me trying to explain.

Dani and I had the fireplace running and both of us laid down on the comfy rug of the floor in the living room. The game Intimacy was some sort of question game. She pulls out a card and asks me a question, and I pull out a card and I ask her a question. There are six categories which consists of past, random, life, relationship, intimacy, and something about the other.

Taking a sip of my drink, I picked out a card from past and read out loud,

"What do you remember thinking to yourself the first time you saw me?"

Dani broke into a smile while she herself was sipping on her drink. She had her head resting on the palm of her hand while she laid sideways.

"I remember you looking at me in English like I just ruined your day because you thought that I had stolen your spot but really it was Ms Shatilla who assigned me there." She said, chuckling a little bit. "I thought you were so bold by fighting for the seat until you realize you couldn't win against Ms Shatilla. I also thought, wow this girl must be so used of getting things her way that she must be so pissed. It was really entertaining because in my head I thought that you were really uptight."

I reminisced back and burst out laughing.

"Fair. I did thought of you as my nemesis because I felt that you were so much better at everything that I do."

"Not true."

"Yeah, well I didn't know it at the time but I think I felt confused because I was mixing up jealously and admiration towards you." I said truthfully. "I just had this big 'ol crush that I didn't know."

"Do you still have a big 'ol crush on me?" She asked.

"Just a little bit." I joked, and she gently hit my arm. "Okay your turn."

Dani picked out a card from the category random.

"Is there a smell or a sound that you remember from those early days that still makes you smile?" She asked.

I almost spilled my drink as I was sipping because I thought of something perfect for that question. With a giggle, I said,

"Remember when we heard Dennis and Thomas in the closet?"

"Oh no, not that. Please not that." Dani said, now laughing and shaking her head.

"The sound of Dennis and Thomas in the closet makes me smile because you seriously didn't give a crap who was in there. I mean we didn't know it was going to be them, but the fact that you just quickly opened that closet and confronted them is something I smile about some days."

"Why is that your answer?" Dani asked incredulously. "The thought of that haunts me." She said.

"What about you?" I asked curiously. "Same question."

"It's got to be when I was blowing the candle out for my eighteenth birthday and I could smell the sweet watermelon coming from you. You gave me a kiss just after you were eating watermelon. That made my night." Dani answered without missing a beat.

"It's almost like you rehearsed that." I said, feeling myself turning beet red. I forgot about that moment, but I was glad Dani made me remember. "Okay I guess it's my turn to pick a card."

"Go for it."

I closed my eyes and picked a card at random. I read it, and paused. I looked at Dani and she was patiently waiting. I took another sip of my drink and asked,

"When did you know that you were in love with me?" I asked it so quietly because I was the first one to confess my love for her. She hasn't really given me an answer yet and it's something I secretly worry about.

"Hm." She murmurred, and smiling into her glass. She took a sip, laid the glass down and covered her face that is slowly turning red. "Do you promise not to make fun of me?" She asked, looking at me in between her fingers.

I pursed my lips and nodded.

"It was when you showed me a snail when we were little." She said. "I thought you were silly and dumb by giving a snail but you thought it was the greatest thing ever." She said, now sitting up and hugging her knees. "At that age, my family was starting to break apart and during that time I was glad I had met you. You made things bearable. It was the only summer in my childhood that I could remember, and it consist of you. It might sound silly but I realized then that you were someone that I truly cared about."

Dani paused for a second and was staring at me intently. I couldn't look away.

"The moment I realized that I truly love you was when you would call me during random nights and convince me to go to church." Dani was smiling now, her eyes soft. "No matter how many times I tell you that the teachings of the church hated the idea of me existing... You didn't give up. But then I went because I realized that the teachings can be portrayed as something else. You explained to me that the main goal was to love one another and I thought that maybe this world that we live in is genuinely trying to be a better place."

I laid my glass down on the centre table and crawled towards her. I sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I believe that the reason that I truly love you was because you make my world a better place." She added. "I couldn't say I love you back before because I feel like it's way too good to be true. I feel like something bad will happen when I do and I didn't want to lose you."

We were silent for a moment while I hold Dani.

"So, you love me huh?" I whispered like we were sharing a secret. I even playfully nudged her.

Dani held on to me and leaned to give me a soft kiss.

"I do love you, yes." She whispered back. "But it worries me when I think about us graduating and we go our separate ways. I want you to go with me but I also don't want to tie you down. I know you have your own selection of school but I-"

She was starting to stress out but I stopped her by kissing her lips instead.

"Please Dani, please can we just cherish our time together without thinking about that? You love me, and I love you, you know that I love you and that's all that matters."

"Yes." She said.

I placed the cards down on the centre table and grab a hold of her hand. I had no idea where this sudden courage came from but all I know is that I wanted to be close to her at this moment. I lead her towards our bedroom, and she followed behind. I felt her squeeze my hand and she whispered,

"Are you sure?"

I looked back and whispered back a soft,

"Yes."

That was when I started to take my shirt off. Normally I would be shy, but I felt so comfortable around her that it seemed so effortless now. I heard her breath hitch and I felt her touch my bare midriff. She then started kissing my shoulders and I felt weak in the knees. Her hands fumbled while she tried to unbuckle my belt and unbuttoning my pants. I didn't realize that I was trying to undress her too. I desperately wanted to feel her, and she gave a soft laugh when I lost my balance and fell sideways on the bed.

"Come here. Come closer." I told her. I sounded desperately but I didn't care.

My head felt like I was floating while she covered me with her hot kisses. Her hand had touch my undergarments and further in which exposed my warmth. Sighs and sounds of bliss came out of my mouth from where she was touching me.

I didn't want any of this to end. I matched her movements, trying to get a hold of her and she let me. She whispered where she wanted me to go, and I followed. She yelled out cries with rapture when I touch her a certain way. It was back and forth between us, coliding with each other like it was going to be our very last.

At one point we lost track of time and I was laying my head on her bare chest listening to her ragged breathing while I catch mine. She was playing with my hair, and it's sending tingles through my body. Music was playing in the background and it's in French. I couldn't understand the song but it feels appropriate.

"What song is this?" I asked quietly, my chin resting on the middle on her chest while I look up to her. Dani had her eyes closed but opened them to meet mine. She answered me but I couldn't really focus because I was too preoccupied with her finger tips running up and down my back.

"It's fascinating isn't?" She asked.

I nodded and started to kiss her again.

"Very." I replied, and we further envelop ourselves with each other's warmth.

***

AN: