My jaw drops with a giggle.“Jeeze.”
“Jeeze,”he teases back. He flashes me that crooked grin, eyes flicking from the road to me. “You love it.”
I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling too hard to deny it. The familiar turnoff to Ecola Point appears ahead, and my chest warms. It’s become our ritual over the last year. Friday nights, takeout, and sunset. Just us and the ocean. Tonight it’s my favorite deli. The greasy paper bag sits between us, fries already half demolished because Jude has zero self-control.
I glare at him.
“They were getting cold,” he defends around a mouthful.
“You started eating them before we even left the parking lot.”
“Oh, come on, they’re never good cold. You know that. Plus, I can’t stand you microwaving fries later.Blegh. Every sane person knows you reheat them in the oven.”
I laugh, shaking my head as he pulls into the gravel lot. The sky stretches endlessly in front of us, streaked with molten gold and soft pinks melting into deepening blue. Far out over the ocean, thunderheads are building—massive charcoal clouds rolling slowly toward shore.
“They said there’s supposed to be a huge storm tonight,” I say, stepping out of the car and letting the wind hit my face.
Jude grabs the speaker and the food, slamming the door with his hip. “Well, it looks good right now.”
“Hopefully, it doesn’t start until after the sun sets. But you know how Oregon is.”
We settle beside each other at our usual picnic table overlooking the cliffs. The ocean crashes below, waves foaming white against jagged rocks. The air smells salty and tinged with rain that hasn’t arrived yet. We eat, stealing fries off each other’s napkins, giggling and arguing over which concert we’re going to next weekend with Heather. Jude talks with his hands when he gets passionate, launching a ketchup packet into the abyss at one point.
“Jude!”
“Oh, relax. It was a sacrifice to the ocean gods.”
“You arenotsacrificing my condiments.”
“They demand Heinz specifically.”
“You’re insufferable.”
He leans in, kissing me with a smile.
I scrunch my nose up at him. “If you do it again, I'll sacrificeyouto the ocean gods.”
He smirks, but his fingers slip into mine between us, squeezing gently. The sun sinks lower, turning the water into shimmering fire. The temperature dips as the storm creeps closer, wind picking up enough to rustle the tall grass around us. Jude sets the speaker on the table, scrolling through his phone. The first few guitar notes of “Cigarette Daydreams”by Cage The Elephant float into the air.
My lips part in a quiet laugh. “You aresopredictable.”
“Oh, stop,” he winks, standing and holding out his hand. “Dance with me, Em.”
“There are people here,” I whisper, glancing around at scattered couples and tourists lining the cliffside.
“All the more reason to give them a show, wouldn’t you say?”
“Absolutely not.”
He wiggles his fingers. “Come on. Live a little.”
I sigh like I’m deeply inconvenienced, but I take his hand anyway.
He yanks me toward him, spinning me clumsily as the first drop of the song swells. I stumble into him, laughing, grabbing his shoulders to steady myself. The wind whips around us, carrying the music out toward the ocean. A few nearby strangers grin, one couple even swaying together a few yards away.
“Your footwork is tragic,” I inform him as he attempts some dramatic spin that nearly sends us both crashing into the bench. “You’re an incredible singer, Jude, but youmustwork on the footwork.”
“I won’t need to. You can be my backup dancer since you do itsowell.”