The soft clinking of forks and plates and the murmurs of late conversation filled the diner with pleasant noise.
Stirring their milkshake, Mario looked out the window with the dim lavender light of the sunset reflecting in his eyes. Peach nibbled at her french fries and watched him.
"Do you ever wonder about who you'll end up with?" he asked eventually.
Peach tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
He turned and looked at her with a slight start, as if she had shaken him. "Sorry." he said with a guilty smile. "I mean, er, romance. Do you ever wonder what kind of person you'll be with? Who you'll marry, that kind of thing."
"Oh." Peach took her turn to sip their milkshake to think, and looked out the window to the streets. It was beginning to get darker; she could see more of their reflection than the outside world. There weren't any people wandering the docks anymore. Just the sunset's reflection dancing in the sea. She absentmindedly fingered the petals of the tulips laying on the table next to her arm. "Well, sure. I think about it a lot."
Mario watched her with his usual, patient way. Looking at the tulips, Peach gave a dreamy smile. "I imagine someone coming along and sweeping me off my feet; I think every girl does. I imagine a man who wants to see the world, who could tell amazing stories. Someone who could sing, maybe. I think of little things, rather than a distinct image. So I don't really know. Does that make sense?"
With a nod, Mario looked at her with a faraway look. "...Yes. I think I see."
Pleased, Peach slid the milkshake over to him, and watched his gaze wander back out the window. "What about you? What kind of girl are you looking for?"
For a moment, he didn't react. She wasn't sure if he had even heard the question. With his face angled out the window, he went very still and Peach could only just see his chest movement when he breathed. A few booths down, a couple stood up and left the diner.
He looked to her then, with those dark eyes reflecting the faded light. For a moment, she could see a glimmer, a distant shine. His hands rested easily on the table and he gave a small chuckle. "Oh, I'm not really looking." he smiled.
O~o~O
"He would really enjoy relaxing." Peach finally replied, stirring her lemonade with her straw and staring out at the horizon. "He would be patient. And romantic. He would enjoy the simple pleasures and the little things. He would like to hold my hand at every opportunity."
Daisy rested her elbows on the table and watched Peach with a curious tilt of her head. "Sounds like you've put some thought into this." her mouth quirked into a funny grin.
Glancing to Daisy, Peach just smiled. "I have."
She had thought quite a lot about what her dream guy might be like. A bit of a hopeless romantic herself, Peach often found her thoughts wandering as she stared out of windows or off into space, wandering off with a vague image of a man she longed to come across. She imagined all sorts of scenarios for how they might meet. All manner of remarkable and extraordinary circumstances, each ending with her falling deeply in love with the ideal man in her head.
This man, this elusive figure for which her imagination could provide no image, was sweet and mysterious. In her head, he was quiet and had a soft voice, because when he spoke, not a single word was wasted. He could tell fantastic stories; he was someone everyone would want to listen to. However, he was mostly content with silence, because he understood the profound peace that silence brought.
He was familiar in a way she couldn't describe. For a reason she couldn't understand, her daydreams all involved her feeling like she had known him for a long time.
She imagined he could bask out in the sunlight all day, out there on the shore that Peach looked upon. Perhaps he would walk along the shore in the evening light to find interesting seashells and bring them to her. Maybe he would like to go searching for sand dollars with her like Mario showed her how, and they could collect them to keep displayed in the quaint house she imagined they would own one day.
The breeze blew, and Peach enjoyed the feeling of it through her hair. The day was hot, but under the shade of the massive umbrella at the little restaurant they sat at, the breeze made it feel nice. She finally looked away from the shore and saw Daisy's eyes fixed on her with a playful gleam.
"Tell me more," she said. "What does he look like?"
Of course, while her mind's eye had no definitive answer, Peach thought she didn't need an exact description. "A jaw dropper." she answered with conviction. "Someone all the girls talk about." in her head the image took on a faceless countenance, someone taller than her, someone with hair that moved with the way he walked. Maybe he was someone who wasn't quite perfect at first glance, but the girls all talked about him anyway because he was handsome in his own, unique way. Time and conversation would lead her to find him cute no matter what he looked like.
She imagined him to be ambitious, someone with big dreams and big eyes for a big world that he could change. With such a one track mind, it would be difficult to earn his attention. But stars, would it be worth it, if only she could manage it. He could change the world, and he wouldn't even have to try. She wanted someone like that.
Daisy rested her chin in the palm of one hand. "A jaw dropper, huh?" her easy smile never left her face.
With a wistful sigh, Peach looked back out over to the ocean. The waves were receding through the morning, and more and more people began wandering along the coast with the rising sun. She wondered if any one of those people out there happened to be him. "He would wait for me." she said in a soft voice. "No matter where I was or how long I took to find him, he would wait for me. And I could find him sitting on my doorstep, just waiting."
She imagined opening her door to find him there on her porch with his back to her, looking up at the sky and sitting there like he could be there all day. Just like Mario did some lazy afternoons when he was waiting to meet with her. Maybe he would be daydreaming like she often did. How would he pass the time? Did he wonder about her, as she wondered about him? What sort of things would he think about?
Maybe he felt lonely sometimes like she did. Maybe he was just as desperate to meet her as she was to meet him.
Some seagulls flew overhead. While Daisy watched her, Peach took a sip of her pink lemonade. She wondered why Daisy was suddenly so curious to hear about her dream guy; she often tried to encourage her to get out of her head, rather than indulge her fantasies. 'You won't meet him if your head is in the clouds all the time,' she recalled Daisy telling her one day. 'He could walk right past you and you wouldn't even know it.'
The idea terrified her. She had been trying to live more in the moment since then, but even so, she couldn't really help how her mind just wandered on its own. Just like all those people out on the beach. Meandering aimlessly, searching for something that maybe wasn't even there.
Still, it was nice to speculate and to wonder. "He would have the softest eyes. And a tender smile. If it were cold, he would lend his coat to anyone without a second thought. He would be kind, Daisy, kind to everyone. He would be there for anyone even if he knows he shouldn't be." Kind of like that one time when Mario dropped everything and ran out of the middle of the day to go and pick her up when she was stranded a few hours away with a flat tire.
Daisy sat up and let out a big, relaxed breath. "You didn't really answer my question," she teased. "What would he look like?"
"Oh." Peach folded her hands in her lap and looked down into her fizzy lemonade. She watched the bubbles gather on the little black straw, and on the lime stuck below the ice. "Well, there's no way I can really describe him. All that I've said, it's just what I'm hoping for."
She realized she must sound so silly, with such specific ideas for the kind of person she wanted. And yet, despite all her hopes and dreams, she didn't have a face for the man in her head. Didn't most girls have a type? A preference in appearance? Daisy stirred her own lemonade and looked out across the boardwalk, at all the people passing them by.
Then, tilting her head, she looked back at Peach. "Everything you've said...Do you think you could already know someone like that?" she looked at Peach in a funny way, with her eyes slightly squinted and her lips pursed.
Peach blinked. "No?" she didn't think she knew anyone like that, or wouldn't she have already attempted to pursue him? After thinking so much and for so long about this man she dreamed of, wouldn't she have been able to spot him if he was already in her life somehow? She had assumed the answer to be obvious, so she wasn't sure why Daisy might have asked. Behind Daisy, Peach could see several couples walking along the strand.
She wondered how that felt. She tried to imagine holding hands with someone, her fingers forming a perfect knot with his. In her other hand, she would carry her shoes so she could enjoy the feeling of the damp sand and the cool water. They could walk there together all day. Maybe they wouldn't even have to say a word, they could just enjoy the setting and each other's company. Maybe the silence could be like Mario's, where he didn't have to use words to speak. She could look at him and know his happiness, know his calm spirit that was as mild as the pale light of the moon.
Daisy let out a slight hum and nodded. "I see." she took a sip of her lemonade, and was quiet for a long moment. Peach was about to ask her what she meant, when she suddenly sat back and crossed her arms. "So tell me more about what happened last night."
Last night? "Oh, well, I thought I already told you. Mario took me out to the diner last night. That was it, really." Peach shrugged and looked down into her lemonade, and then down at the metal table. The sun was shining at just the right angle for the designs in the table to be repeated on the concrete ground, a latticework of light and shadow. She folded her ankles under her seat and watched a few leaves blow by.
Shaking her head, Daisy gestured in a few circles. "No, back up a bit. What happened before that?"
Peach twisted her earring and frowned. "We all went to a movie, remember? Mario, you, and I. He paid for both of us. And then afterward, you said you had to go home, and Mario offered to take me to get something to eat." she squinted down at her lap. "On our way, there was someone selling tulips along the road. He stopped and bought me a few. He knows I like to press them." she stopped for a moment, smiling at the memory. Then, she glanced over her shoulder to the diner along the road behind her. "And then, you know, he bought me dinner. We shared a milkshake and talked about life. You know how he is, he's always got something interesting on his mind. Then, he walked me home."
While she spoke, she noticed Daisy was watching her with a steady smirk. "He's a sweet guy, isn't he?" she asked.
"Oh, yes!" Peach agreed with an enthusiastic nod. "He really is quite a gentleman. In some ways, I feel like I have another best friend in him. Do you know what I mean? We've known him and his brother for a while now. I can't remember the last time I went a day without talking to him, now that I think about it." Out of all the men she knew, she really did enjoy Mario's company the most. He was quiet, usually more of a listener. Especially in a big group of their friends. But one-on-one, he did open up a little more. Still, she enjoyed his silence, his reflective pauses that were like resting measures in music. Purposeful, thoughtful, meaningful.
Daisy nodded along with a knowing smile. "Oh, yeah, for sure." she agreed. She laced her fingers together and leaned forward. "So, wait. Back to your dream guy. You really don't think you already know someone like that?"
The breeze blew. The condensation on her glass dripped down onto the table. Peach watched it with wide eyes, blinking a few times. "Are you-?" she stopped, and looked up at Daisy, only to see the same satisfied look from before. "Are you trying to say that Mario-?"
Why would Daisy come to think the dream guy she described was Mario? What had she said? Patient, quiet, kind? Cute, romantic, aspiring? But the figure in her head, he was different than Mario somehow. He was a lot taller than her, for one thing. And when she thought about him, her heart always fluttered. She never felt nervous around Mario.
But once Daisy made the connection, suddenly the man in her head did have a face. All the little scenarios she imagined and wanted to happen were inspired by real moments she had already experienced. The jaw dropper she thought of was suddenly her sweet, quiet friend. The daydreamer in her mind was the man who sat on her porch and waited for her day after day. She suddenly realized he could wait there for hours.
"But-!" she sputtered, looking all around the boardwalk before she looked at Daisy. "But he's-! I never thought…" she trailed off. His eyes were soft, weren't they? He did have the most tender blue eyes. And the way his mustache covered his mouth, particularly when he was embarrassed, Peach had always found that adorable. Not to mention the dimples! When he smiled, he had the cutest dimples in his cheeks.
It occurred to her that all the things he had done for her, all the little things that had gathered, weren't really all that little. At least not all together. Why else would someone remember every little detail about her, down to what sort of flowers she liked to press? Why would someone drop everything without a second thought just to go and pick her up? Why else would someone just wait for her, or spend any given evening searching for sand dollars? As these sort of memories came to Peach, she looked desperately to Daisy.
"Does he like me?" she asked, just above a whisper. When he asked her at the diner, she had told him about her daydreams. She had mentioned the sort of man she hoped to meet, and suddenly she felt horrified for saying any of those things to him. Because he was sitting right there, wasn't he? Waiting for her, waiting for her to wake up and get her head out of the clouds. It was just like Daisy had said.
Daisy let out a deep sigh. "Oh, Peach. He's been crushing on you for a little while now." she chuckled in a tired way, and Peach wondered how long she had been waiting for Peach to have such a revelation. "He's not really hoping for anything. He doesn't think you would like him back. But boy, he sure does like you."
Resting her head in her hands, Peach closed her eyes. She could feel her heart pounding. "Oh, stars." she let out.
"Mmhm, I know, honey." Daisy reached out and patted her arm.
The dream in her head definitely took on Mario's features, his sweet smile, the sunset reflecting in his dark blue eyes, the warmth of his embrace in her attempt to thank him one cold evening. She had even kissed him on the cheek one time! How long had she been tormenting that poor man?
Well, that at least explained his stiffness after she had kissed him. He hadn't been able to look her in the eye or speak above a murmur for the rest of the night. When she had seen him the next day, he seemed to hold himself away from her, at least until she closed the distance between them herself. How could she have not thought anything of that? "Daisy, how long has he liked me for?"
Sitting back, Daisy looked up toward the sky. "Oh, I don't know. A couple of months now? Really not too long, if you ask me." she shrugged. "I mean, it's been what, almost two years? And he's only just now developing feelings for you."
"Months? Oh, stars," Peach sank down to her elbows on the table and covered her eyes. "And last night, what did he say…" she remembered how he looked at her with that soft smile of his when she asked him what his dream girl was like. She hadn't understood his answer. What did he say? Oh, I'm not really looking. She had thought it so strange; who wouldn't be looking for romance? What kind of person didn't long for a soulmate, a lifelong companion to walk along with for the rest of their time on earth? What sort of man wasn't searching for someone to know him, someone to love?
Well, she supposed he had answered the way he had because he had already found what he was looking for.
Peach shook her head and sat up slowly. "You say he's not hoping for anything?" she looked to Daisy, searching her face.
Daisy shook her head, and gave a sad smile. "No. He doesn't think you would feel the same way." she combed a hand through her hair and looked out to the ocean with a distant look. "I kept trying to tell him to just ask you out, but he's pretty convinced."
Her heart lurched. "What? Why?" Peach frowned.
"Well, you have to think about his situation." Daisy looked at her with a wince, and spoke delicately. "He's, well, he's not exactly the jaw dropper you were talking about, you know? He's shorter than you, for one thing, and he hasn't had much luck with girls in the past. His confidence just isn't very high." she let out a deep breath, and then forced a smile.
Peach pouted. "I think he's cute." she said, resting her cheek on her palm. Maybe Daisy had a point, but two years had been more than enough to overlook anything shallow like his appearance. Besides, as Peach understood it, time and kindness made anyone more appealing.
Throwing up her hands, Daisy let out a laugh. "Then go! Tell him! Tell that poor boy, he's lovesick for you, girl!" she grinned when Peach jolted up in her seat. "He's convinced himself that he'll never find anyone who returns his feelings, and you've got to prove him wrong!"
"What? Right now?" she gasped. "I don't know where he is! We didn't plan on meeting until later today!"
Daisy just shook her head. "It's a weekend. He probably doesn't have anything to do. Knowing him, he's probably just sitting there and waiting."
Waiting. He was always waiting for her, sitting there patiently every day for her. She remembered those early summer days she had walked out of her door, just to see him sitting on her porch and looking up at the sky. Did he dream of her? While she had wasted hours thinking of a faceless man, had he been looking out of windows and staring off into space just like her? In a moment of desperation, Peach stood up abruptly and slammed her hands on the table.
"It's my turn," she said firmly. "It's my turn to wait for him."
She came up with a plan. While Daisy texted him, she gathered her things and thought about what she was going to say to him. She wanted to surprise him. With a sly smile, she waited for Daisy to finish texting him. She wanted to be cheeky about it.
Daisy raised her eyebrows. "Oh wow. He replied already." she opened her messages and squinted at her screen. "He says he is busy at his house, but he can be free soon. Then he asks why."
Peach gave a pleased smile. "Tell him there's no need to rush, you were just curious. Ask him what time he's planning to meet with me."
She already knew the answer, of course. Just as he had promised her yesterday, they would meet at the docks just before the evening began, and walk along the strand until it got too dark and the tide started to rise. That was how their plans for the weekend always started. Though unspoken, routine told Peach that they would search for shells and taunt the seagulls and play around until long after sundown.
This time, she thought with a broad smile, was going to be a little different.
"I can be there right about at lunchtime if I hurry," Peach said as she and Daisy ran along down the boardwalk.
Daisy nodded. "You go, girl! Mario will probably hate me for a little bit for telling you anything, but he'll get over it eventually. Hopefully." she laughed. "Anyway, go! Run! Hurry up and wait for him, I'll see you later. Good luck!" she peeled off with a wave, and Peach kept on running.
She ran down the long road to his house. The sun was right over her head, but the breeze took away the worst of the heat. As her feet struck the earth, elbows swinging and knees driving, she felt power and speed like she had never known. She breathed hard but it came naturally. She was born to run down the dirt shoulder of the road, born to feel the wind at her back and the sweet sting in her muscles and on her skin from the light.
The run was hard, and the burn was building. The sun was blazing. She moved like a machine through the heat, fueled only by the thought of his smile.
The air smelled of cut grass and her own sunscreen. She swiped the sweat off her brow and pushed forward. The sky was so blue with only a few clouds up there. The road ahead rippled with heatwaves. Her heart pounded and she couldn't stop grinning.
Just over the horizon, she could make out the house coming into view. She narrowed her eyes and kept running.
She had spent too much time dreaming. It was time to wake up and realize what she had already. The memory of his smile and his back to her on her porch only strengthened her resolve. He had waited for long enough.
She was going to try and return the favor.
Taking a right, she broke off the main road and started down the gravel path that curved toward the house. Her footsteps felt loud compared to the dull buzz of the wind and the sun beating down on the grass. Chest heaving, she slowed to a jog up the path to the house that stood on the hill. Beneath the fantastic stretch of the sky, Peach felt like she could see the curve of the earth just from where she stood. She could see the faint outline of the moon already.
And as she walked up the path, she came to the porch and rested against the rail for a moment. Then, lowering herself, she sat with her back to the door and looked up at the sky. Just from there, she could see the outline of the town she had run from, see the smattering of the sparse clouds, and the fresh green of the grass swaying in the breeze. She had missed so much of the beautiful world by dreaming, and it was time to take it all in.
With a big, relaxing breath, she sat there and waited.
The wind cooled her forehead and the back of her neck. She folded her hands together. While she sat there, she counted a total of seven cars that drove past on the road ahead, three silver, two black, one blue and one white. She watched two entire clouds glide through the sky until they dissipated. A grasshopper buzzed across the sidewalk and left little imprints in the grass as it went.
A truck rumbled on by. A procession of ants moved up and down one of the wooden pillars of the house. She watched the shadow of the closest tree circle with the sun. The world had the beginning of the orange evening light at the edge of the sky.
She looked down just as a ladybug landed on her arm. The little bug crawled all up and down, across her elbows, down her forearm and across her knuckles. She watched how the light shifted across the bug's gleaming scarlet shell.
A door opened behind her. The ladybug travelled to the tip of her finger, and then flew away.
The footsteps came with a stutter. For a moment, everything was quiet, up until the door swung closed. He took a step closer. "Peach?"
She tilted her head back to look up at him with a grin just as he came to sit down next to her. The way he looked at her, with his eyes narrowed and his head tilted, amused Peach to no end. He looked like he couldn't believe she was really there. "Did you just run a marathon?" he finally asked her, and Peach burst out laughing.
"No, silly, I came to see you." she nudged his shoulder with her own, and he chuckled. The corners of his eyes crinkled with his smile, a smile so broad she could hardly see his mouth under his mustache.
Shaking his head out of amusement, he looked up into her eyes for just a moment before looking away. She could recognize the fondness in his face, now that she really looked at him. "I was just about to go and see you." he said, with a guilty sort of smile. On an ordinary day, she would have opened her door to find him waiting, and he would never quite tell her how long he was there for. She felt pleased that he was the one wondering this time. "What brings you here so early?"
Peach smoothed down her shorts before taking his hand and standing up. "I think there's been enough waiting," she waited as he got up with her, and tried not to laugh at his wary look to their joined hands. "Come on! Let's go."
O~o~O
He drove them back into town. Every so often, he would glance to her with a worried look on his face. She pretended not to notice by watching the world pass them by through the lowered window, feeling the wind cool her down, and wondered what he might be thinking about. She could smell the salt in the air as they got closer to the ocean.
As soon as he parked and they got out, he hardly said a word to her before he led her to an ice cream vendor posted on a corner and bought each of them a popsicle. "I feel bad for making you wait," he explained when she asked. "It's hot outside. You got a little sunburned." he gestured to his face, and she understood he meant her cheeks.
He handed her an orange cream bar- her favorite. Peach gave an amused shake of her head. "Oh, Mario. I waited for you because I wanted to. But thank you." she accepted his gift with a smile.
The sun began to set, and without its oppressive heat right over her head, Peach did feel relief on her hot face and shoulders. She hoped she hadn't burned too badly. While they strolled along the boardwalk, they shared a mutual silence to eat their ice cream and to look out across the horizon, colored with lavender and rose and a soft golden haze.
They wandered out to the docks after the sun went down too far to tell where the sea ended and the sky began. Peach sat down, with her feet dangling over the edge, and patted the spot next to her. Mario waited for just a moment before he joined her.
"I've been thinking, about what you asked me yesterday." she hummed, and rested her weight on one hand behind her. The wood of the dock was rough on her skin. The other hand lay just between them, just next to his. She felt Mario's curious gaze on her, and she faced him with an easy smile. "About what sort of person I'll end up with. You know, who my dream guy is, that type of thing."
Mario blinked. "Oh?" the light from the boardwalk, the orange glow of sodium lights, lit up his side, reflected in those dark blue eyes.
She nodded, and searched his face while she spoke. "Mmhm. I thought a lot about it. I think I know exactly the kind of guy I would like. And I know him already." For a fraction of a second, she thought she could see a slight crease of his eyebrows. Then, he blinked, and his eyes fell away from hers.
He looked down, and she thought he was looking at their hands, only inches apart. "Is that so?" he asked. Then, he took a deep breath, and looked back up at her with a grin. "Well, tell me about him. What's this dream guy like?"
There was a slight waver in his voice, a slightly plastered quality to his smile. Nothing about his expression was forced; Peach thought he just looked slightly pained. She shouldn't drag it out for long. "Well," she began with a purposeful glance upward, like she was thinking. "He's definitely the sweetest man I know. He's everything I could ever dream of. He's thoughtful, he's kind, and the best part of my day is when I get to see him. He makes time to see me every single day. Ring any bells?"
She watched him blink more than a couple of times. What she had said wasn't enough; he broke their eye contact and looked past her to the water and the black horizon. His smile was weaker. "No, I...I don't think I know him." he murmured.
"You definitely know him. Let me give you a few more hints." she shifted her hand, lifting her pinkie finger up until it rested on top of his. His eyes automatically flickered to their hands. "I'm not sure how I could have missed him. He waits every day for me, and knows me better than anyone. He's my best friend. I'm sure that you know who I'm talking about."
Mario let out a breath with a slight waver, and she shifted her hand further over his. "No." he replied, shaking his head. He kept glancing between their hands and her face.
As her third finger shifted over his hand, she could see panic and confusion in his creased brow. She leaned a little closer, with a sad smile. He really did doubt himself. "Let me try one more time. He's got curly brown hair, which is really soft, by the way. He has the most impressive mustache I have ever seen in my entire life, and cute dimples when he smiles. And, he has beautiful, dreamy blue eyes. Familiar now?"
Her hand rested completely on top of his. The waves swelled beneath them. When the wind picked up, she could smell salt and a hint of his cologne.
Mario turned his face away. "I don't think I understand." his voice fell into a mumble, and she could hardly hear him over the breeze and the waves below.
"Oh, Mario." she sighed, and squeezed his hand. "Who else could I be describing? It's you, silly!"
The last traces of sunlight in the ocean and the dim lights from the boardwalk showed her how he blinked several times. He shifted a little, careful not to move his hand. "I don't- I don't know, you could have been describing my brother." he spoke in a nervous rush. "Are you being serious? You're not just- this isn't a joke? Are you sure?"
She stopped him by picking up his hand with both of hers. He froze with wide eyes. "Look at me. I'm being serious, I promise. Okay?" she waited for his hesitant nod. "My goodness, you're looking at me like I'm about to push you in the ocean."
He sat there with his shoulders tensed and his other hand resting in his lap. With only a brief glance to her, he looked down and tried to find something interesting on his shoes. "I don't know." he said. "This is- I don't know."
"This is what?" she encouraged him gently, letting him go with one hand to touch his back.
When he didn't answer, Peach rubbed her hand up and down his back. He remembered when he had done the same for her, when she was upset one night and just needed someone to talk to.
The poor man. Peach watched him while he let out a sigh. "This is just...A surprise. I don't know how to say…" he trailed off, and looked at their hands.
With a soft smile, Peach moved a little closer to him. "Come here," she murmured. "I think you need a hug."
Peach pulled him close, and at first he leaned awkwardly against her. Then, he seemed to come back to life, and shifted in a better position. His arms came up slowly around her. It was only after she pressed her face into his hair that his hands rested around her waist, and he finally let out a breath that he had been holding. For a moment, he just sat there, breathing.
He held her a little tighter. "I don't understand." he murmured into her shoulder. "Yesterday, you told me you didn't know who you could love. What changed? What happened?"
The normal time for an embrace passed, and Peach still kept her arms around his shoulders. "I've been daydreaming all this time. It took Daisy a long time to shake me awake." she explained, and she felt a guilty smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Mario lifted his head a little. "Daisy? What did she-? Did she tell you that I-?"
"Yes." Peach answered him, and almost laughed when she could feel him cringe. "But don't be angry with her! She was only trying to help. I was being oblivious. And you weren't going to make a move, mister!" she teased.
He pulled away from her a little, but they were still close enough that she could tell he wasn't upset. "She really told you everything." he marveled.
They were so close that she could press her face near his and just hold herself there. They were so close that she could smell him, his cologne and his natural scent along with the ocean. His arms were so warm, just resting around her. The breeze blew some cool air. She shuddered and huddled closer to him.
His movements still had the faint tremble of hesitation. He had to test everything; he gave a small movement, like a question, before he shifted his arms up higher and tighter around her. He turned his head just slightly and waited for her reaction before he pressed her closer to him. His face hovered close to her cheek.
She could feel her skin tingling from his proximity, out of anticipation. "Would it be too much to ask if I could kiss you?" his voice came low and soft, almost shy.
"Not at all," she murmured back, unable to hold back her smile. "I think you've been waiting for long enough."
With her confirmation, he leaned forward. She could just see his hazy eyes. He was an inch away. She turned her face. His lips grazed against hers.
She closed her eyes and kissed him.
The kiss was small. The softest touch, the lightest contact. Her heart pounded in her chest. She wanted more. She brought a hand back to cup his cheek and kissed him again, deeper. He pulled her closer. Her thumb traced his dimple. They moved together. She wanted more pressure.
Her other hand came around to the back of his head, and she curled her fingers through his hair. She relished in the way he took a sharp breath in. She wanted to feel his every reaction to her. He responded to her in a way she had never known. Peach drew out the softest, most precious moan from the back of his throat. The sound of soothed desires. She could feel the months he had been waiting for her, in the tension falling off his shoulders and in the way his mouth moved against hers. Desperate and relieved all at once.
They came to a mutual pause, a slow halt to breathe. Peach could see his eyes shining in the moonlight when she pulled away. She pressed her forehead to his. She wanted to kiss him until she was dizzy with his warmth and the smell of his cologne. They breathed together, sharing the same air. She tilted her head to press her lips to him again, but her lips wandered.
She kissed his cheek. She could feel his skin with her lips, and she traced his face to his temple, and then to his ear. His breathing wavered. When she dipped her head to press a soft kiss to his jaw, he turned his head almost with a jolt to press his lips to hers again.
The look in his eyes was hazy. She smiled into the kiss. Turning her body, she pressed up close to him and pulled her face back just a fraction of an inch. "This is better than anything I could have dreamed of." she whispered to him.
He gave her the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen. The waves and the wind all rose around them. Peach leaned down to feel him smile as he kissed her.
O~o~O
So this was basically inspired by an Adele song called Daydreamer. The song talks about this idea for a man she would want to love, only to reveal at the end that she was the one who was dreaming all along. I'm not really happy with this story, but I put quite a bit of time and energy into it. It's more of a character study honestly. I wanted to practice setting and dialogue. It's also pure indulgence; I'm writing a few stories right now where Mario and Peach just aren't quite together, so I wanted to satisfy that. Pure romance and fluff. I hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading!
-Drones