The day was perfect. Blue skies. Calm seas. Nick and Sara stood on the
deck of the charter boat skimming along the surface of the water of the
Gulf of Mexico. Seagulls hovered overhead, riding the wake of air left by
the boat. Several other tourists were on board as well and everyone kept
their eyes fixed on the water in hopes of seeing dolphins breaking the
surface and riding alongside the boat.
They had stopped and picked up breakfast on the way to the boat and now Nick kept tossing remnants of a croissant up to the seagulls.
Sara chided him as she laughed at him. "Nick, if you keep that up, they're going to leave a present on your head."
Just then one of the seagulls relieved itself on the deck of the boat.
Sara chuckled. "See what I mean?" She raised an eyebrow at him to emphasize her point.
He just grinned at her. "Ok, you win." He kissed her on the cheek before tossing the croissant over the side of the boat.
They stood by the railing looking out at the water side by side. Nick's thoughts turned to his feelings for Sara. The more he thought about things the more he kept coming to the same conclusion. He did not want to lose her. He was going to do everything in his power to make things between them work no matter how much it scared him. He felt a wave of emotion hit him and instead of giving in to it he wrapped his arms around Sara's waist and pulled her back against him, resting his chin on her shoulder.
Sara smiled as she felt his arms go around her waist. She leaned her back against his chest and rested her hands on his arms. The day seemed almost magical with just the simplicity of them being together. They still hadn't seen any dolphins, but Sara was certain that she was satisfied just spending time with Nick.
Neither one of them said anything for the longest time; they just reveled in the simple touch of the embrace, content to just be.
A dolphin broke the surface of the water, then another and another. A wide smile spread across Sara's face.
Nick just whispered. "Wow, that's incredible."
"This day is incredible." Sara agreed. They watched the dolphins swim alongside the boat, leaping in almost a tag team fashion. The dolphins followed the boat for quite a while and then one by one broke off and disappeared as quickly as they had come.
Too soon the boat pulled back into shore and they slowly followed the other passengers as they disembarked. Nick took Sara's hand and wordlessly they just walked along the beach, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Nick kept stealing glances as Sara wondering about this woman who was his friend, but so much more than that. She had a quiet strength about her that he admired. The fact that she was there with him spoke volumes that he couldn't quite comprehend. As things between them had changed these last few days, he came to the realization that he had begun to change the day he met her three and a half years before.
He was a man that had sought comfort from so many women and yet none of them had satisfied, because he hadn't been satisfied with himself. For whatever reason, he had felt a certain contentment slowly overtake him the last several years as he and Sara had become closer friends working side by side. He had gotten a glimpse of what real beauty was and now that he knew that she had feelings for him, he didn't want anyone else; he wanted her. As that realization hit him, he felt as if a heavy weight had been taken from his shoulders. He knew. He just knew. He was in love with Sara.
He smiled softly at her and squeezed her hand.
She glanced over at him and a wide grin spread across her face. "This has been a wonderful day. I'm so glad you suggested we go out on the water."
Nick stopped and slowly turned toward her. There was a steady breeze and her hair kept blowing into her eyes. He reached over and gently brushed it out of her face. "This has been a wonderful day because I got to spend it with you."
"That's sweet." The gap in her front teeth was visible as she smiled.
"You're sweet." He leaned in and softly kissed her, smiling as he pulled away and put his arm around her shoulder as they slowly walked back down the beach toward the car.
Sara snaked her arm around his waist as they walked, thinking about what an incredible day this had been. They hadn't talked much, but they had enjoyed each others company and the silences were comfortable. She sensed that something deeper was happening between them, but she didn't want to overanalyze it. She just wanted to relax and enjoy it. For someone who had sought to be in control over everything in her life, she was finding that letting go of that control was utterly refreshing.
They arrived back at the condo after making a quick stop at the grocery store. Nick wanted them to make dinner together and then just enjoy a leisurely evening with no particular agenda. He was about to butcher a head of lettuce when Sara intervened.
"You're supposed to tear the lettuce, Nick." She looked amused that he'd been poised with a very large knife to cut into the lettuce.
He grinned at her. "Tear it, huh?"
She nodded and gently pushed him out of the way. "When you cut it, you bruise it."
He chuckled softly and put the knife down on the counter and just stood there and watched her as she tore the lettuce and put it into a bowl.
She glanced up and notice him studying her. "What?" She laughed and looked at him curiously.
"You're really beautiful." He couldn't take his eyes off of her.
Sara faintly blushed as she tried to restrain a smile. "Just wait until I start cutting the tomatoes."
Nick continued to watch her and as he did, he reached over and caressed her cheek with his fingers.
Sara looked at him quizzically and stopped tearing the lettuce.
Nick looked into her eyes and smiled. "I realized something today."
Sara felt a warmth in his eyes and couldn't help but smile. "You did?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I did."
"What was it?" She asked, knowing deep down what he was going to say.
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I realized." He kissed her cheek. "That my sister." He kissed her other cheek. "was right." He paused for a moment and looked her in the eye. "I'm in love with you, Sara." He softly pressed his lips against hers.
Sara smiled against his lips and as they broke apart, she was grinning. "I realized something last night."
Nick's eyebrows curved upward. "Really?"
She nodded. "Really."
He studied her, unable to contain his smile. "What was it?"
She slid her hands up his chest and encircled his neck with her arms. "I realized that I'm in love with you."
They had stopped and picked up breakfast on the way to the boat and now Nick kept tossing remnants of a croissant up to the seagulls.
Sara chided him as she laughed at him. "Nick, if you keep that up, they're going to leave a present on your head."
Just then one of the seagulls relieved itself on the deck of the boat.
Sara chuckled. "See what I mean?" She raised an eyebrow at him to emphasize her point.
He just grinned at her. "Ok, you win." He kissed her on the cheek before tossing the croissant over the side of the boat.
They stood by the railing looking out at the water side by side. Nick's thoughts turned to his feelings for Sara. The more he thought about things the more he kept coming to the same conclusion. He did not want to lose her. He was going to do everything in his power to make things between them work no matter how much it scared him. He felt a wave of emotion hit him and instead of giving in to it he wrapped his arms around Sara's waist and pulled her back against him, resting his chin on her shoulder.
Sara smiled as she felt his arms go around her waist. She leaned her back against his chest and rested her hands on his arms. The day seemed almost magical with just the simplicity of them being together. They still hadn't seen any dolphins, but Sara was certain that she was satisfied just spending time with Nick.
Neither one of them said anything for the longest time; they just reveled in the simple touch of the embrace, content to just be.
A dolphin broke the surface of the water, then another and another. A wide smile spread across Sara's face.
Nick just whispered. "Wow, that's incredible."
"This day is incredible." Sara agreed. They watched the dolphins swim alongside the boat, leaping in almost a tag team fashion. The dolphins followed the boat for quite a while and then one by one broke off and disappeared as quickly as they had come.
Too soon the boat pulled back into shore and they slowly followed the other passengers as they disembarked. Nick took Sara's hand and wordlessly they just walked along the beach, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Nick kept stealing glances as Sara wondering about this woman who was his friend, but so much more than that. She had a quiet strength about her that he admired. The fact that she was there with him spoke volumes that he couldn't quite comprehend. As things between them had changed these last few days, he came to the realization that he had begun to change the day he met her three and a half years before.
He was a man that had sought comfort from so many women and yet none of them had satisfied, because he hadn't been satisfied with himself. For whatever reason, he had felt a certain contentment slowly overtake him the last several years as he and Sara had become closer friends working side by side. He had gotten a glimpse of what real beauty was and now that he knew that she had feelings for him, he didn't want anyone else; he wanted her. As that realization hit him, he felt as if a heavy weight had been taken from his shoulders. He knew. He just knew. He was in love with Sara.
He smiled softly at her and squeezed her hand.
She glanced over at him and a wide grin spread across her face. "This has been a wonderful day. I'm so glad you suggested we go out on the water."
Nick stopped and slowly turned toward her. There was a steady breeze and her hair kept blowing into her eyes. He reached over and gently brushed it out of her face. "This has been a wonderful day because I got to spend it with you."
"That's sweet." The gap in her front teeth was visible as she smiled.
"You're sweet." He leaned in and softly kissed her, smiling as he pulled away and put his arm around her shoulder as they slowly walked back down the beach toward the car.
Sara snaked her arm around his waist as they walked, thinking about what an incredible day this had been. They hadn't talked much, but they had enjoyed each others company and the silences were comfortable. She sensed that something deeper was happening between them, but she didn't want to overanalyze it. She just wanted to relax and enjoy it. For someone who had sought to be in control over everything in her life, she was finding that letting go of that control was utterly refreshing.
They arrived back at the condo after making a quick stop at the grocery store. Nick wanted them to make dinner together and then just enjoy a leisurely evening with no particular agenda. He was about to butcher a head of lettuce when Sara intervened.
"You're supposed to tear the lettuce, Nick." She looked amused that he'd been poised with a very large knife to cut into the lettuce.
He grinned at her. "Tear it, huh?"
She nodded and gently pushed him out of the way. "When you cut it, you bruise it."
He chuckled softly and put the knife down on the counter and just stood there and watched her as she tore the lettuce and put it into a bowl.
She glanced up and notice him studying her. "What?" She laughed and looked at him curiously.
"You're really beautiful." He couldn't take his eyes off of her.
Sara faintly blushed as she tried to restrain a smile. "Just wait until I start cutting the tomatoes."
Nick continued to watch her and as he did, he reached over and caressed her cheek with his fingers.
Sara looked at him quizzically and stopped tearing the lettuce.
Nick looked into her eyes and smiled. "I realized something today."
Sara felt a warmth in his eyes and couldn't help but smile. "You did?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I did."
"What was it?" She asked, knowing deep down what he was going to say.
He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I realized." He kissed her cheek. "That my sister." He kissed her other cheek. "was right." He paused for a moment and looked her in the eye. "I'm in love with you, Sara." He softly pressed his lips against hers.
Sara smiled against his lips and as they broke apart, she was grinning. "I realized something last night."
Nick's eyebrows curved upward. "Really?"
She nodded. "Really."
He studied her, unable to contain his smile. "What was it?"
She slid her hands up his chest and encircled his neck with her arms. "I realized that I'm in love with you."