5. Five

Five

Ollie

W e are the most idiotic people on the entire planet.

It was hard to see us as anything else when I picked Bo up from the bus stop down the road from Lone Fox on the following Sunday, so nobody would see us getting into a car together.

"Sorry for this," I told him for the fifth time, still cringing with embarrassment at our stupid ruse.

"It was both our idea, Oliver. Please stop apologising," Bo told me in a gentle voice. "Thank you for doing this," he added. "Spending the day with me."

"Of course. I'm sure you will like Port Cillean. It's a beautiful seaside town."

"I will like it," he said, still in that gentle voice. "You could take me to a…what's the word…dump?"

"Yeah, a dump," I snorted.

"I would still enjoy it if you were there with me."

I met his eyes for a heartbeat before fixing my gaze back on the road, blushing crimson, and clearing my throat.

What am I supposed to say to that, Bo?

"Any idea what you want to do?"

He laughed a soft laugh that slid down my spine like a warm shower. "Don't ask me this, Oliver. I will make you embarrassed."

Shit. The flush on my cheeks darkened even more. I knew exactly what he meant. His offensive flirting slightly overwhelmed me.

"I want to see what you like best about this town. And maybe the sea."

"That we can do."

You couldn't escape the sea. Whenever you turned a corner in Port Cillean, the view jumped out at you. It was wild and beautiful, just like the man next to me. There was no way I wouldn't take him down to the sea, perhaps take a leaf out of Noah's book and snap a picture of him on the beach.

But what did I like best about Port Cillean? Not the harbour where you often saw rats or, if you were super unlucky, Redcaps. They were nasty creatures that bit your ankles if you got too close.

"My favourite thing to do is just looking around. There are plenty of cute little shops, cafes, and restaurants. I always go book shopping, well, browsing when I'm in town," I explained.

I loved The Page Sage, a bookshop near the harbour where I always had to force myself not to buy everything I wanted. Not that I was struggling, but without a partner or much of a support network, I held my money together.

"You read a lot ?" Bo asked, grumbling happily under his breath as he relaxed deeper into the passenger seat. "This is fantastic. Pretty countryside, a cute date, and a day off. A great combination."

"I try to, yeah. Whenever I have the time or money."

He called me cute.

"I see." I felt his eyes on me and caught a hint of his smile. "I always stole my mother's books when I was a child, but I haven't touched a book in a while. Maybe you can recommend one to me? Later?"

"Yeah, sure." I parked the car in a car park near Port Cillean's centre.

"Oh my Gods, there's the sea!" Bo almost wrenched off my car door handle in his eagerness to get out.

Goodness, he's so bloody adorable.

"Want to go to the beach first, and then hit all the other hot spots in this fascinating town?" I joked.

The huge green man turned around to look at me, a look of wonder etched on his face.

"Oh yes, please! Can we do this?" he added, clearly unsure if it was okay for him to dictate what to do and wondering if he was allowed to have this much fun.

"Of course. We can do whatever you want." I'd barely gotten out all the words when he dragged me into a hug, cuddling me to his chest like a child would a stuffed animal, and gave me a resounding kiss on the cheek.

"Oh Gods, sorry!" Bo laughed a booming laugh that drenched me like a warm rain after a muggy day. "I just love the seaside."

And fool that I am, I'm falling for you.

"Let's go, then," I muttered, clearing my throat loudly and gesturing down the street.

I had to hurry to keep up with him, his eyes fixed on the ocean at the end of the road.

Bo let out another joyous laugh as he dashed down the stone steps leading from the street to the beach. He bent to take off his shoes, straightened and looked back at me, a wild grin on his face. The wind whipped strands of his long blond hair around his head and my world stopped spinning as I saw him in all his glory.

Bo's smile softened, and he took a step forward, leaning down to bring his face closer to mine. "It makes my heart happy when you look at me like this."

"Like what?" I rasped, lids fluttering when his nearness made it difficult for me to look at him.

It's like staring into the sun.

"Like you like me." Bo's charming, boyish grin made his green eyes sparkle.

Before I could tell him that was because I did like him, he gave my back a little nudge and inched his chin down to the shore. "Want to go for a walk on the beach with me?"