35

We get ready after a few minutes, checking out of the hotel and continuing our journey to the next location — Ed's lake house. "I want to take you out on a date tonight. A proper date," I say as we pass by a few restaurants.

"Oh?"

"We haven't been able to go out and dine without worrying if people we know might see us," I say. "I want to have a romantic dinner with you tonight, like in California."

She hums softly, glancing at me. "I would like that."

"And it's on me, you paid for the hotel last night."

"You're such a hard head... I thought you wanted to save money for your investment with Soph."

"But I want to treat my girlfriend, so let me," I say, earning a chuckle from her. "Please?"

"Ok, but only if you wear that dress I saw you pack," she says with a smirk. "The one that accents your pretty and unique eyes."

"You're never letting that go, now are you?" I groan, rolling my eyes.

"Nope."

We stop at a gas station, grabbing some snacks before continuing on our way. The road is clear and it's still early in the morning so there isn't much traffic which makes the ride relatively smooth. "How far is it?" I ask, peeking at the map on the car's GPS, no longer being able to hide my excitement.

"About 3 hours," she says. "We should get there before noon, don't worry."

The scenery changes as we continue to drive, the tall mountains and wide valleys making way for more flat lands and trees — the sky is clear, not a single cloud in sight. It feels like we're driving through a postcard.

"I can't wait to see it," I say, leaning back in my seat.

"I've noticed, you've been fiddling in your seat for the past hour," she chuckles, reaching for my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm excited too."

As we near our destination, the houses become fewer and farther between — the view now consisting of nothing but dry grass as we make our way down a dirt path. We stop in front of a large wooden gate, the number '237' printed on the side. "We're here," she says, unbuckling her seatbelt.

I look up at the house, my eyes wide open as I take in the sight in front of me — it's big. Not mansion big but for a lake cabin in the middle of nowhere, it's pretty damn big. "This is amazing."

"Let's go in," she says, getting out of the car and opening the trunk. I follow her lead, helping her with the bags as we make our way to the door. "It must be quite dusty inside, I don't think Ed has been here for years."

"It shouldn't be that bad."

"I hope so or else we'll be spending a good part of our 2 day stay just cleaning it," she says, taking a key from her pocket and unlocking the door. We walk inside, the smell of wood and dust filling our nostrils. The house is dark and cold, the furniture covered in white sheets. "This is going to take some time."

"I'll start with the living room," I say, putting our bags down and walking towards the fireplace. "We should try to light it up later."

"That's a good idea," she nods. "I'll check the water and electricity," she says, leaving me alone in the living room.

It takes us a few hours to clean up the living room and the kitchen, the dust covering almost every surface. "This was exhausting," I whine, flopping down on the couch. "But it's starting to look like a house."

She chuckles, sitting next to me and wrapping her arm around my shoulders. "It's not too bad, once we're done we can just relax, we can have our dinner date tomorrow."

I hum softly, leaning into her. "It's still early, we can make it."

"We need to take a shower first, I feel gross," she groans, wrinkling her nose. "And don't forget your promise."

"What promise?" I ask, feigning ignorance.

"Anna," she says sternly.

"Alright, alright," I chuckle, getting up and making my way upstairs to the bedroom. It's not as dusty as the other rooms were and it has a great view of the lake. Staying here is bittersweet, knowing that this was Ed's house. It seems like a very lonely place to live, but maybe that's why he liked it so much.

I don't know how it happened but Daniell and I have grown oddly accustomed to showering together, to the point of it feeling extremely weird whenever we don't. Most times it didn't involve sex or teasing, just relaxing under the water with each other. The hardest part was trying to put on that damn dress with Daniella's constant teasing and hands roaming my body.

"You look beautiful," she whispers, placing a kiss on my neck and taking a step back, helping me with my zipper. "Can't wait to rip this off."

"No ripping," I say, turning around to face her. "I like this dress."

"Then I'll try my best," she says with a sly smirk, offering me her hand. "Ready to go?"

The restaurant isn't that far away, only a ten-minute drive. It's not as fancy as the ones in California and Arizona, but it still has that cozy and romantic vibe to it — candles lighting up the tables, soft music playing in the background.

"Here's your table, ladies," the waiter says, leading us to a table by the window. He hands us our menus, giving us a smile — correction, giving Daniella a smile, not sparing me a single look as he continued. "My name is Michael, I'll be your waiter for tonight, let me know if you have any questions or if you need anything."

"Thank you," Daniella says with a polite smile. "I think we're fine for now."

"I'll be back in a few minutes then."

I watch him walk away, the small smirk still plastered on his face. "He's totally into you."

"Who?" she asks, looking at me over her menu. "The waiter?"

"Yeah."

"Probably, I'm a hot commodity," she says jokingly, winking at me. "You're a hot commodity too, with your pretty and unique eyes."

"Stop it," I groan, hiding behind my menu.

She takes her hand in mine, giving me a teasing smile.

"Are you ready to order?" Michael asks, standing beside our table.

"I'll have the pasta with the chicken alfredo and a glass of water," I say, looking up at him. He gives me a quick nod, scribbling something down on his notepad. "And for you, ma'am?" he asks, raising his eyes at Daniella even though his eyes never really left her. Her cleavage, really.

"The steak, medium rare and a glass of red wine," she says, closing her menu and handing it to him. "Thank you."

"Of course, ma'am," he replies, flashing her a bright smile before turning around and walking towards the kitchen.

"Of course, ma'am," I mimic him, rolling my eyes as he comes and leaves again after dropping our drinks by. "We're literally holding hands, straight up disrespectful."

"Oh, so now you're the one jealous?" she raises her eyebrows. "So now you know how I feel when women think you have such pretty and—"

"Ok, ok, I get it," I shake my head as she plants a soft kiss on the back of my hand.

"I love you, only you," she says, a hint of amusement still in her eyes. "And he's not even cute, unlike that girl... what's her name?"

"Zoe?"

"Oh, so you remember her name?"

"I'm not the one that just called her cute," I click my tongue. "Good to know, good to know."

She laughs, shaking her head. "She was cute, I won't deny it but you're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with," she says, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," she nods.

"I love you."

She leans in, planting a soft kiss on my lips — the taste of wine lingering on her lips. "I love you," she whispers.

I try my best to ignore the filthy stares from Michael as he brings us our food but I can tell Daniella is getting annoyed. I wonder how many times she's been in this position, how many people have tried to make a move on her, and how lucky I am to have succeeded. It's insane to think about how she could have picked anyone, literally anyone. A successful man or woman, but instead she picked me? It's funny how life works sometimes.

"I hope our waiter didn't upset you too much," she says, taking a sip of her wine. "I'm still looking forward to not ripping that dress off your body."

"You better not rip it," I say, pointing my fork at her. "I might actually get mad if you do."

"I won't," she says, a playful grin on her lips. "And in case I do... which I won't, I can buy you a new one."

"You're unbelievable, just say you want to rip it."

"I do want to rip it," she says, her voice low and her eyes darkening. "Why? Are you going to allow me if I ask nicely?"

I swallow thickly, trying to ignore the heat building up inside me. "Maybe."

"Then I'll ask nicely."

I look around the room, the other customers too engrossed in their own conversations to listen to ours. I take a deep breath, my eyes finding hers as I try not to melt in my chair. "I think it's time to go home," I say, my voice shaky. "Don't you?"

She gives me a mischievous smile, taking one last sip of her wine before getting up. "I think it is."

As soon as we walk through the door, her lips are on mine, the taste of wine and honeydew flooding my senses. Her hands roam my body, pushing the fabric of my dress upwards, her fingers digging into my thighs as she lifts me up and presses my back against the door.

"Daniella," I breathe out, my head hitting the door with a soft thud. I wrap my arms around her neck, pulling her closer as she moves her lips down my jaw and neck, her teeth grazing my skin. I feel my stomach twist and turn as she bites down on my collarbone, sucking and licking the bruised area — the heat between my legs becoming unbearable. "Bedroom," I whisper, and before I know it she's standing above me on the bed, her eyes scanning every inch of my body as she toses her own dress away.

"You're beautiful," I say, taking in her naked body, my eyes lingering on the fading hickeys on her thighs and stomach. "Who gave you these, hm?"

"Hm, I wonder," she says, playing along, a smirk forming on her lips as she slowly lowers herself onto me. She leans in, her lips inches away from mine. "Jealous?"

"Yes," I say, closing the gap between us as I reach for the back of her head, pulling her in for a kiss. It's messy and rushed, but I can't bring myself to care, not when she's grinding herself against me like this. "Dani," I whine, throwing my head back as she latches onto my neck, leaving yet another bruise on my skin. "No more teasing."

"Well, then," she says, her voice low as she hovers above me, her hands traveling up my waist, getting a hold of the fabric of my dress, ripping it in one swift movement.

I look down at the fabric in her hand, then at my half-naked body. "You didn't ask nicely," I say, biting my lip to try and hide my smile.

"Is that so?"