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“When you said you were taking me on a date,” Becky starts, amused, “I thought it was going to be a nice candlelit dinner at a restaurant that has a four-month long waitlist and then a walk on the beach. Not this.”
Ewen snorts, spreading out the large red blanket he brought with them on the grass. “Sorry, princess,” he drawls. “Not quite.”
Becky giggles, looking around the clearing. “Well, it’s not the beach, but we are with nature.”
“And it’s not candlelit,” Ewen agrees easily, “but it is moonlit.”
“How romantic,” Becky hums, and she means every word.
Ewen looks up at her, lopsided grin on his face. “See? Put some trust in me, Miss Blackbell. I do know a bit of wooing, if I do say so myself.”
Becky covers her mouth to stifle her smile. “Yes, I suppose you would, Eros of Eden.”
“If I treated the Aphrodite of Eden like a commoner, I would be drawn and quartered in the Quad.”
Becky laughs brightly at that, kneeling onto the blanket and joining Ewen in the middle of the spread. Ewen winks at her and digs through the picnic basket. He pulls out a bottle of sparkling juice and carefully wrapped sandwiches that are cut into triangles. There are more snacks in the bag, like cheese and meats, but he keeps that away for later.
“Really, now,” Becky says with a snort, “not even wine?”
“I’m driving!” Ewen exclaims, mock-appalled. “I am not getting a Tonitrus Bolt because I drove back to Eden drunk.”
“The Tonitrus Bolt is what you’re worried about? Not the possibility of being caught by the police and arrested?”
“Priorities, darling,” Ewen chides in a singsong tone. “And mine are my education. Now eat.”
Becky huffs, rolling her eyes. “Not even going to handfeed me?” She asks with a pout and crossed arms.
“You’re a big girl,” Ewen retorts dryly. “Besides, I’ll handfeed you the grapes later.”
With a grin, Becky replies, “See, that’s better. That’s romantic.”
“And a picnic right by Stella Lake isn’t?”
“We had to hike.”
“A mile, Becky. We hiked a mile.”
Becky huffs again and turns her head away petulantly.
Ewen shakes his head, resigned. “What if I rub your feet tomorrow to make up for the long, arduous, draining trek?”
“Deal!” Becky shouts, brightening her attitude, though she only ever meant to simply tease Ewen. Judging by the amused grin on his face, he knows she was joking.
They spend the next hour or so eating and drinking and chatting the night away. They talk about school and life and the color of the sky. They try to count the stars in the lake, only to lose track and overlap. True to his word, Ewen handfeeds her grapes, but he lies his head on her lap while he does it, blond strands of hair spilling over her thighs like a halo. She rubs his chest mindlessly, gently taking the grapes from his hand and occasionally nipping at his fingertips, just to be a brat. Eventually, she moves the picnic basket aside, clearing enough room for her to lay parallel to Ewen. He’s quick to move his head onto her chest, nestling himself between her breasts and pressing his ear to her heartbeat. She says nothing about it, pulling a corner of the blanket over them to protect themselves from the night air.
“This is beautiful,” Becky murmurs, though her voice still sounds too loud in the quiet of the forest.
Ewen shifts his head enough to look at her. “I see something more beautiful.”
Surely, Ewen can hear how her heart skips from his words. “High words of praise coming from you, Mr. Astronomer.”
He offers her a dazzling smile that takes her breath away. “Truly a woman worthy giving that kind of praise to.”
“Careful,” she warns him seriously. “Or I might have to kiss you.”
“Here?” Ewen asks with a dramatic gasp. “Under stars? In the grass? By a lake in the forest where no one is around? Becky, you voyeur.”
Becky laughs, placing both hands on either side of his face and pulling him gently until he goes with her. Their lips lock in a slow, passionate kiss, unhurried and free of judgment. Becky pours all of her love into him, and she receives it tenfold. When they break away, Becky gazes at her boyfriend.
The stars illuminate the sky behind him, casting a heavenly glow on the loosest strands of his blond hair. He looks like an angel sent from Heaven to save her. The lake laps at the shores softly, the gentle rippling of tiny waves. Crickets chirp around them, the grass rustles in the light breeze, and Ewen’s breaths ghost against her skin.
“I love you,” she whispers to him.
Ewen smiles, all love and not a single worry. “I love you, too.”