LOGINI should’ve looked away. Should’ve stood up and left the room. But I couldn’t. She danced like temptation incarnate—teasing, graceful, slow. When she peeled back her sweatshirt and revealed the black corset beneath, I stood.
I crossed to her in two strides, hands slipping around her waist.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she giggled as I eased her down onto the couch.
The next morning, as usual, I woke up earlier than she did. I made an omelet, careful not to over-salt it—so I added nothing at all.“Good morning, birthday girl,” I said when she woke up and I arrived with a tray of omelet.“Good morning, Messyhair,” she smiled. “Did you make this?” She accepted the omelet.“Yes,” I said proudly. “This time, it’s definitely not salty.”“Thank you,” she said, eating without another word.“So? How is it?” I asked.“Much better than last time,” she said, giving me a soft kiss. “What’s the plan for today?”“I’m taking you somewhere you’ll love,” I replied.“What should I wear?”“Your favorite outfit,” I teased.After breakfast, she dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. I drove her to a small stadium just outside the ci
I spent the following week with Uncle Steve, seeing Jenny only at dinner each evening. On Friday, I asked the old man for a few hours off and headed to the hospital to pick up my girlfriend.“Hi,” I greeted the pretty brunette receptionist in her green-and-white coat. “Is Jane Shepherd in?”“Hey,” she smiled. “Yes, she’ll be done with Dr. Tim’s appointment soon. Is it urgent? Should I let her know?”“No need, I’ll wait,” I said. “Do you know them well?”“Who? Dr. Tim or your sister?” she asked.“My sister” I said, won’t spoil the mystery.“Dr. Tim always keeps her busy, but we chat during lunch. She talks about you sometimes, Daniel,” she said, touching my arm lightly.“I assume you’ve heard about our younger brother too,” I continued.“Of course,” she laughed. “
Daryl had a theory about the cars, but after a few rounds, his experience changed his ranking. He couldn’t decide between two of them, so he took them for extra laps.By the time he finalized his ranking, our rental time was up.Paul returned the keys, we handed back our gear, thanked the instructor, and said goodbye.“Did you like it?” I asked Daryl as we stood by Paul’s car in the parking lot.“Yeah, thank you,” he smiled, shaking hands with everyone. We weren’t the hugging type.Paul drove us to a nearby restaurant where we had reserved a table for dinner.The restaurant was in a neighboring town—elegant but not overly flashy. White walls and light brown tables filled the space, and reservations were confirmed at the counter near the entrance.We were hungry, so we ordered quickly—some got shrimp, others steak.As planned, we split the bill evenly, excluding Daryl.
After eating, we stopped by Amber’s shop and locked ourselves in our room.“Messyhair, your birthday is the day after tomorrow,” she said, snuggling into me as we rested. “But we won’t see each other that day.”“I know—it’s fine.”“There’ll be a package waiting in your room. I hope you like it.”“If it’s from you, I definitely will,” I said, stroking her shoulder.“When we’re back, I’ll call you no matter what,” she said after a few gentle kisses.“You’re leaving?” I asked, my lips still pressed against hers.“Yeah, we won’t be staying in town,” she murmured, melting into me between kisses.“Babe,” I said, pulling her tightly against me, “I love you—don’t forget that.”“I definitely won’t,” she teased.I did
She stepped out from the crowd, picked a blue balloon, and aimed for the bottom of the canvas. Her throw lacked force—she barely hit the target. But she got applause too.“What kind of paint is in these?” Jenny asked. “If I missed, how much of a mess would I have made?”“It’s a mix—not too thick, not too watery. If it gets on your skin, it’ll fade over time,” the guy explained. “If it started raining now, your artwork would probably disappear since it hasn’t dried yet.”The conversation didn’t hold much interest for the crowd, and they slowly wandered off.“I see, thanks,” my girlfriend said. “Could I get a pink and a black one?”“Of course,” the guy smiled.Jenny adjusted her grip on the two balloons, preparing to throw again. She turned toward me, but before I could react, the pink liquid splattered across my chest, dripp
The next morning, we left for our week-long vacation. The drive wasn’t long, and after unpacking, we went out for lunch.“Babe,” I asked as we ate.“Go ahead,” she laughed, seeing right through me.“Before we got Amber’s place, where did you spend your dad’s birthday?”“At Iris’s,” she said simply. “She lent me her apartment for the day and went out.”“Did she know what you were doing?” I asked, surprised.“Only you know, Messyhair,” she smiled. “She just knew I wanted to be alone that day and offered her place.”“And the summer before school?” I asked. “When you were already living at Uncle Steve’s?”“You’re getting better at details, Messyhair,” she smiled. “I rented a room.”“Seriously?” I asked. “You spent money on that?&r
“We’re back,”Jenny said calmly. A few of the girls squealed in surprise.“I’m going for a swim,”my girl said.”This bug spray is giving me a headache.”She laughed.
Just as planned, once it was dark enough that only our silhouettes were visible, the guys quietly slipped away from behind the chatting girls.Paul,”Jenny called back,”are we far?”
We all got into the water, and the girls swam behind their boats.“Aaron,”I asked quietly,”how’s your girl at swimming?”“She manages. Yours?”
The other girls came out of the tents, drawing the guys’ attention away.“Jay,”Jenny said quietly in Italian,”you don’t have the right to be jealous. We’re just friends. I imagine it’s not any easier for you







