Strings (1 of 2)

I lick my ice cream cone as it starts to drip down the side and watch Nathan struggle with his melting cone beside me. He looks exasperated as it keeps dripping on to his hand and I can't help but laugh at how much he looks like a little kid right now.

The rest of dinner went smoothly and much more light-hearted. He didn't bring up the tabloids again or my parents. I didn't bring up his brother. Just harmless flirting fun. We decided to get cones from the shop a block down and sit on the pier to eat them. It's dark out now but there are enough street lights out I can see around me and feel safe.

He turns to me and there is a white spot of ice cream on his lip. I giggle and grab my napkin from my lap. I gently wipe it off with the napkin and he stills beneath my touch as he watches me intently. I keep my eyes focused on what I'm doing. When I lean back, he smirks at me.

"What?" I ask him.

"You have some on your lip too." he says with an amused tone.

I reach for my napkin again but he leans into me and his lips find mine for a gentle short kiss.

"Got it." he winks at me and I blush.

We finish our cones in silence and start walking back towards the restaurant and café where his bike is. He places his hand lightly on my back again as we walk and my skin tingles under his touch.

"I had fun tonight. Thank you." I smile looking up at him.

"Me too." he looks down at me grinning. "Does it have to end?"

I wish it didn't...

I take a big gulp. "Listen. There's something I haven't told you yet."

He looks amused by me, as usual. "Are you married?" he mocks me.

I roll my eyes. Why would I sleep with him last weekend if I was? Who does he think I am?

"I'm moving the first week of September." He stops walking and turns to me, letting his hand fall from my back to his side. I frown slightly at the loss of contact.

"What? Why?" he asks, clearly confused.

"I start a masters program at NYU in the fall. I got accepted a few months ago."

"Okay... well that's great..." I nod. "So you don't want to continue our date because you move in four months?"

When he says it like that, it seems silly. But I want to be upfront.

"No... well yes... I just can't jump into anything right now. I have so much going on and I can't have something like what this could become tying me here when I move." 

He furrows his brows and looks around at people walking by, clearly thinking about what I said. What seems like minutes pass and I decide to start walking back home, clearly this is it. But I guess this is what I expected when I told him, I said I can't do more, so the date is done.

I stare at him for a second longer. His eyes are still watching people pass by. I sigh and turn around to walk home.

"Why don't we have rules?" he says suddenly surprising me. I stop walking and turn back around to face him. What does he mean - rules?

"What?" I ask, tilting my head at him, confused.

He walks over to the bench near us and sits down. I follow and sit on the other end, leaving room between us. He turns to me and his face is completely serious, something I have rarely seen since I met him.

"I like you. I don't want to just walk away completely. You can't date me... fine. Let's have boundaries. Rules."

I'm shocked by his words. I never thought of starting something like this again. Since Dean, I either had one-night stands or full on relationships. I didn't do long-term casual flings because I didn't want them to get messy like with Dean.

But something about Nathan makes me want to try again. His presence excites me but also comforts me. He relates to me, but keeps me on my toes. Maybe I can have fun with him this summer and not get attached. Maybe...

"What kind of rules?" I ask hesitantly.

"I'm not the one who needs the rules, you tell me." he counters.

I pause and think for a moment. What rules can make sure I don't fall for him?

"No attachments... no relationship. Nobody finds out. No paparazzi. Meeting the parents or meeting friends is off limits. I live with my parents but it shouldn't be hard since they are barely home or notice when I am."

"Okay..." he nods.

"Just fun. Casual."

He nods again.

"Nobody ever uses the l-word." He smirks at me but nods again silently.

"No strings." I say solemnly.

"No strings." He agrees and extends his hand to me. I shake it and he pulls me forward, locking his lips with mine.

Author's note:

Here we gooooo!! The arrangement has been made and now we can get to the main plot!

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