Page 99 of Take the Plunge

“Mmm, that was nice,” I say.

A light pink blush creeps into his cheeks. “How was your morning?”

“I meant to ask you that. You’re the one who’s been slaving away over a computer all morning, working your fingers to the bone coding.”

He laughs.

“Do your poor fingers have blisters? Do you want me to kiss them better?”

He waggles his fingers in front of my face. “No blisters.”

“Are your lips tired from talking? You said you had a meeting this morning. I could kiss your lips better if they need a little bit of R and R.”

Jett contemplates his burrito for a moment. “They are a little tired.”

He leans towards me again, and we lose ourselves in kissing for a few seconds until someone wanders past us and mutters for us to ‘get a room.’ He pulls away, red-faced.

“Did you sort your proposal out?” he asks and takes a big bite of burrito.

“Well, I contacted a flash mob, and we decided on a song to dance to. I figured ‘Marry Me’ by Bruno Mars has been done to death, so I needed to choose something more original. Next, I have to pick out a ring—”

Jett is staring at me.

“Oh! That’s not what you meant. You meant the other type of proposal.” I click my fingers. “My bad. You should probably shut your mouth. Water plus heat equals midges.”

He snaps his mouth shut.

I nudge his shoulder. “I was kidding, by the way.”

“I—guessed. You’re still struggling with your field trip proposal?”

I love how precisely he says the last three words so there’s no room for confusion or for me to make stupid jokes again.

I stare at the water and sigh. “Yes. My tutor wasn’t massively impressed that I didn’t have a concrete idea for him to check over.”

A little farther down the canal, a bright yellow water taxi is picking up passengers to take them down the canal into town. It lets passengers off under the train station. I’ll probably catch it when we’re done to get a bit closer to the university.

“Hey, while I was walking through town, I got you this.” I pull a white envelope out of my pocket.

Jett frowns. “What is it?”

“A present.” I push it in his direction.

“A present? Why? It’s not my birthday.”

“Do I need an excuse to get my gorgeous boyfriend a present? Just take it, Jett.”

He plucks the envelope from my fingers, opens it, and pulls out a gift card. His eyes widen. No doubt he’s seen the amount and that it’s for Ink Envy, a tattoo shop in town with a great reputation.

“They said that should be enough for you to get a cover-up tattoo,” I say. “I explained how big your tattoo is and where it is. The gift card is valid for two years, so you’ve got plenty of time to decide what you want to cover the tattoo up with. No rush.”

“Kian, I can’t accept this. It’s too much.”

“It’s not, and you can. Besides, there are no refunds on gift cards, and I don’t fancy getting a tattoo. You shouldn’t have to be stuck with a tattoo you hate just because you’re a bit short on cash right now.”

He slides the card back into the envelope and hugs it to his chest. Then he puts his hand on the back of my neck and pulls me into a kiss. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”