It became a thing. Saturday evenings on the porch, cold bottles sweating in the heat, music coming low from the little bluetooth speaker Ryan always set on the railing. Sometimes they'd sit out there until the sky went completely dark and the bugs started humming loud in the grass.

Zoe felt it every time. That warm flutter low in her stomach when Lucas's eyes found hers across the table. It wasn't dramatic. It was quiet and steady, like a candle that had been lit and was just burning patiently, waiting. She'd catch him looking and instead of glancing away she'd hold it just a second longer than she should. Then...