Love and Laughter

Chapter 18

The world, once a monochrome canvas of April’s disdain, had exploded into a riot of technicolor for Summer. It wasn’t just Alex’s presence; it was the way he *saw* her. He saw the girl who sketched fantastical creatures in her notebook, not the clumsy, awkward mess April insisted she was. He saw the girl who could deliver a perfectly timed, deadpan observation, not the silent victim. And he saw her with a blinding, effervescent adoration that made her knees feel like they might give out at any moment, in the best possible way.

Their dates were less about candlelit dinners and more about spontaneous escapades. One Tuesday afternoon, they found themselves in the middle of a particularly aggressive game of mini-golf, Alex’s booming laughter echoing through the miniature windmill course as Summer’s ball ricocheted off a dragon’s snout and landed, miraculously, in the hole. “That’s it!” he’d roared, scooping her up in a triumphant hug that smelled faintly of gym socks and sunshine. “You’re a golfing goddess! A tiny, artistic, golfing goddess!”