Summer didn't even argue when Andy took her hand and steered her back toward the boutique after dinner. She only rolled her eyes, trying to hide the smile curling at her mouth.

  "You planned this, didn't you?" she accused softly, as they stepped into the warmly lit space again.

  Andy smirked. "I hoped you'd let me." Summer groaned again, though a little more fondly this time, and let Andy guide her back toward the display area where the dress in shifting shades of blue-green still waited on its hanger, luminous and ethereal even against the boutique's dusky lighting.

  Tim looked up from behind the counter, eyebrows lifting in pleased surprise. "Back so soon? What did I miss — did he beg?"

  "He speechified," Summer muttered, cheeks pink.

  Andy just beamed. "We're here to buy the blue-green one."

  "The silk and chiffon goddess-maker?" Tim grinned, already heading to the back to retrieve it. "Excellent choice."

  Summer ran her fingers along the edge of a nearby rack while they waited. "You're still sure?"

  Andy stepped in close behind her, his hands brushing her hips. "I've never been more sure about silk and chiffon in my life."

  She laughed, leaning back against him just a little. "You're ridiculous."

  "You say that like it's a surprise," Andy replied, smugness in every line of his grin.

  "You're not going to let me talk you out of this, are you?"

  "Absolutely not. It would ruin my entire aesthetic arc."

  Tim returned with the dress, handling it like a precious relic.

  She looked at it, then up at Andy. "Last chance to change your mind."

  Andy wrapped his arms loosely around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Never. You in that dress? You're gonna haunt my dreams."

  "Apparently I already do," she murmured, leaning back into him with a small smile.

  He grinned against her hair. "Exactly. So I'm buying it. End of discussion."

  Tim snorted. "You're going to be insufferable at the gala, aren't you?"

  "I plan to be," Andy said cheerfully, fishing out his card. "Utterly undone. By moonlight in silk."

  Summer, blushing but smiling, didn't argue again.

  As Tim rang them up, she did make a valiant attempt to peek at the price on the register — only to have Andy smoothly step in front of her like a stage curtain coming down.

  "Nope," he said, wagging a finger with mock severity. "You lost price privileges when you tried to talk me out of it. This is my moment."

  "Andy," she murmured, trying to peer around him. "It's probably obscene."

  "Undoubtedly," he agreed cheerfully. "But that's between me and my bank account."

  Tim laughed quietly as he wrapped the dress in layers of tissue, gently folding the chiffon so it wouldn't crease. "Don't worry, Summer. He's being a menace, but I promise you this is going to someone who knows how to take care of it."

  Summer folded her arms but didn't press again, though she did narrow her eyes in Andy's direction. He gave her a bright, innocent smile as if he were absolutely not concealing financial mayhem in the name of romance.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  By the time Tim handed him the glossy, ribbon-handled bag with the boutique's logo stamped in silver on the side, Andy was practically glowing.

  "It's not a gift," he said to Summer as they stepped back out into the fading light of evening. "It's an inevitability. I had to see you in it again."

  She sighed, but she was smiling too. "You're lucky I'm so easily bowled over by poetic nonsense."

  "I know," Andy said, swinging the bag lightly at his side and offering his arm. "And I'm never letting you forget it."

  She took his arm, still red in the cheeks, but her eyes sparkled. "I'm going to look like a sea nymph who stumbled into a dream."

  Andy paused and glanced over at her, lips quirking. "You already do."

  As they strolled down the quiet sidewalk, Summer gave a soft laugh, the bag swaying gently between them.

  "You know," she said, glancing up at him, "I should have seen this coming."

  Andy raised an eyebrow, lips still curved. "What, me buying you a dress like a Victorian suitor with a credit card?"

  She shook her head. "No, this whole... nymph thing. You called me a software nymph the first week we met, remember?"

  Andy blinked, then let out a low chuckle. "I did. You were debugging like a goddess possessed, hair everywhere, half in your lap, whispering to the code like it owed you money."

  She covered her face with her hands, laughing. "Stop. You're going to make me short-circuit."

  "I stand by it," Andy declared. "You enchant machines. You speak to them in whispers. They obey."

  "That's literally my job," she said, trying not to laugh harder.

  He nodded solemnly. "Exactly. That's why you're so dangerous. Ethereal in a hoodie, summoning beautiful programs from thin air."

  "Well, now I've gone from software nymph to sea nymph in couture. It's a natural evolution."

  Andy laughed, pulling her just a little closer. "Next up, gala nymph. And then maybe — " he lowered his voice conspiratorially, " — dream realm nymph. Velvet and stars."

  "You're going to run out of types of nymphs."

  "I would never." He made an exaggerated face of offence. "I only offer high-quality, artisanal nonsense. Handcrafted with emotional resonance. Anyway, I'm a genie. You said so." He gave her a sidelong glance. "I'll invent new ones if I have to."

  Summer huffed a breath through her nose, trying not to smile too widely. "You're completely insufferable."

  "And you," Andy said warmly, "are very easy to spoil." He opened the passenger-side door with a flourish and a slight bow, his hand extended gallantly.

  "M'lady nymph," he said, mock-formal, "your chariot awaits."

  Summer arched a brow at him, amused, but took his hand. "You're going to keep calling me that, aren't you?"

  "Forever," Andy replied, helping her settle into the seat and carefully tucking the dress bag behind her seat so it wouldn't shift. "Now," he said, closing her door and circling to the driver's side, "we've acquired one divine dress for my divine girl. Is there anywhere else you want to go before I take you home and get distracted watching you breathe?"

  Summer snorted. "You're not going to say that at the gala, are you?"

  "Only if I want to be arrested for indecency."

  She tilted her head. "Honestly, I think you want that sometimes."

  Andy smirked. "That obvious?" He tapped the steering wheel thoughtfully, eyes flicking to her. "But seriously, my nymph. Is there anywhere else your heart desires tonight? Ice cream? A bookstore? Spontaneous trip to Prague?"

  Summer blinked at him, startled by the last option. "What — no, not Prague!"

  Andy grinned as he buckled his seatbelt. "I like to keep you on your toes."

  Summer chewed on her lip, thinking. "Do you really want to walk into a bookstore with me and accidentally not leave for three hours?"

  "Yes."

  She blinked. "Really?"

  Andy shrugged, still grinning. "You pick the shelves. I'll pick the books you don't need but will somehow love. Or I'll just watch you get fierce about the Dewey Decimal system. Very sexy."

  She laughed, shaking her head. "You're so weird."

  "Only for you," Andy said, then added more softly, "So? One stop? Two? Or straight home to unwind?" He watched her carefully, a little hopeful.

  Summer opened her mouth, then hesitated — just for a second, the tip of her tongue caught between her teeth. She looked down at her hands in her lap, then out the window, where the sun had dipped low enough to paint the sky in rose and lavender. Andy waited without speaking, his hand idly tapping the steering wheel.

  "... Could we do both?" she asked at last, voice quiet. "The bookstore. And ice cream? If that's not too much."

  Andy didn't say anything for a beat. Then he reached over and cupped her cheek gently, brushing his thumb just below her eye.

  "Sweetheart," he murmured, "you could ask me to drive you to three bookstores and make a ten-stop gelato tour and I'd say yes."

  Summer's eyes shimmered faintly with the reflection of the sky, but she gave him a small smile. "You'd get bored."

  "I'd get a perfect view," Andy countered. "Which section first? Fantasy? Horror? Large-language models?"

  She laughed under her breath, leaning her cheek just a little into his hand. "Not AI. I like you too much."

  "That's what I thought."

  He let go reluctantly and turned the car on, the soft growl of the engine accompanying a quick glance from him. "Books and ice cream. Any preferences for the latter?"

  "Mint chocolate chip," she said. "Unless there's something weirder."

  Andy nodded like he was taking official note. "Got it. Books, then weird mint things."