Dawn gasped when he pulled up in front of the D.C. version of the hotel. And kept giggling all the way from dropping the keys off with the valet to checking in at the front desk.

She ooohed and awwed over the view of historic Georgetown in their capital suite. And she dropped several “oh my God” s when he presented her with the trip outfits he’d had a Boston-based personal shopper pick out for her that morning.

“Why are you doing all of this for me?” she asked, her face softening when she saw the yellow cocktail dress she’d be wearing down to dinner.

He knew what she meant. And inside his head, he answered, Because I only have a few weeks left with you. And I want us—you especially—to enjoy them.

But outside of his head, he merely signed, “You needed something other than jeans to wear to dinner.”

After freshening up in their room, they both changed into nicer clothes. He’d forgotten her toiletries bag, which had all of her makeup. But she still looked stunning in the yellow dress. It complemented her tawny brown skin and hugged her curves in a way that made his mouth water for something more than the meal they would enjoy downstairs.

This was why a couple of their anniversaries hadn’t included food.

Luckily for Dawn, he managed to keep his hands off of her, and they were able to make it downstairs for their reservation.

“Thank you!” Dawn said, signing in CSL over their late dinner at The Bourbon Steak, The Four Season D.C.’s signature restaurant. “Thank you for bringing me here. Thank you for this amazing night.”

He was more pleased than he should’ve been that she was once again attempting his native sign language. “You’re welcome,” he signed back, also in CSL.

“You should wear that dress for your thesis presentation,” he suggested after they gave the waiter their dessert orders.

She looked down at herself then back up at him. “You think so? I was planning to wear my Aggretsuko tee shirt with a denim skirt or something. This is a little fancy for a presentation, but I suppose I could dress it down with my pink cardigan.”

She peeped across the table at him with a sheepish grin. “Maybe it’s time for me to start dressing like a grown-up. And I kind of like the idea of wearing something just for you.”

Her confession caused him to miss a few breaths. She was pretending, just pretending. They were both playing a role until May 25th. But when she said that, it made him want things. Things he couldn’t have.

May 25th was still a few weeks away, but it felt like tomorrow.