Falling into Summer

Chapter 27

Haley

"Where are we going?" I ask with obvious excitement.

"You'll see," he says glancing over at me with a grin.

Carter's been home for nearly a week and things have started getting back to normal... well kind of. He still seems more quiet than normal, and at times it feels like he's distracted, but then there's these times when he looks at me and all the worrying melts away. He has this uncanny ability to look at me and make me forget everything besides him. And then when he kisses me, and our passion ignites, I feel silly for even fretting and tell myself I'm imagining it and making something out of nothing. Instead, I've come to realize that this is the natural progression of our relationship. We went from friends into lovers, and although we didn't get to enjoy the blissfulness of that season for long because of his trip home, it was the most amazing week I'd had. Then when he came home, it was a bit of a shock as I had to adapt to his subdued affections for me. I thought he'd bounce back as the week wore on, and he did a little, but nothing like what I was expecting considering how vocal he was about missing me when he was away. So naturally, we went from being hungry for each other to being... relaxed or comfortable around each other. Meaning, we continued spending every night together, but it was as if it was out of habit and not out of a need to be next to each other at night. His indifference hurt at first, but when I realized that it's just our relationship maturing into the next stage, I was more accepting of it.

Naturally, because of everything I've been worrying about just between him and I, I haven't really had time to worry about where him and Leah are after his trip. I was hoping he'd come back to me, tell me he broke up with her, and wants to pursue things with me more seriously... but that didn't happen. I thought about asking him about it, and maybe I will eventually, I just don't want to bring up something that could cause tension with us when I'm already so sensitive to what he says or doesn't say.

Within a couple of minutes, I recognize the freeway route we're taking, and I begin to suspect we're heading out to Ocala. I'm confused though, because Carter didn't bring the four-wheeler and instead borrowed his parents' truck for this trip, so I'm not really sure why we're heading all the way out there. An hour later, we make our way on a dirt road, passing mailboxes on the way, and it surprises me that people actually live this far away from everything. As we get further and further into the darkness, he takes a right, and I instantly recognize my surroundings, as I've recalled this drive to the lake on the four-wheeler. After a couple of minutes, there's a break in the trees, and Carter parks at the lake like we have before. "What are we doing here?" I ask totally confused.

"I think it's supposed to be a full moon tonight, and I thought we could lay in the back of the truck and watch it cross the sky," he explains, and it warms my heart that he makes an effort to do things that I like doing. After turning off the truck's engine and grabbing his gun from the glove box, we get out and he helps me into the bed of the truck. As we work together to spread out the sleeping bags and blankets he brought for padding, I realize he's really planned this out. We get comfortable and lay on our backs with our shoulders touching, and stare up at the star-filled sky. We can see the moon glowing in the sky, but it's not quite high enough for us to see over the trees surrounding the lake in front of us. "Are you comfortable," he asks, and I nod, recognizing that I'm not scared like I was the last time I was here.

"I can't believe how nice the weather is," I comment, knowing that if this had been any other night I'd be totally uncomfortable in the heat and humidity. It's as if my words assure Carter that I'm not too hot to be near him, because he then shifts, and pulls me closer to him. "That's much more comfortable," I flirt, and he chuckles before he kisses my forehead.

"When I was in Virginia, I went camping with my cousins, and we had this spot in the mountains where I swear it felt like you could see every star... It made me think of you," he shares.

"That sounds amazing."

"It was. And then when I went to sleep in my tent, I could see the stars through the roof screens and it made me think about laying with you under the stars... like this," he continues, and his words are literally making my heart melt. "... It just really made me miss you," he confesses, and I can't tell but it almost seems like it's a painful memory, which confuses me.

"Well, I'm here now," I insist as I shift to look up at him, and for a minute it looks like he's about to cry, but it's hard to tell without the moonlight illuminating his features. He nods with agreement, and looks down at me. As he continues to hold my stare, I feel like there's something he's trying to tell me, but I'm just not getting it. It's not until he touches his lips to mine that I realize Carter's plan for tonight involves more than just stargazing, so I surrender my will to him as I let him lead us into our second most passionate night.