Moments II: A BWWM Short Story Collection

VI: Coming Back (Pt. 3 of 3)

Fancy restaurants and upscale bars passed by one after the other, but a mysterious smile was the only reply I gave to Jewel's questioning looks. After nearly forty minutes of driving, I steered the car into the turn lane and set off down a long road away from town. Jewel peered back at the last smear of color fighting back the night, fidgeting in her seat until she could take the suspense no longer.

"Okay, I give up. Where are you taking me?" she asked.

"Someplace where you'll be overdressed." I said with a smirk.

Jewel leaned against her window as fields dotted by hay bales caught our headlights, mood dampening even as she remained silent. I knew my plan risked upsetting her, but I'd made u my mind that this was the way to start things up again. No more fear about what I'd missed out on. It was time to take charge again.

"Brad, I don't want to sound high-maintenance or anything, but I would have liked a heads-up about the dress code. I was under the impression you were taking me somewhere fancy, and if I'd known we were-"

She cut off and looked down at her hand, which was now covered by mine. I gave her a gentle smile and asked if she trusted me, and after a moment, she said she did. I leaned back as I took us around another curve.

"You've probably been waiting a while to break out that freakum dress, and I don't blame you for leaping at the chance." I said, eyeing Jewel's form-hugging ensemble once again. "But there's always a chance for that later. I want our new first date to be memorable, and that means it'll be a bit... unorthodox."

"Meaning what, exactly?" Jewel asked, fiddling with her necklace.

"Almost there..." I trilled.

The last fifteen minutes were the worst of it. Jewel was rapidly losing what little patience she had left, and it was only the promise of something exciting that kept her hanging on. Then the road began to slope uphill, the trees growing thick and tall to obscure everything around us as I slowed to a milder pace. Now Jewel's frustration turned to curiosity, and rolled down the window to breathe in the night air.

"You're not taking me into the woods to kill me, I hope." she said wryly.

I laughed. "Not that unorthodox. But you should close your eyes at this point."

Jewel took my hand again before doing as she was told, and soon gravel crunched beneath the tires as we rolled to a stop. I retracted the roof of the car, and starlight added to Jewel's beauty as I popped out to open her door.

"Okay, stand up and turn around. Then you can look."

Jewel pulled against me as I helped her stand, then she took a deep breath before turning on her high heels and opening her eyes. She gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth, and my smile kissed the edges of my beard.

We'd crested the line of hills outside town, ending up at a small outcropping that looked down on it. The city was aglow below us, twinkling and shimmering to mirror the night sky in amber and cyan. Judging by Jewel's breathless reaction, I'd gambled correctly. I'd never been out here with her before.

In truth, I'd only come out to that spot once before, during high school with a girl I could no longer remember save the fact she'd wanted to go home early. If not for my memory loss, it would have remained buried in my subconscious forever.

But now? That moment was ours to share.

"Oh! Oh, Brad, it's beautiful!" Jewel squealed. "I never imagined there was a spot like this just outside town. However did you find it?"