With everything that has been going on the past few days, I thought I would give Lily a break and take her out on a proper date now that we're official. But I don't want to be the typical dinner and a movie guy. I want to do something special.
"I still don't understand why you want me to wear sneakers. My flats look a lot better with this outfit," Lily whines as she brushes out her hair.
"I went through a lot of trouble to plan this date. Trust me, you'll want good walking shoes," I say.
"Are we walking somewhere?" she asks.
"Maybe," I say.
"We're walking somewhere," she confirms to herself. "Can you just tell me what we're doing now?"
"Nope, not yet," I say.
"It's going to get dark soon, you know," she says.
"That's the point. Don't worry, I'll protect you from the bandits," I joke.
"Are there bandits in your neighborhood?" Lily asks, not having sensed the sarcasm in my voice.
"No, Lily. All I'm trying to say is that you'll be safe," I say. Lily laughs a little.
"Oh, okay," she mumbles, slightly embarrassed. I kiss her cheek.
"I'll be downstairs when you're ready," I say. She nods and I slip out so that I can gather our supplies. My mother has already packed our picnic, and I gather a blanket from the closet, a flashlight, and my blue tooth speaker. By the time I've finished, Lily is coming down the stairs, eyeballing my collection of items.
"We're going on a picnic?" she asks excitedly.
"A special picnic," I say, grinning.
"What makes it special?" she asks.
"You'll have to wait and find out," my mother says. "Now you two run along. You don't want to be out too late. We'll leave the door unlocked, but we'll probably be in bed by the time you two come back,"
"You sure you want to go up there? My knee has been aching, I think it's going to rain," my father says.
"Up where?" Lily asks. I ignore her.
"Oh come on dad, your knee doesn't predict the weather. It's been clear skies all day. We'll be perfectly fine," I say.
"You remember the last time you said that? We got snowed in at our cabin," my father says.
"Pure coincidence," I say. "Come on Lily, let's go."
"But up where?" she asks again.
"Can you please just let it be a surprise?" I ask.
"Surprises are hard for me. I'm a very impatient person when I'm excited," she whines.
"Yes, I can tell. But you'll find out soon, if we could leave," I say.
"Okay, okay. Let's go. Bye, see you guys later," Lily says.
"Bye sweetheart, have fun and be safe," my mother says. I grab my keys from off the counter, and we head out the door. It's only a short drive to the trail head from my house, and as soon as she sees it, there are stars in her eyes.
"We're going on a hike?" she asks excitedly. I nod.
"Yep, there's a lookout that's only about a fifteen minute hike. We'll eat there. It's the perfect place for stargazing in a place like this that's overrun with buildings," I say.
"Ooh, I love stars. The galaxy is so beautiful," she says.
"I figured," I say, gesturing to her galaxy printed leggings. She blushes slightly.
YOU ARE READING
A Library Romance
RomanceHe'd been watching her in the library for days. She'd noticed him, but said nothing. It was fun that way. It was their little game, hide and seek without ever acknowledging that they had been found. Until Milo gets a speeding ticket and ends up doin...
