It must've been the wind...

Chapter Seven: The Old Gravel Road

As we stray farther and farther away from the party, I notice we're near an old gravel road I used to walk on as a kid to go fishing. It's real late but the spot is perfect to go to when you want to look and admire the night sky. "Can I show you something?" I ask her with a smile. "Show me what?" She asks curiously. "Let me show you!" I exclaim excitedly as I grab her hand and lead her to my old hangout spot. I didn't honestly realize I grabbed her hand, but I was happy I did. She didn't even try to take her hand away. In fact, she held onto my hand tight. As we run together down the old gravel road, I look back at her and Cassidy's smiling and laughing. "Where are we going?" She asks while giggling. "You'll see, we're almost there." I reply excitedly. "Here we are." I said as I show Cassidy, and as she sees the wide-open lake with the moon and stars shining above, she starts to smile like I've never seen before.

As I look at her, I also realize that I'm still holding her hand, and I think she realized it too because once we noticed we were still holding hands we let go at the same time and at the same time said sorry to each other. I felt my face get red and my heart beat out of my chest. We sat down and admired the night sky. "So, what do you think?" I ask her nervously. "I've never actually been somewhere where I was able to actually see all the stars." Cassidy replies. All I could think about was how happy she looked. Since the day I met her, I don't think I've ever seen her smile so much. It made me happy to see her smile. Just seeing her so happy made me almost forget why I was constantly thinking and worrying about her. We just keep looking up at the night sky I was starting to feel awkward I knew I needed to strike conversation. "Do you like it out here?" I ask. Cassidy looks at me, her eyes shining brighter than the stars themselves. "Yes. I love it out here." She said.

Cassidy looks back up at the sky and lets out a deep sigh. I scoot a little closer to her and ask her what's wrong. She looks at me again, but this time kind of teary eyed. "This is one of the first times I've truly felt free." She said choking up. "What do you mean?" I ask concerned. "I can't really describe the situation I'm in, it would only make it worse for me." She said trying not to cry. I look at her and grab her hand thinking could she be in the bad situation I've been thinking? An abusive relationship with Andrew? I just tried to think of the possibilities, but I also knew that in this moment Cassidy needed comfort. I reach out and grab her hand in order to try to comfort her and tell her "You know, if you ever need anyone or anything, I'm here for you." Cassidy starts to shed a tear, but before it can run down her face, I wipe it away. I just look at her in the eyes, "You shouldn't shed any tears. A smile on your face looks much better." I said, as I keep my hand on her cheek and my other hand holding hers.

She turns to look back up at the sky, and I do the same. "So, how did you find this place anyway?" Cassidy asks. I think about all the times as a kid I would go fishing here or come here to get my mind off things if I got overwhelmed. It was a safe haven for me. "I found it looking for a new fishing spot one day, and since then it's just been somewhere I'd come if I needed some time to myself. Only three people know about it, You, me and Derrik." I said to Cassidy as she's admiring the beauty of the night. "You chose a nice spot. I'm honored to know where it's at." She said with a chuckle. "The honor is mine to have you here." I said with a smile. Cassidy smiles once again and keeps admiring the shining stars. "I can't believe how beautiful it is out here." She said. We turn to each other, look into one another's eyes, and I reply to Cassidy with my heart beating and my face getting red, "Yeah, beautiful." We lean into each other slowly, is this it? Am I actually going to kiss the girl I've had a crush on since day I met her? But just before our lips can touch, I hear a real familiar voice in the distance. A voice I can't stand to hear. It can only be one person. It's Andrew, and he's not happy.