I'll Be Seeing You

Fifteen.

"Wakey wakey," Mark said, leaning down to kiss me on the cheek.

"Do I have to?" I mumbled, still buried in the warmth of the blankets.

"Yes, ma'am. It's Friday and we've got things to do!"

"Oh yeah," I said, slowly sitting up and blinking against the morning light. "Are you finally going to tell me what the big surprise is?"

"Nope," he said, grinning like a little kid. "But you have to promise you won't be mad."

"Mad? Oh God. What did you do?"

"Nothing bad... but I do know how you are."

"Not sure if that's a compliment or a warning," I said as I climbed out of bed and opened the closet. "So, what's the dress code? Should I go with my 'recently abandoned in a field look, or should I make myself presentable?"

"Definitely presentable. You can rock the hobo chic look tomorrow—when we go fishing."

"Sounds good." I smiled and gave him a quick kiss before heading toward the bathroom. He gave me that cute little grin he always wore when I showed him affection. I swear, it never got old.

He said to look presentable, so I curled my hair and put on some light makeup. Okay... maybe it wasn't exactly light, but I figured better to be a little overdressed than show up somewhere looking like I just crawled out of a dumpster. Plus, I'd just gotten my hair and nails done—perfect timing, really.

I took a step back and looked at myself in the mirror. There she was—the girl I used to know. The one with the spark in her eye. I'd missed her.

Mark had a cup of coffee waiting for me in the kitchen  and bless that man—no matter how I tried, mine never tasted as good as his. He always nailed the perfect mix of cream, sugar, and caramel. I either drowned it in creamer or forgot I wasn't trying to drink battery acid. But Mark? He had it down to a science. A smooth, sweet, soul-warming science.

"You are stunning," he said, spinning me gently to get a full look. "I've never laid eyes on anyone as beautiful as you."

"Oh, stop," I said, trying to brush it off, but my face was already on fire. Even after all this time, he still knew how to make me blush like a schoolgirl.

"No, seriously. You're drop-dead gorgeous. But let me shut up before I get carried away—we need to get moving."

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked, trying for one last hint.

"Nice try," he laughed. "You'll see when we get there. But we've gotta make a quick stop at Dad's first."

"Okay, okay. I give up."

"Just trust me." He leaned in and kissed me, and just like that, the nerves melted.

I was curious, of course—but even more intrigued by the pit stop at his dad's place. I figured maybe it had something to do with the company, since Mark was officially taking over next week. But if that were the case, they could've waited until our fishing trip tomorrow. So why the rush?

Eventually, I gave up playing the guessing game and leaned my head against the window, watching the clouds drift across the sky. Ever since I was little, I've loved cloud-gazing—finding shapes, faces, animals. There's something about the sky that calms me, reminds me that there's a world outside my own thoughts. Nature really is stunning when you take the time to see it.

Mark kept one hand on my leg the whole ride, his thumb tracing slow circles. Every now and then, I'd glance over at him, and without fail, catch myself smiling. This man—this kind, steady, beautiful soul—would do anything for me. He already had, time and time again. And he loved me. Fully. Flaws and all. How it took me this long to see it... I'll never understand.