Never As It Seems

Chapter 44

"Babe wake up."

Amber slowly came to and groggily looked towards the window.

"It's still dark. What's wrong?" She yawned.

"Nothing. But there's somewhere we need to go. Jump in the shower quickly and I'll meet you downstairs in ten." Jay kissed her on the head and left the room, already fully dressed Amber noticed.

Twenty minutes later, she met him by the front door and he handed her her jacket. He opened the door and rushed out. Amber grabbed his sleeve.

"Jay! We're not running away are we?" She asked, her heart beginning to race.

He laughed. "No. I'm not stupid. Just trust me." He stepped behind her and maneuvered her out of the door.

It was cold in the car and Jay switched the heat on while Amber huddled into her coat and tried to keep her eyes open.

They widened eventually though, when Jay pulled the car into the familiar and dark car park and she smiled, realising the tour of memories was continuing.

"It's so dark!" She half whined and half giggled as they tramped through the woods.

"Want me to carry you again?" He stopped, moved in front of her and pressed his nose against hers.

"No thank you. I'm perfectly capable." She smirked.

"Yes. You are." He said with so many meanings.

When they emerged into the clearing by the lake, a flood of memories and with them, emotions hit them both and they remained thoughtfully quiet as they walked. Eventually they stopped in the area where they and their friends had spent the night a few short months before. Jay opened the backpack she had seen him put in the car the day before and he produced some blankets. He spread one on the ground and they sat. The other one, he wrapped around them both.

"Why are we here so early?" Amber asked him.

"Lots of reasons." He sighed. "Because we were here at night and early in the morning the first time. Because I want to spend every minute with you that I can."

Amber pushed herself closer to him.

"It's a bit colder this time."

"Yeah I'm sorry about that. Here..." He removed an arm from around her and dug a flask of coffee and two cups from the bag. "... This should help."

She took her cup and leaned into him again, enjoying the effect of the hot liquid and the warm cup to wrap her hands around.

"We had a lot of firsts here." Jay said thoughtfully.

"Yeah." Amber smiled at the memories. "My first tea with sugar."

"Not quite what I was thinking of." He kissed her head. "Do you ever wonder what your life would have been like if we hadn't met? Or if you'd have told me to get lost that day?"

"No. I wouldn't ever want to think about it."

"It would be far less stressful." He mused.

"You don't know that.." She turned to look at him. "I don't regret meeting you, or kissing you or agreeing to be yours or even drinking your sugary tea." She smiled. "None of it. And I never will. So shut up and let me get back to enjoying the moment."

He smiled back. "I wonder what we would have been like if we were a normal couple?"

"We'd have been arguing over silly things and breaking up and getting back together and arguing some more."