He was the boy that no one noticed. He was quiet, bland to the naked eye, a total wallflower who sat on the sidelines and lacked in eye contact with those around him though he had the type of eyes that made you feel like you could drown. He tried hi...
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The last time I was even this far out of town had been the night Alyssa and I decided we wanted to skinny dip in Lover's Lake, a sad excuse of a puddle about a mile from Lover's Land. It had reminded me of a horror film or maybe even Jaws, which we both joked about while wading in the gross, dark pond water. It hid our rebelling bodies well and it had freaked me out because I couldn't see what was under me.
It had been a pretty exhilarating night until Danny and Ryan had figured out where we were and stole our clothing. That had been an interesting night home. And they knew I was afraid of the dark.
But glancing over at the person beside me made all my worries fade away.
Most of his injuries have faded from a pungent purple to a tauny yellow. He no longers grimaces when he moves. It only took a few weeks.
"If I remember right there's a sign that says Private Property right before the road ends. You can pull onto that road and then park in one of the fields," Nate instructs. "Don't worry," he adds, a smile pulling up on his lips. "I have permission from the land owners to be here."
His hands clutch at the blankets in his lap and I can tell he is filled with nerves. That would make two of us. But my nerves were the good kind. The kind that make you feel like you're floating because of the butterflies batting their large wings in your stomach.
Sure enough, the sign comes into view and I pull into the first open grass area. It hadn't been hard talking my dad into letting me borrow his pickup tonight because he didn't know that I did. He was fast asleep at home from a double shift at the hospital.
"Bummer," I smile and shut off the ignition. "I was hoping for a wicked police chase."
Nate shakes his head and he smiles over at me. "Things are never boring with you, are they?"
We step out and Nate slides his hand along the rusted exterior until he reaches the bed of the truck. With skillful fingers, he unlatches the back and lifts himself up to fly out the blankets.
While he does this, I round the truck and retrieve the cooler that was at his feet in the passenger seat. The slam on the old door echoes through the vass void of night sky blanketing us. Walking to the bed of the truck was difficult considering it had rained for the past few weeks and the muddy grass is all but keeping my weight above the mucky dirt.
I inhale loudly, the musky aroma awakening my senses. My eyes briefly close as I tip my head back. When they reopen, I gasp at the sight.
It suddenly dawns on me what he has planned for us tonight.
We are going to star gaze.
Warmness fills the center of my chest at the thought that he remembered me describing being taken out and how good of a memory it was for me even though I had never seen a shooting star. But looking at Nate as he spreads his body weight over the blankets to make sure they reached all sides of the back, I couldn't think of anything else I would wish for that wasn't right in front of me.
