Farewell, Soldier

Chapter Three

        He leads outside, then looks around for a moment. I wasn't sure where we were going, or what we were doing. All I knew, is when he looked me in the eyes with those crystal blue eyes that had a deep need in them, I had to go. I might have done anything to make him smile in that moment.

I don't ask questions as he starts walking. "I did a little research before I came here", he begins. I have trouble keeping up, where I was in flats and he was in boots. "Everywhere I go, I usually try to find the best place to just.. relax for a while. But I took a little detour before I went, which I usually don't do".  He tilts his head in thought once he says this, then shakes his head.

     I look at him, wondering what's on his mind as we walk. Like I said, I was lingering behind him considering he was walking so fast. Once he notices, he stops so I can catch up, making me giggle a little. "I'm sorry. You'd think I'd be a fast walker, considering I'm a server. But..." I shrug, making him chuckle.

  His chuckle was deep, as was his voice and it seemed to brighten the sun just a little more. "C'mon" he says and takes my hand, that way, I couldn't linger behind. "You have no reason to trust me, but I wanted to show you something. Apparently not a lot of people in this town know about this place".

   I hum softly when he says this. My town was small, that was obvious. So the thought of a place that not many had been to? That was unheard of. Borderline impossible, actually. There was no way he was going to blow my mind with some new discovery. But I wasn't going to tell him that and bust his bubble.

   I was looking around my old, children of the corn looking town, and sigh. "What's going on in that head of yours?", he asks me softly and I look over at him, hm'ing in response. "You're looking off into the distance. I can tell you're in pretty deep thought about something. Tell me".

   I laugh a little and shake my head. "My mind doesn't run very deep, unfortunately. I was just..", I begin, then sigh. "I don't think you can show me anywhere in my town that's going to blow my mind. I've seen it all. It's gray and it's sad and it's... cold. Not the type of cold that makes you shiver, it's the inward cold, that makes your insides ache and tense for something different".

   As soon as I say it, I blush brightly. I'd never told anyone my actual opinions on it. Then again, no one had ever asked me what I was thinking. When I look up to see his expression, I find that his mind is somewhere else. A different world or a different reality. It seemed like an intimate moment that I didn't want to ruin, so I stay silent.

  He doesn't speak for a while. He just keeps a grasp on my hand, his grip tightening occasionally as if on cue with his mind twisting and turning. We come to a spot where it's either a dead end, or the pathway to the town hall. "Um"... I begin when he continues the path towards the dead end. "Wait what're you doing?  No one ever goes here".

   He looks down at me with a smirk. "Doubted me too quick, did you, Miss small town cafe?", he chuckles again and I was dumbfounded. "Trust me".

  "I am doubting you. There's nothing up there. Just.. woods and trees and grass" I argue and simply shake my head, stopping and tugging at his hand. He doesn't budge though, just keeps walking, dragging me along. When he sees that I'm not walking on my own after a few steps, he stops.

  "Come on, really. I promise that this is amazing. Maybe it can be the beauty you find in all this gray", he says softly. I didn't believe this. There was nothing here that was beautiful or good. Not in the people or the buildings. If California was where dreams come true, this is the place they come to die.

    I decide to give it a chance. We'd go and I'd show him that there was nothing worth seeing. We walk through the woods for what seems like hours, but I know it was more like 45 minutes. I wanted to give up, tell him to go back and this was silly.

  I do, actually, begin to tell him this. That is until we come to a clearing and he stands idly by, smirking slightly, waiting for me to go through. I raise an eyebrow to go through, and once I do, my breath is taken away.

  Right through the clearing, was the most beautiful water fountain I'd ever seen.