Sweet Lantern

Chapter 12

Alice

Once we're in his car, I can't contain my curiosity any longer. I'm shifting in my seat and bouncing with excitement. "Where are we going, Darry?" I ask, unable to wait any longer.

"You'll see", he says, a big grin on his face.

We drive through town and I see some of Darry's friends sitting at a table outside the Cedar Ridge Cafe. They see us and wave as we pass by, silly grins plastered to each of their faces. "They're really happy for you", I tell Darry, astonished by how much they care about us being together. "They're really happy for us", he corrects me, putting his hand on my knee and squeezing it gently.

When we are passing the "Leaving Cedar Ridge" sign, I roll my window down and put my hand out to feel the wind blowing on my skin. It's a warm day but the wind is cool. I move my hand up and down, playing with the force of the wind, letting my hand rise and fall by its push and pull. I look over and see Darry smiling at me, watching me playing in the breeze.

The car stops, and we pull off the road onto a dirt road, well more of a dirt path, really. Darry's driving us into the woods. I look at him and raise an eyebrow. "Wait, where are we going exactly?" I ask, unsure of the destination and whether there will be snakes and bugs and other creepy crawlies.

"Almost there... be patient a little longer."

When we stop, we're in a small clearing in the middle of this wooded area. He puts the car in park and comes around to open my door. "Watch your step", he says, looking down at the muddy area under my door. He grabs my hand and helps me step over the mushy brown mess below my feet. I jump over and fall into him, laughing as he catches me and holds me up from falling into the mud.

Darry picks me up by both of my elbows and moves me to the solid, dry ground. He turns me around to face him and grabbing the back of my head, he pulls me into him, kissing my mouth. I feel the fire burn through me. But it's over as fast as it began. He's pulling me with him again, walking in front of the car. The space before us is so beautiful, full of colorful flowers. The purples and whites and yellows all dancing in the summer breeze blowing across the field.

"How did you find this place?" I murmur quietly, shocked by the beauty that is filling up my eyes.

"I was just out driving, and it caught my eye, so I went exploring. I come here to think, to get away from the noise and the chaos", he tells me.

He sits on the plush green grass and pats the ground for me to join him. I sit and he reaches over, hooking his arm around my waist, he pulls me closer to him. "So, do you like it?" he asks.

"I love it, Darry. It's so... beautiful."

He's staring at me while I take in the scene around us, with a small smile curled at the sides of his mouth and eyes. Those big, amazing hazel eyes look right into me and it feels so nice being here with him, like this. His arm around me, no responsibilities, no one telling us what to do or where to go. It's just us and the birds. The wind sweeps by and lifts my hair from my neck, sending a chill up my spine and goosebumps along my skin.

I lay down on my back and look up at the sky. The birds flying around above me make me wish I could be as free. They can come and go as they please, seeing a different town every day if they want. They don't have to stay and tend to the family nest or feel responsible for anyone else's happiness. I envy the birds.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I hear Darry's voice break through my daydreams. He's raised up on his elbow, leaning over, watching me. He moves my hair from my face and the warmth of his hand against my skin feels great. He bends down to kiss my cheek, "I love you", he tells me. "I knew you'd love this place. That's why I wanted to bring you here. It's our place, just yours and mine, Alice." He says as he kisses me softly on my shoulder and brushes my hair away from my face again.

We stay for a few hours in the field, talking and laughing. I ask him how long he's known his feelings for me, and he tells me that he's been aware of his feelings for a long time, and he wanted to tell me, but he always chickened out. He tells me about the first time he knew, when we were only five! All this time, I had no idea and we've been so close. Closer with each other than with anyone else in our lives. Knowing this now and thinking back over all these years, I can see it. I can see where he loved me, and why he did certain things that's he done. Behaviors that I thought were just normal, because it's all I'd ever known, like him always being there, no matter the time or the circumstance. Him always making sure I was safe, even if it meant fighting someone that was being rude to me for whatever reason. Darry's loved me for a long time and he's just lived with this inner turmoil, suffering alone, in silence.

My heart fills up and I can't believe so much time was lost with my not knowing. I'm a little disappointed but more than that I'm so glad he finally said something. I can't imagine not having Darry next to me, now and every day. He stands up and walks over to the field of colorful flowers. I raise up on my elbows to watch him move across the field, bending down and picking flower after flower, until he's holding a small bouquet of colors in his hand when he turns back to me. He's walking back, lifting the gorgeous bouquet to his nose and smelling their sweet scent. He smiles over the flowers and bends down in front of me to hand them to me. I smile and lift them to my nose, taking in their wonderful scent.
I put them down beside me and hook my hand around his neck, pulling him down to me, feeling the weight of his body on mine, I kiss his soft lips.

On the drive back, he holds my hand the whole way, not letting go even to turn the steering wheel. From time to time, he'll look over at me and smile, then he brings our hands up and kisses the back of my hand. These little gestures make my heart sing. I am so lucky to be in love with my best friend. He's so sweet and thoughtful. And the way he looks at me, there's no denying how he feels. I don't know how I've missed that look for all this time. It makes my skin feel like it's on fire, every time, in a good way.

"Stop! Darry, pullover, right here", I tell him, and he slows down, pulling to the side of the road.

We're parked on the shoulder of the road beside a beautiful lake in the middle of nowhere. "Fancy a swim?" I ask, with a sly smile across my lips, and step out into the warm summer air.