Daisies for Milo

March 24, 2000

Milo walked up the grass covered hill, picnic basket in hand. He adjusted the sleeves of his black sweater, rolling them up to his elbows. As he approached the top he saw a silhouette of a man in a white button up and jacket. He saw the boys raven hair swaying in the breeze. His hands rested comfortably in his pockets. It was their first date. Boy was Milo nervous. More than nervous. He was terrified. Milo's palms were sweaty, his cheeks were pink and flushed as he approached the taller boy.

"Hi Hugo," Milo started, unsure of what to say next "I'm glad you decided to come"

The taller boy smiled sweetly, helping Milo drape the red and white checkered blanket over the soft grass. Milo then began to unpack the picnic basket fiddling with the lid in an attempt to distract himself from the butterflies in his stomach. Once he finally got the basket open he pulled out some sandwiches and two bottles of Coca-cola. Hugo's face turned a shade of pink at the effort Milo had put into their date, and what did Hugo bring? A singular daisy.

"What's wrong?" Milo asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Nothing...It's just you did so much for the date and all I brought you was this" Hugo replied, slightly ashamed as he pulled the perfect white daisy out from behind his back.

Milo's jaw dropped slightly at the sight of the beautiful flower held in Hugo's hand, it's petals looked soft and the center of it was a bright yellow hue. It couldn't be more perfect. Milo reached out and grasped the stem of the flower gently and blushing slightly as his hand grazed Hugo's warm hand.

"It's beautiful, Thank you" Milo smiled at the delicate flower in his hand, before gulping down the last of his coca-cola and turning it into a temporary vase for the daisy.

As the sun went down over the forest glade, The pair sat in a comfortable silence, listening to the birds singing and hearing a distant rustle in the nearby bushes. The two lovesick boys were new to love. Even at the tender age of 17, they knew love was a thing that could come and go so easily. Making the most of it while you can. But love was one of those things that neither of them ever considered. Alas, here they were, two throbbing hearts longing for what they hold so dear.

Milo took a glance at his date, his eyes wandering to every feature of the dark-haired boys' face. Hugo's black hair was slicked back, defining every feature of his stern but soft expression. Milo wanted so badly to count the freckles that danced like stars on Hugo's face. He wanted to make Hugo laugh, just to see the dimple that appeared on his right cheek every time. If you thought about it, you could say that Milo and Hugo were complete opposites. Milo's hair curled lightly, and was a sweet honey blonde. His eyes were blue like the Atlantic ocean.

The sun had finally gone down, and the night sky was slowly getting darker. Milo rustled through the picnic basket in search of something only Hugo could guess it was. The blonde boy pulled out a string of lights, gleaming with pride at the idea. The old willow tree they were perched under was perfect for such occasions. Milo tried to hop up to the lowest branch, struggling slightly to pull himself up. Hugo grabbed Milo's foot and gave him the extra boost he needed to get up. Milo started to string the lights all over the branches, hopping between one and another to criss cross the lights until he covered most of the tree. Then descended back to the ground and flicked a switch on the lights' battery box. The entire tree was illuminated with a warm glow almost instantly. The pair retreated back to their spot on the checkered blanket, staring up at the lights that hung off the branches of the tree.

Milo shivered slightly at the sudden evening breeze. He rolled down the sleeves of his black sweater, hugging himself to keep warm. Hugo sensed this and turned his head to look at the smaller boy. He had his hands wrapped in his sweater, and Hugo knew exactly what to do.