American Honey

“Nope,” I laughed. “Those doe eyes aren’t going to work on me.” I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince more – her or me. When she looked at me that way it was hard not to give her whatever the hell she asked for.

“Hmph,” she grumbled and looked back out the window but never let go of my hand.

We continued down the road and soon it turned to gravel and she turned to me again. She opened her mouth to say something, but I gave her a stern look and she clamped it shut. I had to fight from laughing; she looked so frustrated.

I made one last turn down an old logging road. We finally came to a clearing and I parked the truck. “Wait here,” I told her before getting out and getting some stuff from the back of the truck. I had thought about taking her to some fancy restaurant for dinner, but that wasn’t really who I was. I was a simple guy with simple needs. Despite her city upbringing, I got the vibe from her she was a simple girl. Guess I would find out tonight.

I laid out a blanket on the grass and looked up. She was moving around in the truck, trying to get a glimpse of what I was doing. She probably had an idea by now that I was setting up a picnic dinner for us. Her grandma had provided me with some cold chicken and other sides and I had picked up a couple bottles of cheap champagne. I set up some music on my phone and put out the vase with a couple of wild flowers I got last minute for an extra touch.

I stood up and surveyed my work. I hoped she wasn’t disappointed. I went back to the truck and opened the door, offering her my hand to help her down.

“What is this place?” She asked looking around as she stepped down. I held onto her hand as we walked over to the blanket I laid out for us.

“I found it one night when I went for a drive to clear my head. The sun was setting and it was so beautiful. I come back every once in awhile and I wanted to share it with you.”

She sat down on the blanket and checked out all the food. “You did all of this for me?”

I nodded and joined her, sitting close. “Of course. I have to admit, your grandma helped with the food, but everything else was me.”

She threw her arms around my neck. “Thank you,” she whispered, holding me tight. “No one’s ever done anything like this for me.”

Her comment made me wonder what kind of men she dated before me. They must have been total assholes. Who wouldn’t want to give her the world?

“I thought maybe you would be disappointed. I figured guys take you to fancy restaurants in the city and you would think this was lame,” I admitted.

She shook her head furiously, her hair moving around her face. “No way. This is by far the best thing ever.”

I grinned, happy that I had made her smile. We dug into the food, talking about her time spent in Mountain growing up. She didn’t talk about her parents very much, mentioning her Grandma the most. I could tell the two of them had a pretty special relationship.

“What about your parents?” She asked, taking a sip from her cup of champagne. We were on our second bottle and she laughed at me when I poured it into the red plastic cups I brought.

“You met my dad,” I replied. “It’s always been he and I. My mom left when I was young and I haven’t talked to her since. She has never wanted anything to do with me.” I shrugged and picked at a pretend piece of grass on my leg.

Kara put her hand on my arm. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s ok.” I took her hand in mine. “I’ll be honest though. My dad has been hung up on her all of these years. He’s never really moved on. He’s been on a date here or there, but he’s still pining away for her and I think he hopes she’s going to come back. I vowed I would never fall for someone like that.” I reached my other hand up and cupped her cheek. “Until I met you. Now I finally get it.”

She brought a hand up to touch my mine. “JT,” she said softly.

I put a finger to her lips. “Don’t say anything, Kara. I know we just met and this is all brand new. It’s crazy, but I’m totally falling for you.”

She moved my fingers. “I’m falling for you too,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

I leaned in and kissed her gently. “Good.”

We cleaned up our picnic, leaving the champagne and music, so we could lie back on the blanket. I had brought along a lantern for when it was dark, but I turned it off so we could look at the stars. It was another clear night and I was always amazed at how full of stars the sky was out here away from all of the city lights.

I had my arm around her shoulder and she was settled against my side. She seemed to fit perfectly there, like our bodies were made to go together like two puzzle pieces.

“Look!” I pointed up to the sky. “A shooting star!”

“Where?” she asked excitedly. “I missed it. Did you make a wish?”

I looked down at her. “I did.”

“What did you wish for?” She asked breathlessly.

“I can’t tell you or it won’t come true,” I murmured before bending my head to kiss her.