I take merely moments to carve our initials into the tree; J and J for eva. Joshua and Julia. High school sweet hearts. Well, just school sweethearts really; we met on our very first day. She was my first kiss, and I got into my first fight claiming her back off some idiot guy she'd taken a shine to; Harry Clearwater. Now one of my best friends, once he learnt she was nobody's but mine. Harry and Billy loved to tease me for things like this; the little 'soppy' things I like to do for her. I love the look on her face when she sees them; her eyes becoming so large and shining and bright they dominate her entire face. If I'm honest, I like the physical response I have to them too.
* * * * *
"Where were you in last period?" Julia's eyes berate at the same time they laugh.
"Ah, who needs history, I mean what's done is done right? I'm all about the here and now."
She rolls her eyes, the same way she always does. "Josh, you're such a dork."
I scoop up her swinging hand. "Yep, that's me. And I have something extremely dorky to show you." I start running, pulling her along breathlessly behind me, papers scatter over the grass.
"Joshua! Slow down! They might be important..." Her hand slips from mine. I slow down and look back to see her wistfully gazing at the ground.
"Nothing's more important than you and me, baby."
As always I throw her out of her serious mood and into one more like my own; carefree and spontaneous. Laughing, she drops her remaining bundle, runs with me into the trees. It takes us a while, stopping to make out between hikes, before we reach a small clearing where all we can hear is the faint crashing of the surf and the terrified scurry of small animals in the underbrush.
I cover her eyes with my hands, which she brushes at, and pull her over to the trees.
She giggles as I release her to view my masterpiece. "Oh, Joshua, you really are a dork. But you're my dork."
Trees have other uses too, apparently.