Disclaimer: Not mine, yada, yada...

A/N: Okay folks, to show my appreciation for all the fabulous comments you've left so far, I'm posting a longer chappie. This baby weighs in at 5,728 before any A/Ns or mumbo jumbo. Won't have time to get anything else out over the weekend, so I'll see you all next week. Hope you enjoy the chapter. If so, let me know in a review, please?

Love and light,

~Spudz

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Chapter 6

I was pacing what little floor space I had in my room and glancing at the clock with every pass, when I realized just how manic I was acting. "What the hell's the matter with you?" I muttered, then realized I was talking to myself, which didn't lend credence to any sort of mental stability either.

Still…

"It's only a date, Swan, geezus, get your shit together…"

I said this while staring into the full-length mirror on the closet door. I'd changed clothes three times, only to wind up back in the outfit I'd chosen the first time: a snug, dark blue tank, fitted long-sleeved white eyelet shirt, my best snug jeans, and low-heeled brown leather boots.

Okay, so I was no Alice Cullen when it came to fashion, but the jeans made my ass look fantastic, so there was that.

I tilted my head and fluffed the girls, then smiled. I was pretty damn impressed with how they looked in the new bra I'd bought. It was a dark-blue soft lace affair and yeah, I'd gone all-out, so the panties matched. Uptown, right?

"At least my boobs are ready for this date."

See? Now I'm just talking out loud, rather than to myself, and that's a totally sane thing to do.

'Sure, Bell-z-bub, whatever makes ya feel better…'

I totally heard that thought in Pete's voice. The man's a menace…

I leaned closer to check out my make-up one more time, and rolled my lips together, not at all used to the feel of lip-stick. Really, it was more of a lip-blush with a slight sheen to it. It had a subtle taste to it, too; berry breeze or some shit.

Okay, so it was aimed at the pre-teen market, but it was tasty, so whatever…

I heard a knock at the door and my heart stuttered. 6:00 pm. He was right on time.

The thought of not answering tip-toed through my mind for a scant second, but then I dismissed it.

That just wouldn't be cool.

Not cool at all…

But in my defense, I hadn't been this nervous in…geezus…I don't think I'd ever been this damn nervous, for anything.

It was ridiculous.

Sliding on my mental big-girl panties, I went to the door, wiped my hands on my jeans and opened it.

He greeted me with a smile and that voice that made me wanna purr and rub up against him like a cat. "Hello, Bella."

He was dressed in a tailored, dark green button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbow, well-fitting black jeans, and boots. His hair was brushed to the side, with some fringe falling over his brow, and those eyes… My God… He could've been a model for GQ down-home country-boy edition.

Green eyes sparkled with amusement as his smile grew to a full-on grin, and only then did I realize I was staring … probably with my mouth open … and I'd yet to say anything.

Damn it…

I cleared my throat.

"Hi, uh, lemme just get…" I waved a hand back toward my bed where I'd set my purse and jacket.

He was still grinning as he hooked his thumbs in his front jeans pockets. "Sure, no problem."

I crossed the room and shouldered the thin strap of the small purse I was using for the night, then draped the jacket over my arm and walked back to him. "Ready."

He stepped back and waited while I locked the door, then walked with me down the stairs. When we reached the parking lot, I blinked and raised a brow at him. "Your bike?"

His smile was a little sheepish. "I hope that's all right? My truck is … well, you'll see when we get there. That is if you still wanna go?"

"Yeah, of course I do! I was just a little surprised, but I don't mind the bike."

His smile brightened and he handed me a helmet. "Good, and I'm sorry for not warnin' ya. Guess I should'a listened to Carol."

I put the helmet on and he held out a women's riding jacket. It looked new.

"Is this your Aunt's?"

His laugh was quiet and he shook his head. "Carol on a bike? Not in a million years, or so she's told me." His smile softened and he glanced down. "I … uh, bought it for you. Hope that's okay." When he raised his eyes to mine, his look was tentative, maybe a little worried.

I still had a problem with accepting gifts, but right now, with the look he was giving me, I couldn't do anything but accept it.

"Thank you, Jason," I said as he helped me into it. After zipping it, and while he was putting his own jacket on, I added, "But I'm paying you back."

He looked up from tugging on riding gloves, and we stared each other down for a few seconds, then he grinned. "Fine. You pay for our next date and we'll call it even."

He slid on his helmet and tightened the strap while watching me with a challenging glint in his eyes, and I smirked. "Who says there'll even be a next date, Whitlock?"

I could see the smile in his eyes as he straddled the bike then held out a hand for me. "There will be, Miss Swan," he said as I put my visor down, climbed on and put my arms around his waist. "I got a good feelin'."

That little thrill curled in my gut at his words, and I smiled as he patted my clasped hands, said a quick "Hang on tight", revved the engine and took off.

He headed Northeast, out of town and took it fairly easy at first, probably to get used to having a passenger.

Once we cleared town and he'd gotten a feel for me as a rider, he opened the bike up and it got fun after that. The road he took helped in that regard. It was off the beaten path with lots of fun, easy curves and zero traffic; a perfect road for a ride.

I was loving it.

Being snug against his warm, toned body with my arms around his waist and hands flat against firm abs had nothing to do with that.

Absolutely nothing…

And pigs do fly.

So do gators…

True story.

After a half hour or so, he started to slow and I could see a park with a lake. Then we pulled in and slowly crossed a wide expanse of grassy area. I was just beginning to wonder where the heck we were going when we rounded a bend and I spotted his truck.

It was parked on a treeless knoll close to the water, and was missing the camper shell.

He pulled up next to it and shut off the bike, then helped me off. As he propped the bike, I took off the helmet and ran a hand through my hair, then curiosity got the better of me and I glanced in the bed of the truck.

It was made up with a thick layer of blankets.

Uh…

My brain shut down for a few seconds.

I swear, nothing but white noise…

After he removed his riding gear, he gave me a nervous smile before launching into an epic bout of verbal diarrhea. "I, uh, thought we could have a picnic, but Texas is kinda known for fire ants, ya know, especially around water, and you can't hardly see the damn things until it's too late, especially in grass like this, so I thought the truck would be better than a blanket on the ground…" He glanced back at the truck and back to me, then sighed and blushed while rubbing the back of his neck.

Poor thing sounded miserable as he hung his head and continued, "But now I see how this could look really, really bad and I just…I didn't mean…I don't want ya thinkin'…"

Oh god, was he ever adorable…

I stepped close and placed a finger on his lips to stop his rambling. When I had his attention, I grinned. Really, it was nice to know I wasn't alone in being a nervous wreck. "Jason, stop. I love picnics. It'll be great, and besides, Pete taught me how to defend myself if I need to, so don't go getting grabby and we'll be good."

I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at the look on his face. "I wouldn't … I would never disrespect ya like that."

I stretched up on my toes and kissed his cheek, then smiled. "We're all good, then. Now let's have a picnic."

His answering smile was kinda goofy — well, as goofy as panty-dropping smiles get, anyway. "Okay, then." He went and let down the tail gate and gestured to the bed of the truck. "You need any help up?" he asked with another light blush staining his cheeks.

I felt some heat in my own cheeks. "No, I got this, thanks." As I stepped up on the bumper and crawled into the bed, he went to the cab, unlocked it and took out a good-sized basket.

He set it in the back and I looked inside it as he tossed back a couple of pillows, then closed the truck door. When I raised a brow at the pillows, he explained, "They're for your back… I mean, oh hell…ya know, just to lean against the cab…"

I finally let him off the hook with a laugh. "Got it, thanks."

He hopped into the bed and took a seat beside me, his back leaning against the cab as I set out the food. I found one of those tall metal thermoses and held it up. "Coffee?" I asked.

"Home made hot chocolate, special recipe, but there's one with coffee in there too, if ya'd rather have that. I packed water, lemonade and sweet tea too. Didn't know what you might like."

I smiled at how unsure he was. "This looks great." And it really did. He'd packed a fresh fruit salad and chicken salad sandwiches, but they weren't like any chicken salad I'd ever seen. They were stuffed pitas and the chicken salad was tangy and had fine slivers of Kalamata olives, cucumber and a hint of garlic. They looked amazing and tasted just as good as they looked. After devouring one, I wiped my mouth with a napkin and asked, "Did your Aunt Carol make these? They're fantastic."

He swallowed a bite and smiled. "I made 'em." Then a shadow entered his eyes but he kept talking, his voice quiet, "When I first came to live with Frank and Carol, it was a … tough time and Carol thought learnin' to cook would give me somethin' to do until I was well enough to start workin'. So, she taught me and as it turns out, I'm kinda good at it."

My brows had inched up as he talked. "I'll say. Your food is delicious. Did you buy the pitas, or…?"

He swallowed a sip of water and shook his head. "No, I made 'em."

"Wow. Well, I don't remember the last time I had food this good. Thank you."

He looked pleased as he quietly said, "My pleasure, Bella."

We fell into a comfortable silence as we finished eating and I couldn't help but relax while listening to the sounds of the crickets and frogs hiding out in the reeds by the lake. Other than those sounds, it was completely quiet here; no other people in sight.

The sun was just sinking in the horizon when I gasped as I finally caught my first glimpse of fire-flies, or lightnin' bugs as the locals called them. "Jason! Look! Oh my god, there's so many and they're beautiful."

He'd been putting things back in the basket and now he set it aside before relaxing back with a smile. "They're one of my favorite things about this place. I use to drive out here quite often, just to be alone and think, ya know? The peace of the place, and the sounds of it…" He smiled and gestured to the tiny flashing creatures, "Along with the show the lightnin' bugs so graciously put on when the sun starts settin'… I think it makes this place as close to perfect as one can get."

He leaned back on the pillow, one arm propped behind his head while watching the tiny bugs blink away in the deepening dusk and I eased back next to him, our arms and shoulders brushing.

I felt his arm move behind me and heard him ask, "May I?"

"Yeah, I think I'd like that," I murmured as he put his arm around me and pulled me closer.

I went with it and snuggled into him, then smiled as he quietly said, "This is nice."

"Yeah, it is." I rested my hand on his chest and he reached down and placed his free hand over it and we just laid there, listening to the sounds of nature.

Soon enough, it was dark and though his voice was quiet when he spoke, it still caused me to start. "Bella?"

"Yeah?" I asked without moving.

"Who's Pete?"

I tensed. "What?"

"Pete. You mentioned him earlier … that he taught ya how to defend yourself. I was… I was just wonderin' who he is to ya."

I grinned and patted his chest. "Peter likes to call himself my Uncle, but to me, he's more like the pain in the ass older brother I never had and didn't think to ask for. I love him though, but it's completely platonic. Besides, he has a wife, Charlotte, and I love her too."

I felt him relax and heard him release a slow breath. "Good."

I nodded and laced my fingers with his. "He… Well, Peter saved me when no one else cared to, at least no one that could have. I wouldn't be here today if not for him and Charlotte."

His thumb gently rubbed my skin. "How did he save ya, if you don't mind me askin'?"

'Shit… How to answer without saying too much?'

"When … I was in high school, I met this guy and we started dating. Well, one day, while we were playing baseball with his family, these three strangers showed up and wanted to play too. Well, things got outta hand, and there was a fight.

"My boyfriend fought one of the guys and he … won. Well, as it turns out, the girl in the group was kinda psycho and didn't know how to let stuff go, especially since it was her boyfriend that got his ass handed to him. So she bided her time and when my boyfriend and his family moved away, she decided it was a fine idea to come after me."

He looked down at me with a frown. "Come after ya? To what? Beat you up?"

"No, it was a little more serious than that. When she finally caught up with me, I was in Northern California. See, I knew she was trying to get to me and I didn't want to put my dad in danger, so I ran. Well, one night in Cali, I was heading back to my truck from getting dinner and she attacked me and dragged me into an alley.

"She … she almost killed me. She would have if Pete hadn't come along. He … he took care of her, and then took me back to where he and Charlotte were staying at the time. They patched me up and nursed me back to health. I spent a couple more months with them and then we parted ways."

He pulled me closer and I felt him kiss my head but then he asked, "Took care of her? Bella, what do you mean by that?"

I sat up a bit and looked up at him to see his brows drawn into a frown. "I … I've said all I can about it." I reached up and touched his cheek. "Please don't ask me any more about it. She was out to kill me and Pete did what he had to do. That's all I know. I didn't ask for details."

He hugged me into his side and ran his fingers through my hair. "Okay, I understand and I'm glad he was there for ya."

"Thanks," I said, relaxing into his side again.

"How long's it been since you've seen 'em?"

I shrugged. "They left the country to travel Europe after that, and it'd been about two years. They're back in the US now though, and I got to see them not too long ago." I hated the white lie, but Peter had asked me not to involve them with any of the locals, so I wouldn't.

Jason's fingers carded my hair and I closed my eyes from the comfort I felt from him. Despite the subject of conversation, I was feeling pretty boneless and content. 'Huh… The boy's better than Xanax.'

Still, I couldn't help but think this was my chance to hear more about him now, so I gave it a shot. "Okay, I spilled some secrets, now how about you?"

I felt his tension immediately, but after a few moments, he relaxed and blew out a long breath. "I reckon it's only fair," he said with a sigh.

"Only what you're comfortable with…" I said and his answering laugh was rueful.

"Ain't none of it comfortable, darlin', but I'll give it a shot."

"I won't pressure you or get offended, I promise."

He gave me a slight squeeze and started. "The furthest back I can recall is wakin' up in the hospital in terrible pain - my whole body just felt raw inside - with machines, tubes and wires everywhere. I didn't recognize a soul, and as it turns out, there was no one around that knew me either.

"Frank and Carol though, they were right there and introduced themselves. Said the hospital folks had found their number on a letter in my wallet and called 'em. Said I'd been dropped off at the hospital in a coma and whoever did it didn't stick around to be seen or answer questions.

"After hearin' that, I couldn't believe they'd even bothered to show up, much less stick by my bedside the whole time." He gave me a sad smile. "But that's just the kinda folks they are."

"Yeah, they seem like good people," I murmured.

"They're the best. No doubt in my mind, because I was one surly bastard for a while there, and they hung in there with me and supported me through it all. I thank God for 'em every day." He started sounding choked up and cleared his throat.

"Anyway, back to the story. Uh, let's see, after wakin' up, I wasn't so put together, so to speak, so I had to go through all manner a' therapy. I mean, I knew how to speak and I knew all my academics, so it wasn't like my brain was damaged, but when it came to … some of the physical stuff…" He huffed a breath and ran his hand through his hair. I swore I could feel his stress rising too, so I sat up and cupped his cheek.

"Hey, it's okay, you can skip anything you'd rather not talk about. I don't mind, but just so you know, nothing you say's gonna make me think any less of you or see you any differently."

He looked a bit relieved, but still stressed as he gave a slight nod.

"I mean it. Whatever hardships you had, you obviously made it through, so it's water under the bridge."

"Okay," he said. He still had a slight frown though as he continued. "When I was finally well enough to leave the hospital, Frank and Carol took me home, well, they opened their home to me. I call them Aunt and Uncle, but from what I was able to dig up, Frank's my distant cousin and he never knew my parents."

"You remember your parents?"

He shifted slightly before finally saying, "No, I don't. From what I could find out, they were both killed about a month before I showed up at the hospital. A car accident."

I frowned, something about that letter bugging me. "Any idea why you had a letter from them with Frank and Carol's info on it when your parents didn't even know them?"

"Yeah, the letter sheds light on that. From what they wrote, I gathered I was about to start college here at UT Dallas."

"Wow, really?"

He smiled at me. "Yeah, I checked it out and sure enough, I was registered and paid up as a psychology major."

I sat up and turned to face him while crossing my legs. "Are you ever going to pursue that?"

He pursed his lips and shrugged a shoulder. "I've thought about it. I might, one day."

"What's stopping you?"

That shadow passed through his eyes again. "I was kinda hopin' to get my past back first. It's tougher than one would think, having a blank past. Excuse the coarse language, but it's a real mind fuck. I've learned to ignore it, for the most part, but it's always right there, hangin' over me."

I took his hand and held it. "There's no way for me to truly understand, but I wish you didn't have to deal with any of that. Wish there was something I could do to help."

His smile was only a bit sad as his fingers gently cupped my chin. I felt the pad of his thumb slowly trace across my bottom lip, and his eyes tracked the movement before rising to meet mine.

Just from those simple touches and the look in his eyes, my heart sped. How he managed to affect me so easily, I didn't know, but he did. "God, you're beautiful," he said, his voice just above a whisper. His eyes dropped to my lips again, then back to my eyes. "Bella, can I kiss ya?"

My heart was in my throat but he heard my weakly whispered "Yes" because he leaned forward, his fingers still crooked beneath my chin as his lips softly brushed mine. My eyes were closed and I sighed as he pressed his lips to mine again, this time with more pressure, more fervor. Slowly, he tilted his head and I felt him gently nip my lip. I smiled into the kiss and slipped my hand into his hair while giving as good as I got.

He was a fantastic kisser and I knew — even as we opened to each other to deepen the kiss — that I'd better stop soon or I might not want to, ever, at all. Still, even knowing this, I moaned low in my throat and damn near climbed into his lap.

He slowed things down and I felt his lips smile against mine as I rested my forehead against his while still cupping the back of his head. "Damn," I whispered before drawing back to look in his eyes. "We got a little side-tracked."

He laughed and leaned back against the cab again. "Yeah, we did."

I grinned and clasped my hands on my crossed legs. "Okay, so, the mystery of the letter…" I raised my brows and he grinned and nodded.

"The letter, right. Well, seems I had asked my parents if we had any family close to where I'd be going to school, so they did some diggin' and came up with Frank and Carol. They didn't know them either, but thought they'd give me the option of meeting them if I wanted to. So that's why that info was in the letter."

"But, you must know someone where your parents lived, right? Someone who knew you and remembers you? Other family? Something."

He was shaking his head. "No. From what I could find out, my father was a military officer, a Major. We moved around all over and it just happens to be my luck he worked on some really top secret stuff. Nothing the military is willin' to share that's for sure. They had just moved to a new base in California too when they were killed, so no one there knew them or anything about them either."

"Damn," I muttered and he nodded.

"Yeah."

"You haven't been able to locate any relatives, no true aunts or uncles from either side?"

Again, he shook his head. "Nope, and I was an only child too, at least as far as I've been able to tell."

"Did… Gah, I hate asking this, but, did your parents leave you anything? Maybe there's a safety deposit box with info in it in a bank somewhere or something…"

"My father had a life insurance policy, and I got that after everything went through probate, but as far as anything from their residence, the military came in and cleared the whole thing out. Sent me a few pictures and some jewelry of my mother's, but that was it. All files and such were confiscated and destroyed. That's what the lawyer handling the case told me, anyway."

My eyes were wide. How the hell could they do that? "Lawyer, huh? And they got your personal stuff too? Like birth certificate and shot records, stuff like that?"

"I had all of that stuff with me, because I had to have it to register at UTD. It was found in a box in the dorm room I'd been assigned. Apparently, I was born on a base in Germany, not that I knew that before reading it on the birth certificate."

"Who was the lawyer? Did you meet him or her?"

"No, and it was some guy outta Seattle, J somethin'… Jenks I think it was." He sighed. "I dunno, I was so messed up with everything at the time…"

I frowned. "Seattle?"

"Yeah, I guess we used to live in that area a few years back, or somethin'. Again, I don't know."

I could tell he'd reached his limit. The tension in the atmosphere around us was almost tangible, so I took his hand again, smiled and asked, "Jason?"

He looked wary and I hated it as I asked,"You think I could get some of that hot chocolate?"

The smile he gave me was bright and it felt like the sun peeking out after being shrouded by dark clouds. I couldn't explain how his smile had a feeling to it, but it did.

"Sure thing." He dug in the basket and brought out the thermos and two enameled cups. He held them up and joked, "Aunt Carol's finest China," then poured the richest looking hot chocolate I'd ever seen into them.

He handed me a cup and watched as I sniffed it then took a sip. It was like drinking liquid chocolate silk. It was thicker than your standard hot chocolate, but not overly so and sweet, but not too sweet, and it had some sort of spice to it that I couldn't pin down. It was delicious.

He was still watching me, though trying hard not to show it, so I finally said, "It's Heaven in a cup, Jason." He grinned and sipped his own. "Truly, I've never tasted chocolate this good, ever."

"I'm glad ya like it."

"I know who to see when I need my chocolate fix."

He smirked and murmured behind the rim of his cup. "No need to wait. You can come see me anytime, I don't mind."

"Is that right?"

His smirk grew into a grin. "That's right."

The air around us was electric and I knew I'd better cool things off. A lot was being said between the lines and we were both obviously feeling it. So I took a deep breath, glanced around and raised a brow. "Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"Am I gonna be driving your truck back, or the bike?"

He chuckled. "Neither."

I gotta admit, I was a tad bit wounded by that. I tried not to show it, but by the teasing smile tugging his lips, I don't think I succeeded. "So, you're just gonna leave the truck here and come back for it later?"

"No."

My eyes narrowed. "The bike then? Because that's crazy. It'll get stolen."

"Nope, not leavin' the bike either."

He took another sip and watched me but I wasn't gonna ask. Nope, nuh uh, not happening. We could now sit here all night and I wouldn't ask…

I was sipping my chocolate and glaring a hole in the blankets when I heard a low, smooth chuckle. Damn the sound. It did things to me. Raised goosebumps, and put that little thrill in my gut…

"I'm gonna load the bike in the truck. Got the tie-downs in the cab behind the seat."

My brows shot up, because that bike weighs a bunch, not like the crappy little dirt bikes I rode back in Forks. "How…?"

"You'll see."

I rolled my eyes, because that was such a typical male answer. Charlie used to do that to me all the time — well, the times I would visit, anyway. I looked away and sipped my chocolate, which was still divine, but now I was kinda peeved…

"Awe, don't be like that," he said through a laugh. I didn't look back and he set his cup aside and I gasped as he lifted me into his lap.

"Hey!"

He was grinning and damn if it wasn't hard to maintain my pout in the face of it.

His fingers brushed my cheek, then cupped my jaw and before I knew it, he'd pulled me in for a kiss.

He wasn't shy in the least this time as his mouth slanted over mine. And as his tongue entered my mouth, I moaned at the taste — chocolate and Jason? Yes please and thank you.

I felt his warm hand splay over the small of my back and he pulled me close. Somehow, both my hands found their way into his hair and he broke the kiss, the two of us exchanging panted breaths as we smiled. "I can't get enough a' you," he whispered and I had to agree because at that moment, I felt like taking him in — all of him, mind, body and soul — and never letting go.

When we kissed again, it was me that started it by nipping and sucking his lower lip. Then I nipped it again and earned a low groan that seemed to go straight through me before settling in a tense coil just below my gut. He went in deep, stealing all my breath in the process, and I felt his hand, flexing and spreading on my back as if there was so much more he'd rather be doing with it, but held back. And I knew the feeling as I rocked forward in his lap, guiding his head back as I pressed forward into the kiss.

I felt the mid seam of my jeans brush over him and he hissed, his hand clenching against my back. "Bella," he said between kisses to my cheek and jaw. I threw my head back and moaned, "What?"

"Geezus, girl, we need to stop." His kisses moved to my neck and shoulder as he nosed the collar of my shirt aside.

"I know," I said as I rocked forward again.

With another panty-drenching groan, he stilled my hips with his hands while resting his forehead on my chest, just over my pounding heart. I could feel every one of his panted breaths as he tried to will himself into control.

I wanted to whine about it damn it, but I knew he was right. This was way too soon for anything like this to happen between us. Then it occurred to me that I still intended to leave, and that thought had the effect of a bucket of ice water. "I'm … I'm sorry," I said while still trying to catch my breath.

He looked up, his brow creased with confusion. "What are you sorry for?"

I scooted back and off his lap, my hand shaking as I ran it through my hair. "For this, for letting things get so out of hand, for…"

He leaned forward and took my hand. "Hey, it's okay. It was my fault anyway. I pulled ya onto my lap, remember?"

I blinked. "Yeah, but I…" I rolled a hand in the air, trying to think of a nice way to say I dry humped him. I settled on gesturing to his lap, "I…you know…twice, so yeah."

He laughed and it broke any tension between us as I laughed with him. "You can't say grinding, Bella?"

I shot him a narrow-eyed smirk. "And just how do you know that term, Mr. Whitlock? Since I seriously doubt you picked it up from Uncle Frank or Aunt Carol."

He rolled his eyes. "I may live in a small town, but I ain't dead ya know. A man hears things and that's all I'm willin' to say on the subject."

My brows inched up and I crossed my arms. "Huh… Fine, you win … for now."

He chuckled but now looked a little wary, like he was about to poke a sleeping dragon or a coiled snake. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I reserve the right to re-open the issue at a future date should I so choose."

"Huh," it was his turn to say. "We'll see, I reckon."

He glanced up then, and then smiled as he looked at me. I must've looked puzzled because he pointed to the sky and said, "Look up."

I did and I gasped at the sight. It was so dark and clear where we were that I could see every star in the sky. It was breathtaking.

When I looked back at him, he was lying flat on his back and patting the blankets beside him. "C'mon, lie down and look at the stars with me a while. Who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky and see a wishin' star."

"All right." I stretched out beside him. After a long moment, he took my hand and we laid there in peaceful silence with the stars shining like millions of diamonds above us, and the songs of crickets and frogs as a soundtrack. It was perfect.

'He is perfect.'

Just as I had that thought, I saw the brightest white star streak across the sky.

Was it a sign?

An omen?

Who could know?

But just in case … I held his hand tightly,

closed my eyes…

…and made a wish.

.

So ... what did y'all think of their date? Lemme know, please?

Love and light,

~Spudz