Chapter Twenty-Five

And he did love it. It was a side of California he had never seen before. Quiet trees, a trickling stream. Sure it had taken them an hour to hike up there, but the trip had been well worth it.

"Cheri… this is… beyond words."

Cheri came up along side him, holding their instruments. "I thought you might like it."

"Like it? It's great!" Keith flashed her a winning smile, which she slowly and shyly returned. Seeing the little grin made his heart skip a beat and the young musician couldn't help but wonder if maybe Cheri was coming around even more than before. Could it be that Cheri Reyes might actually consider dating him again? Keith hoped so.

The sky began to brighten as the two friends hastily went to work laying out 'camp'. Keith unfolded the picnic blanket and Cheri leaned their guitars against a tree. In less than five minutes they sat together in the shade of the early morning, unpacking the contents of the basket.

"Sandwiches?" Cheri asked as Keith handed her the bundle.

"Peanut butter and raspberry jelly. Just like old times."

"For breakfast?"

"Sure, why not?" Keith tossed her an orange. "This is our special date."

He watched as Cheri caught the orange, only to stare at it quietly. The smile had vanished. As was custom, Cheri's cheer seemed to have evaporated in an instant. Keith was worried. Had he been too bold in his words? Did Cheri not want this to be a date?

Please don't get angry with me. We were getting along so fine. You can't blame a boy for trying. I didn't mean to complicate things...

"Um…" He cleared his throat uneasily. "I've got some hot chocolate in this thermos. Do you want any?"

"Maybe later." Said Cheri and she sat the orange in her lap, unwrapping the sandwich and taking a bite. Keith waited a tense moment as she chewed and swallowed.

Well?

"Not bad." She said, after awhile. "Perhaps you don't fail as a cook after all."

Keith inwardly sighed in relief. She was attempting to joke. Good, that meant she didn't want to argue either. He smiled. "Hey, beats leftovers."

A returning smile tugged at Cheri's mouth. "Yeah. Sure does."

The two friends continued their meal in silence, once in a while breaking the eerie peace with a plain comment or a hesitant grin. When they had finished, they repacked the basket and set it off to the side. Cheri instantly went for her guitar and returned to the blanket, handing Keith his own.

"I take it you wanna play something?" Asked Keith, setting the instrument across his lap.

Cheri shrugged. "I don't know. Just feel like playing it, I guess. Haven't for a while." She began to tune. "Besides, if I'm going to lug a guitar clear up the mountainside, I better hope I'm going to play something."

Another attempt at comedy. Keith figured he should keep it up. "Well then, do you want to play together, or take the time to show off a little bit?"

Cheri pulled a pick from her pocket and placed it between her teeth. "I don't care."

"Why don't you play me something? The radio's probably kept you up to date on how I've progressed; I wanna hear what you've been up to."

"Okay..." Cheri looked at him nervously. "Any suggestions?"

"Nope! The stage's all yours, Princess Cheri."

"Alright…" Cheri let out a breath and then began to strum quietly. The chords grew louder as she slowly gained confidence. She closed her eyes almost instantly, which Keith suspected helped her to concentrate and not be so nervous. He listened to the intro, liking it and feeling as if he'd heard it before.

Then Cheri began to sing.

Keith was floored. He had heard 'Beautiful Dreamer' and was impressed, but that was nothing compares to this! She captured the song well, sang it with enough feeling to bring tears to anyone's eyes. Keith listened and soon closed his eyes as well savoring the sweet music that filled his ears.

Perfect.

That did it. It was time he told her. It was time he was honest about his feelings. Right or wrong Keith wanted Cheri back… for good.

…

"Well?" Cheri finished the song and looked to her audience expectantly. His reaction was not what she anticipated.

"Dang, Cheri! Where the heck did you learn to sing like that!" His eyes were glowing. She hadn't expected to impress him so much. Sure, she hoped to impress him, but not sweep him clear off his feet.

"I don't know. …" She struggled for the words. "I just picked a song and I learned it."

"Well, you sure learned it!"

She was flattered by his praise, but knew she would feel selfish if she basked in it for too long. "Why don't you play a song?" She suggested quickly.

"Why don't we play one together?" Keith began tuning his own guitar.

"Okay…? What one?"

"You choose."

She thought for a moment as they synchronized their tunings. What should they sing? What should they play? She wasn't even sure if they knew the same songs. Would he know any Beatles? He was sure to know some Beatles. What about Elvis? Joni Mitchell? The Millennium?

It was during the tuning of his final string that an idea suddenly hit her. Why not suggest one of her own? After all, she had come up there to confront Keith with his snooping, not jam and flirt like they were now seemingly doing. It would be simple; all she'd have to do is pick a song she remembered from her notebook. Sure the song wouldn't have music to it yet, but lone lyrics had never stopped Keith Partridge from composing melodies. She'd suggest a song, and study his reaction.

"Have a song yet?" Keith asked as he finished tuning.

"Yes." Cheri nodded, feeling a little uneasy about her plans. "How about… mmm… 'I'll Never Get Over you?'"

"Artist?" Keith asked, seemingly undisturbed.

"Cherish." Cheri ventured. "Cherish Joy Reyes."