I woke up early this morning; my nerves wouldn't allow me to get a deceit nights sleep and now Chloe is on her way. I check my hair in the mirror for probably the fifth time and I try to relax my shaking hands. I hear the doorbell and my heart begins to beat so fast I'm scared it might pop out of my chest. "Get it together!" I whisper to myself and take a deep breath before I open the door.

"Chloe!?" I say and it comes out all wrong. Of course it's Chloe, who else was I expecting? She smiles at me and I feel my face flush. She looks stunning. In a simple daisy sun dress and sandals with her hair long and flowing down her back, she looks angelic.

"You ready?" She asks me with a half smile that just seems so comforting.

"Yeah. Let's go!" I grab my house keys and my wallet from the table and we're out the door.

"You look good." She tells me as I climb into her convertible.

"I do?" I ask and look at myself. I was only wearing faded jeans and a white button-down shirt and I couldn't imagine how she thought this was a good look. To be honest with myself, I didn't really have a sense of style.

"Yeah, it works for you." She laughs and I am sure it is at the look of shock on my face, so I smile back and I will the redness to go away.

"So where are we going?" I ask as we head out on the open road; destination unknown.

"Well, I thought we could go for a little sightseeing." She tells me and her eyes are on me as she waits for my reaction. "What would you think about that?"

"I'd like that. I'd like it a lot actually." I watch her for a while and I wonder if she knows that I'm already sightseeing and I can't believe the view.

"Ok then." She turns the dial on the radio and an old Tracy Chapman song comes on that we both love and she begins to sing along. I lean back real far in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest and lay my head on the back of the seat, just watching her.

We head towards the country and it's a beautiful sight. The leaves on the trees are beginning to change. The brightest colours I have always dreamed of are laid out before me and I take them in like a starving man. The trees are so heavy, thick and untouched by the human hand, they bend from the sheer weight of the fat leaves on their limbs.

"What do you think?" Chloe asks as we pull in to a small parking lot beside a secluded pond.

"It's beautiful." I tell her and she smiles like she knew I was going to say that.

"I love the way you smile." I say and don't even realize it came out of my mouth until it is too late. She's looking at me and I can't read her expression. She seems serious and then she breaks into a small laugh.

"Philip always tells me that I smile too much. He says that I'm not a child and there is no reason for me to laugh and carry on the way I do. I think I embarrass him sometimes." She says cooly, turning her head.

"I think Philip is wrong. In fact I know he is." I tell her. "Why do you let him put you down so much?" I ask hesitantly.

She turns back to me and her eyes are soft. "Philip loves me, he just wants what's best for me, that's all."

"If you say so." I say and do my best to hide the jealousy and anger in my tone. I step out of the car and walk towards the pond.

I hear Chloe sigh and then get out of the car. "Brady wait!"

"What?"

"Let's not talk about Philip today. Now get your ass over here and help me with this stuff."

I smile despite myself and lend a helping hand. We unload the gear and set up under a tree.

"I didn't take you for the fishing type." I tell Chloe as I watch my bobber in the clear water.

"It's relaxing." She says simply.

"Do you come here often?" I groan almost immediately after. If that doesn't sound like a cheesy pick-up line, what does? "I mean, why do you like this place so much."

"It's away from everything. When you're out here, it feels like you're the only person in the world."

I shrug my shoulders in confusion. "Why would you want to be alone?"

"I'm not alone, I have you here." She smiles and nudges my shoulder. I return her smile and I look her in the eye. She sits up and moves closer to me and I feel my breath catch in my throat. Her hand comes to the side of my face and she smooths it down my cheek. I inhaled deeply, this is it, we're going to kiss. A feel a jerk and then another and I look at my hands and then the spell is broken.

"You've got a bite!" She cries excitedly and pulls my fishing rod up. Damn fish!

She helps me reel it in and we both laugh at the tiny fish on the end of my line. If I didn't know better I would say that Philip was even paying off the fish to ruin me and Chloe's time together, but the logical part of my brain told me that wasn't possible.

"Hungry?" Chloe asks after she's reeled in her own line and put away the poles.

I nod my head and she reaches for the picnic basket. We sit and eat sandwiches and tiny fruit tarts that Chloe baked herself.

"I don't believe it." I finally say.

"What?" Chloe asks with a worried expression on her face.

"You couldn't have made this food."

"Why not?" She asks with her hands on her hips.

"Because it's edible. I've had your cooking before and let me tell you it was awful, I was sick for a week." I laugh.

"You were not!"

"I was! I had to lay in bed for an entire day and my stomach felt like it was going to explode. Poor Belle threw up three times!" I laugh even more at the look of horror on Chloe's face.

"Brady Black, how dare you bring that up. That wasn't even my fault!" She laughs.

"Right!" I say and try to stifle my laughter. "No seriously, everything was really good today." I give her a wink and then my face flushes because I wonder where that little flirtatious move came from.

Chloe seemed surprised too but her features relax and for the moment it does seem that it is only us in the world.