This is a short and fluffy chapter that I just couldn't resist adding.

(Kate's POV)

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked.

"Nope," Darry said with a smirk. I gave him a fake look of irritation, knowing exactly why he wasn't going to tell me. When he glanced at me, he just laughed.

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't keep the grin off my face. "Whatever." Then I gave him a sideways look and genuinely smiled. "Do I get any clues? At least last time it was light outside so you could see our surroundings. I have no idea where we are."

The day after Christmas, I went to the Curtis house for dinner and to spend time with Darry. He said he had the rest of the night planned out, but just like I had done to him the previous weekend, he didn't tell me anything. Darry made lasagna for dinner, and after we ate, he told Ponyboy and Johnny that we'd be gone for a couple of hours. The teens seemed to know about Darry's plan because they didn't ask any questions.

The sun had already set by the time I jumped into Darry's truck, and it got dark quickly.

"We're almost there," Darry said casually.

I tried to figure out what direction we were heading, but I got turned around about five minutes after we left the outer reaches of Tulsa. It's dark and I don't see anything other than the highway we're driving on.

Not a lot of time had passed before we exited the highway. We drove on one paved road, followed by a winding dirt road. I had no idea what Darry was planning, but it seemed like we were in the country, or something like it.

Finally, we reached a spot near a wooded area, then Darry backed his truck up a short distance before throwing it in park.

"Okay, we're here," he said with a smile.

I looked out the window and could only see the dark outlines of trees. "Where is 'here' exactly?" I asked.

He opened his door and gave me a smirk. "Come find out."

I quirked an eyebrow at him before getting out of the passenger seat. I looked ahead of me and couldn't see much in the darkness. When Darry walked around the truck and stood in front of me, I could see the happiness dancing in his eyes.

"What's got you smiling like that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Other than you?" he asked smoothly. I couldn't help but blush, which made him grin and reach forward to hold my hand. "Turn around."

I followed his instruction, and I immediately felt my eyes widen at the sight. We were near the edge of a lake, which was illuminated by the bright moon, and there was a wooden dock straight ahead of us that stretched into the water. From what I could see, trees surrounded the entire lake, and we happened to be parked in a small clearing that allowed us to see everything.

"And look up," he said softly, his voice suddenly a lot closer than before, which told me he bent down just so he could whisper in my ear. I could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke.

Again, I did what he said, and I didn't regret it. Being away from Tulsa meant the lights from the city didn't reach us, which allowed all the stars in the night sky to shine brightly. Between the stars and the lake, it was mesmerizing how picturesque the scene around us was.

"Darry… it's beautiful," I finally muttered after I could remember how to speak. I turned to look at him. He was smiling at me with a loving expression. "How did you know about this place?"

"My dad used to bring me and my brothers out here to fish," he said longingly. Between his words and the look on his face as he stared at the lake, it was obvious he loved the time he spent with his family at the spot and he missed it. "A friend of his lives out here too, and we'd go duck hunting on his property."

"I knew you Curtises were real country boys," I said with a smirk, which he chuckled at. Then I nudged him with my elbow. "You a good shot, Darry?"

He shrugged. "I'm alright, but Pony's actually the best shot in the family." My eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he responded by nodding his head and elaborating. "It's true, but Pony never liked the actual hunting part of our trips. The first time he got a duck we congratulated him, but he broke down and started sobbing, saying he was a killer. We stopped going after ducks right then and there, and instead, we started shooting our glass bottles. He cheered up pretty quick, and he easily hit more bottles than the rest of us. He still came with us on our trips out here, but we all knew he didn't like killing anything; he just wanted to spend time with us."

I found myself smiling as Darry talked about his youth and fond memories that involved his brothers and their dad. "It sounds like you all had a great childhood."

He nodded, but I saw a flash of sadness in his eyes. "We did. We really did."

Before he could get too down or upset, I squeezed his hand that was still holding mine, causing him to blink a few times before meeting my eyes again. "Thanks for bringing me here, Darry. It's obvious it's special to you, and it really is beautiful." Then a sudden gust of wind caused a shiver to go down my spine. It was fairly warm for a December night, but the wind still had a bite to it. "We aren't going for a swim, right? Because it's a little cold for that."

Darry grinned, then he wrapped an arm around me, immediately drawing a smile from my lips. I love being this close to him. "I have a couple thermoses with hot chocolate in them, and I also brought some blankets. I figured we could sit together in the back of the truck to look at the stars, or we could just enjoy some peace and quiet before we go home."

I looked at him, knowing my eyes had widened. Darry wants to sit under the stars? I didn't think he was really the romantic type.

He apparently misread my surprise and interpreted it as either disinterest or something similar, because he started backtracking. "If it's too cold or you don't want to-"

I shut him up by quickly turning and wrapping my arms around his neck so I could pull him down to my height. I pressed my lips against his, and he steadily eased into the kiss. Our lips moved together seamlessly, and when he rested his hands on my hips, another shiver went down my spine, but it had nothing to do with the temperature.

After I felt the tension leave him entirely, I forced myself to pull my lips away. I opened my eyes just in time to see his flutter open too. "I love it, I was just surprised is all. I didn't take you as the romantic type. No offense," I added quickly at the end.

He grinned almost nervously. "I hoped you'd like it, and I overheard you tell Johnny about how much you liked to see all of the stars out in the country-"

God, this man is perfect.

Before he could finish speaking, I gave him another quick kiss and gave him a big smile. "I'm not complaining about you being romantic. I really like it actually," I admitted. "This is perfect Darry, thank you."

It didn't take more than a couple minutes for us to get situated into the back of the truck. Darry sat with his back resting against the wall of the truck bed and his legs stretched forward. I was planning on sitting next to him so I could lean my head on his shoulder when it got too heavy to keep up on my own or if I got sleepy, but instead, he guided me to sit in front of him and lean back against his chest. As soon as I was settled, he wrapped his arms around me, and after covering both of us with blankets, I rested my hands over his. I couldn't help but let out a sigh of content.

Darry kissed my temple, then he rested his chin on the top of my head. "Is this okay?" he asked quietly.

I gave his hands a squeeze. "It's more than okay."

I imagined he smiled, then we fell into an easy silence.

We stayed like that, wrapped in each other's arms, for quite a while. Neither of us felt the need to move or say anything; instead, we simply enjoyed each other's presence and the peaceful scenery around us. Once in a while, we sipped on the hot chocolate Darry brought, but otherwise we enjoyed the peace and quiet nature provided.

After looking at the stars for so long, my eyelids started getting heavier, and I was sure that I was going to fall asleep in Darry's comforting embrace, but then I felt him move and his soft voice pierced the air. "Look Kate; a shooting star."

My eyes shot open and I followed his finger that he pointed straight above us. I smiled as I saw the bright light streak across the sky. "Make a wish," I said quietly.

Once the shooting star disappeared, Darry adjusted the blankets to cover us better, then he wrapped his arms around me again and gave the top of my head a kiss. I sank further into his muscular chest and allowed the feeling of being wrapped in his strong arms to lull me to a peaceful sleep. I could stay here with Darry for the rest of my life.

"Kate… babe, wake up." Darry's gentle voice pulled me back to consciousness. Even though I kept my eyes closed, he somehow sensed I had woken up. "Honey, you're getting cold. We should go home."

"But I'm comfy," I said with a smirk while keeping my eyes closed and pressing myself into Darry's body a little more. While I was sleeping, Darry apparently had moved our arms because I realized his warm hands were covering my freezing ones.

He huffed out a short laugh, causing his chest to shake underneath me. "I'm happy to hear that, but I don't want you getting sick or anything. Hypothermia was not part of my plan for tonight."

I groaned, then reluctantly opened my eyes. Striking blue-green eyes were looking down at me, and I couldn't help but smile at him. "Fine." I slowly peeled myself away from him, my muscles aching from the lack of use. How long was I asleep? Once I was sitting up, I turned to face my boyfriend, who was also moving gingerly. "Gee Darry, I must've been crushing you. Why'd you let me sleep that long?"

He gave me that easy grin he had, which made me feel like I could do no wrong in his eyes. "You looked so beautiful and peaceful."

I felt the freezing skin on my face begin to heat up. "But-"

"I didn't mind," he added, giving me a look that made it impossible to argue with him. "I like spending time with you Kate, whether or not you're awake."

I laughed at that. "I'm not sure that makes me feel any better about falling asleep on you."

He grinned, then held my hand. "We got to spend the night with each other away from everyone else and under the stars. I can't really think of a better way to spend time with you."

I pulled his hands, and when his body leaned towards me, I kissed him. I was hoping the kiss would last longer, but he pulled away rather quickly. I practically pouted as I stared at him, but he just looked concerned as his eyes roamed my face. "Kate, you're seriously freezing; your lips are practically ice. Let's get you home so you can warm up."

I let out a sigh of defeat. "Alright, fine."

We grabbed the blankets and the empty thermoses, threw them in the truck, then sat in the seats. I would be lying if I said it wasn't a relief to escape the chilly outside air, but the serenity from being out in nature faded quickly as the roar of the truck's engine came to life.

A warm hand suddenly covered mine, and I turned to face Darry. "Better?"

I shrugged. "I guess. It's warmer in here, but I really liked being out there," I said as I allowed my eyes to drift to the window, trying to memorize every detail about our surroundings so I could relive the night in my mind over and over again.

Darry gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "We'll come back. I promise."

I turned to look back at him, feeling a huge smile spread across my face. "Good."

With that, Darry took his hand away from mine so he could start driving us home. We once again sat in a comfortable silence, but when the tires hit paved road, it was apparent that we were returning to the city and away from the serene wooded area that Darry had brought me to.

"Hey Darry?" I said suddenly, breaking through the silence.

He spared a quick glance in my direction. "Yeah?" he questioned before looking back to the road.

I threw every ounce of gratitude and sincerity that I had in my expression and my voice. "Thank you for tonight. It was perfect."

He smiled, then grabbed my hand again. "You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"I loved it," I said. The next words almost slipped off my tongue, but I managed to keep them in my head: And I love you.