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“Hey! I was wondering if you would make it…”
“Of course, I would,” he replied quietly, just as he looked away nervously, his tanned face suddenly pale. “You don’t think I’m some weird-stalker-psychopath… do you?”
“No,” she whispered in embarrassment. “I was talking aloud about myself because I’m anxious and a little nervous about this.”
“We don’t have to go out – and probably shouldn’t. I mean, what would our families say and we’re friends, you know? We don't want our friendship to be weird. I’ve always known you and…”
“Luke, stop… please,” she whispered painfully, interrupting him quickly, realizing that this wasn’t going how she planned.
“Let me get a vase for those… thank you by the way,” she hesitated and then cast a glance over her shoulder again as she opened a cabinet, pulling out a small white bubble-glass vase that had once been her Grandma Judy’s. Filling it with water, she returned to where he was standing and smiled at him.
“May I?”
“Oh! Yeah. Sorry…” he began and thrust the flowers at her with a shy smile. “I wanted this to feel like a date, if this is what… well… you know…”
“Ifthis was a date?” she smiled easily. “The flowers are lovely and really sweet of you. I love daisies and lilies. Everyone expects roses, but they are cliché. I like something that is just me and stands out…”
“How are you like a daisy or a lily?” he asked quietly, watching her.
“I’m just there,” she smiled nervously, looking away. “People look for the glamorous flowers… and I’m just there, in a field, growing in my own way, and pretty in a plain sort of fashion. So, unless you are looking for the prettiest weed in the world…?”
“You are far from a weed, Nicolette,” he interrupted hoarsely, causing her to look up in surprise at the emotion in his voice. “You are the most beautiful flower that I’ve ever seen and would put anything that I could have brought to shame.”
“Why Luke…” she breathed, touched and smiling at him. “That is the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me – and the most you’ve ever said to me in almost four years.”
He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, looking away.
“Guess I have little to say…”
“I doubt that’s the case.”
“Where would you like to go tonight? I was thinkin’ maybe we could head into Tyler or…”
“I have an idea,” she admitted, smiling at him. “Now, hear me out, but…”
“Uh oh…” he began, causing her to look up from where she was bent over to pick up the cooler, before hefting it up and saw the start of his smile – suddenly drop.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Our date,” she said simply. “I’m very easy-going and I thought you knew that about me after all these years,” she teased. “I don’t want everyone in town snooping around and it will make for all sorts of gossip if they see us having dinner in Yonder, you know?”
“I k-know…”
“So, we leave Yonder,” she shrugged, lifting the cooler by the handle, and he took it immediately. “Let’s head out towards Ember Creek. There’s a park over there or we could…”
“You want to… picnic?”
“I do.”
“With me?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Is that so surprising?” she chuckled, smiling at him – only to see a nervous smile appear on his face.
“No. I like that idea… a lot. No pressure, no questions, no harassment from anyone – we can just see if this is weird tonight or if this might be inviting a second or a third date.”
