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“Where you at, boy?” my mother calls from the couch in the living room.
I freeze, hoping she’s too drunk to come looking for me.
“You better pick up this mess before your daddy gets home, you little shit.”
My heart races as I tiptoe into the kitchen, desperate to get out of the house and to my bike before he gets here. The clock on the wall tells me it’s almost nine o’clock. I can’t go to Jon’s, and the library is closed. It looks like I’ll be hanging out on the hill again tonight.
I turn the knob to the back door as slowly as possible to ensure my mother doesn’t hear it, opening it just enough to slip out before closing it in the same manner.
It’s just about pitch-black outside, the moon providing the only light for me to locate my bike—the bike Jon gave me when he got a new one. My parents still believe it’s his; otherwise, they probably would’ve pawned it by now.
My body is tense as I ride into the dark night. I hate the thought of being alone, but it’s a lot less terrifying than what my father might do to me when he gets home angry and drunk.
“You know, the last time you tried to surprise me with something it didn’t end very well,” Lizzy taunts, the warm smile on her face instantly clearing the dark thoughts from my mind.
We’ve been taking turns planning date nights. This time she told me to choose something or somewhere that’s special to me. It didn’t take me long to think of the perfect place. She was less than thrilled about me keeping it a secret.
When I parked the car on a dark road and told her we’d be walking the rest of the way, she looked at me like I’d lost my mind.
“Yeah, well…I’d like to think I’m the type of person who learns from their mistakes. You trust me, right?” I take her hand, lifting an eyebrow.
“Yes.” There’s not even a hint of hesitation in her answer, and my heart swells as a big smile threatens to break my face in half.
“Good answer.” I pull us to a stop and wrap my arms around her, giving her a chaste kiss. “Besides, I promise you’ll like this surprise.”
She frowns, although her eyes are glowing. “I better.”
I laugh, taking her hand again as we continue the short walk to our destination. “I bet you were one of those kids who went rummaging through the house around Christmas trying to find your gifts.”
“No, I wasn’t,” she huffs. “Okay, fine…I might’ve been. But only because I worried about opening something Christmas morning I didn’t like and not having a chance to prepare a proper response. I also hated the thought of hurting my parents’ feelings.”
“Wow,” I scoff. “I’ve heard a lot of excuses before, but I think that one takes the cake. I mean, talk about overthinking things.”
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be prepared.”
“Maybe you need to have more faith in the people who love you.”
She comes to a sudden halt, her eyes wide as I turn my gaze.
“You okay, beautiful?” I tilt my head, trying to figure out what happened.
The answer hits me like a ton of bricks. I practically said I love you. Though that wasn’t my intention, it’s certainly true. It may be crazy given we’ve only technically been dating for a short time, but I’m done denying my feelings for her. She’s the only reason I haven’t said those three words. I don’t want to lose her by pushing too much too soon.
“Yeah,” she breathes, shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts.
“Good, because we’re here.” I tug her closer so she can see over the edge of the hill.
She gasps, taking in the beautiful scenery of buildings, lights, and trees below.
I’m very familiar with this view. I spent many nights up here alone growing up, never dreaming that one day I might have someone like Lizzy to share it with. This hill was once my safe place, and I wanted to bring her here tonight because she’s my safe place now. That might be a lot to place on another human being, but I feel more at peace being with her than I ever have.
I slip the backpack with the blanket and picnic I’d packed off my shoulders, ignoring the nervous flutter in my chest. “So, is it a good surprise this time?”
“Yes. It’s beautiful here. How did you know about this spot?”
“I used to come here as a kid.” I keep my eyes on the ground and lay out the blanket for us. “When things at home got too intense I would hide out here.”
She steps over and wraps me in her arms, giving me a sad smile as I meet her gaze. “Is the town down there where you grew up?”
