rear of the Jeep with a blanket and a bottle of wine.
“You came prepared,” I
said.
He smiled and took my hand as we walked down the open expanse of
land searching for the perfect spot to sit down and have our meal. The sun was
close to setting and I knew we’d be treating ourselves to a magnificent sunset.
It was getting a little cooler too and I was glad that Dylan had thought to
bring blankets.
“How many did you bring?”
I asked gesturing at the blanket.
“Just the one,” Dylan
said with a tell-tale smile.
I shook my head at him.
“I could take it.”
“But then I’d be cold,”
Dylan said. “And you wouldn’t want that would you?”
I gave him a dirty look
and turned to face the sparse dotting of trees that lined the huge meadow. “How
about that one over there?” I suggested.
“Perfect,” Dylan agreed
and we walked over.
I sat down first with my back resting against the tree so that
Dylan had no choice but to sit down next to me. He was closer than I was
comfortable with but I didn’t gripe. He spread the blanket over our legs and
then he handed me a sandwich.
“It feels the same,” he
said. “Like no time has passed.”
I looked away from him. “It
doesn’t really feel that way to me.”
“I’m sorry,” he said
soberly. “I didn’t mean … I just …”
“I know,” I said quickly. “It’s ok; I just don’t want to pretend
like things are the same. You’re leaving in a few weeks and that won’t change
no matter how much time we spend together now.”
“I know.”
“Will you be deployed
again?”
Dylan nodded. “Once my
leave is over, I go back to prepare for the deployment.”
“What do you feel just
before you leave?” I asked.
“I don’t have time to
concentrate,” Dylan said slowly. “It’s when I’m on the plane that I start
getting nervous.”
“So you haven’t got used
to it?”
“You get used to it,”
Dylan explained. “But you never get rid of certain things … like the nerves and
the fear. That will never leave you.”
“When you first told me that you were planning to enlist, I
thought you were joking,” I admitted. “I thought you were playing some sick
joke on me. I think that I only really supported in that decision because I
believed you wouldn’t really go through with it.”
“I didn’t think I would
get through training,” Dylan said. “And after I did, I just had to see it
through.”
“I’ll admit I was upset
and hurt,” I said slowly. “But I also understood why you wanted to do it. You
wanted to make your father proud.”
Dylan smiled. “I never
told you that.”
I shrugged. “You didn’t
have to.”
Chapter Thirteen
Dylan
There was a quiet, calming stillness in the air. It clung to me
like dew on fresh leaves. I glanced at Lizzie, wondering whether she felt it
too. She was looking up at the sun. It was just a big ball of orange fire, half
hidden behind silver-crusted clouds that seemed to give off their own ethereal
glow.
I realized that it had been eleven years since I’d marveled at the
wonders that nature held. I hadn’t stopped to sit down and think in so long
that I’d missed so much. My eyes fell back onto Lizzie. She was illuminated in
warm, golden rays of sunshine that were getting duller as the minutes ticked
away. I hadn’t been this comfortable in so long that I’d forgotten the
sensation. It was like a caress, it made you feel safe and content, and
contentment in my books had always been a cut above happiness.
Happiness made you silly and excited and prone to making mistakes
and rash decisions. Contentment was stillness.
“Have you forgiven me?” I
asked before my courage abandoned me.
“Forgiven you?” Lizzie
asked as she turned her gaze back to me. “For what?”
“Leaving.”
She looked at me for a long moment and I could see the
“You came prepared,” I
said.
He smiled and took my hand as we walked down the open expanse of
land searching for the perfect spot to sit down and have our meal. The sun was
close to setting and I knew we’d be treating ourselves to a magnificent sunset.
It was getting a little cooler too and I was glad that Dylan had thought to
bring blankets.
“How many did you bring?”
I asked gesturing at the blanket.
“Just the one,” Dylan
said with a tell-tale smile.
I shook my head at him.
“I could take it.”
“But then I’d be cold,”
Dylan said. “And you wouldn’t want that would you?”
I gave him a dirty look
and turned to face the sparse dotting of trees that lined the huge meadow. “How
about that one over there?” I suggested.
“Perfect,” Dylan agreed
and we walked over.
I sat down first with my back resting against the tree so that
Dylan had no choice but to sit down next to me. He was closer than I was
comfortable with but I didn’t gripe. He spread the blanket over our legs and
then he handed me a sandwich.
“It feels the same,” he
said. “Like no time has passed.”
I looked away from him. “It
doesn’t really feel that way to me.”
“I’m sorry,” he said
soberly. “I didn’t mean … I just …”
“I know,” I said quickly. “It’s ok; I just don’t want to pretend
like things are the same. You’re leaving in a few weeks and that won’t change
no matter how much time we spend together now.”
“I know.”
“Will you be deployed
again?”
Dylan nodded. “Once my
leave is over, I go back to prepare for the deployment.”
“What do you feel just
before you leave?” I asked.
“I don’t have time to
concentrate,” Dylan said slowly. “It’s when I’m on the plane that I start
getting nervous.”
“So you haven’t got used
to it?”
“You get used to it,”
Dylan explained. “But you never get rid of certain things … like the nerves and
the fear. That will never leave you.”
“When you first told me that you were planning to enlist, I
thought you were joking,” I admitted. “I thought you were playing some sick
joke on me. I think that I only really supported in that decision because I
believed you wouldn’t really go through with it.”
“I didn’t think I would
get through training,” Dylan said. “And after I did, I just had to see it
through.”
“I’ll admit I was upset
and hurt,” I said slowly. “But I also understood why you wanted to do it. You
wanted to make your father proud.”
Dylan smiled. “I never
told you that.”
I shrugged. “You didn’t
have to.”
Chapter Thirteen
Dylan
There was a quiet, calming stillness in the air. It clung to me
like dew on fresh leaves. I glanced at Lizzie, wondering whether she felt it
too. She was looking up at the sun. It was just a big ball of orange fire, half
hidden behind silver-crusted clouds that seemed to give off their own ethereal
glow.
I realized that it had been eleven years since I’d marveled at the
wonders that nature held. I hadn’t stopped to sit down and think in so long
that I’d missed so much. My eyes fell back onto Lizzie. She was illuminated in
warm, golden rays of sunshine that were getting duller as the minutes ticked
away. I hadn’t been this comfortable in so long that I’d forgotten the
sensation. It was like a caress, it made you feel safe and content, and
contentment in my books had always been a cut above happiness.
Happiness made you silly and excited and prone to making mistakes
and rash decisions. Contentment was stillness.
“Have you forgiven me?” I
asked before my courage abandoned me.
“Forgiven you?” Lizzie
asked as she turned her gaze back to me. “For what?”
“Leaving.”
She looked at me for a long moment and I could see the
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