Fractured

Chapter 46

Chapter 46

As we walked, I noticed the lights seemed to be coming from one big area ahead in the woods. Luke by my side as we walked through the woods, along the glowing path, I didn't know what to expect as I strained my eyes ahead. When we got close though, and the path finally ended, we were standing in a clearing. I was completely blown away by the sight.

I froze in place when I saw it. And it took a while to actually take in the whole thing. We were standing at the edge of a field... or what I thought was just a field. I noticed there was a small pond in the middle, frozen over with the chilly winter air. I realized it was the same pond Francis and Mike took me to before to ice skate. Only I could tell skating wasn't on Luke's agenda. Around the frozen pond, the bushes and tress were lit up brightly in lights, along the whole perimeter. Only this time, they covered the snow along the ground too, reaching far into the trees....

It lit up the whole space to where the moon wasn't our reliable guide to see at the moment. The whole area shinned around the pond. And in the middle of the pond was a little tent it looked like, almost like a shanty. Only this one was bigger and could fit a few people it looked like. My eyes wide, I took in the tan material of it and could see through it that there was light coming from the inside of the little closed in tent staked in the middle of the pond.

It was so beautiful... the sight ahead of me. The fancy little shanty, the lights strung along the trees, and the reflection of it along the ice. I gaped at it in straight awe. Such a strange and pretty sight... that I just didn't expect from Luke. I mean, he just took me bowling. I thought it was established it wasn't a romantic kind of evening just from that. But hey, I am not complaining. I told him earlier I was open to him showing his admiration and desire - I fucking wanted that. I had no idea he would do this and I was blown away. I managed to finally look up to where Luke was staring down into my eyes, tearing my sight from the scene in front of me.

"You...you did all of this?" I asked. I couldn't believe it. Especially the thought that he could have done all of this. All this... for a date.

He smiled to me lightly, his arm wrapping around me and resting on my hip as he tilted his face down towards mine to answer. "Yeah, I did," he said simply. "I mean, come on Albany. You should have known I would go all out for our first date."

I sighed, eyebrows rising more as I stared up at him and my smile widened. "I can't believe this... it's beautiful." He did this for me, for our date.... why did he care for me so much? "What's in that little tent?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Lets go see," he said, his arm tightening as he straightened himself back up, guiding me down more towards it and where the frozen pond held it up. Though I was nervous before about the ice, I wasn't now. Maybe because if he wasn't worried, I wouldn't be. Maybe because I just felt safe with him.... Either way, as he led me onto the ice, taking a few slow steps at a time over the slippery surface, the only thing I was concerned with was how to keep my smile from breaking my teeth. It was starting to hurt my face as we walked slowly to the middle where the tan shanty was.

Usually, I'm not up for the fancy stuff used to impress someone. But in this case, it was quite different. He wasn't doing it to show off his money, to try to impress me, to try to even be just romantic. But did this based of the fact that he thought I would just like it.

When we got to the shanty, I noticed a little slit in the material that hung around the entire mini-structure. It was apparently the opening. Luke let go of my waist and slid his hand in through the small parting, lifting the side up as he gestured for me to go inside the little tent. "After you," he said, sweetly.

Shaking my head at how out of this world this seemed, for someone like me anyway, I bit my grin as I moved over the ice in my flats, going inside the small shanty. Upon entering though, and feeling Luke do the same behind me though, I froze with the ice. The sight left me speechless. Everything seemed to shift... the lighting, the warmth, and the realization of what this was.