Page 53 of Say Something
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A few weeks passed, and I’d only seen Danny a handful of times in passing. In a sense, it felt like we were taking steps backwards. We’d had little moments here and there and then periods of nothing. I knew he was busy though. The school year had begun, as had football season. I may have gone to the first two home games. I hid pretty high up in the stands so he wouldn’t see me, but I was sure he knew I was there. Word would have traveled down the bleachers that I’d been there.
Maybe space was what I needed though. Absence made the heart grow fonder and all that. Not like my heart could possibly have grown any fonder of Danny. It was maxed out with love for him. Always had been, and I knew it always would be.
I manned my booth at the Fall Festival. The weather hadn’t turned bitter cold yet, so I was comfortable in a short sleeve button-down shirt and jeans. Karla worked some magic and arranged for my booth to be right beside the newspaper booth, so I had Melissa and Dad right next door. Some of the other staff came by to trade places with them throughout the day, but as the owner and the owner’s daughter, they stuck around.
The sun was beginning to set; the air getting a slight chill to it. I had a beige cardigan in my bag that I slipped on after my third shiver. The smells of deep fried goodness floated through the air, and I itched for a funnel cake.
“How’s it going?”
His voice sent a new set of shivers down my spine. Good shivers.
“It’s going,” I answered, smiling up at him. He looked incredible in dark jeans, boots, and a green and white button-down plaid shirt. The green in his shirt brought out the green in his eyes.
“Can you break away from here for a little bit?” he asked. He looked like he was up to no good, and I could never resistthatDanny.
“I actually think I’m going to wrap things up.”
“Can I help you with anything?”
I unceremoniously swiped my arm across the table, sliding my business cards and the informational brochures I’d spent the last week working on into a box.
“All done,” I stated.
He laughed. “You don’t have to take this down?” he asked, tapping the tent pole with his hand.
“Nope. The committee provided the canopy, table, and chair.” I stood up, and before I could pick up my box of paper goods, Danny had it in his arms.
“Where am I bringing this?”
I nodded behind me. “My car is right back here.”
A stretch of Oak River’s Main Street was shut down for the Fall Festival. Vendors arrived early enough to get the good, close parking spaces. I was parked right beside The Diner, which happened to be right behind my booth.
I led him back, weaving through the people still lingering around. When I got close enough, I pressed the button for the trunk on my key fob.
“Thanks,” I said as he placed the box in the trunk.
“No problem.” He closed the trunk and turned to me, his elbow sticking out.
I felt my cheeks go warm at the sweet gesture, then I wrapped my hand around his arm. “Where to?” I asked.
He just smiled and led me towards the center of town. I smiled nervously as people looked at us. They werealllooking at us, specifically at where my hand held the crook of his arm.
“Don’t even think about it,” he said as I began to pull my hand away. “Let them think. Let them talk. We’ll just be us, okay?”
I looked up at the man I loved. “We’ll just be us,” I repeated.
He smiled a million dollar smile and led me straight onto the makeshift dance floor in front of a small stage. A country music band crooned a cover of Alan Jackson’s “Red on a Rose” and I melted into Danny’s arms.
“Did you talk to a lot of people today?” he asked as we swayed slowly to the song.
“Yeah. Most were just people coming by to say hello, but I stayed busy earlier in the day.”
“Good. That’s real good.”
His arms were around my waist, mine were around his neck, and my head rested against his chest. The position was the same one we were in the other night, and I felt like I was right where I was meant to be.
