Page 48 of Fresh Start
"Are you ready?" Leo asked and climbed down the last couple of steps to meet me.
“Just waiting for the picnic basket from Melody, but yes. Yes, I am.”
Fourteen
Leo
Melody appeared with a picnic basket and a naughty grin that practically screamed with all the questions she had. I’d have to make sure we caught up before she exploded.
We couldn't have asked for a more traditional basket if we had ordered it straight from the seventies.
The red gingham cloth that was wrapped next to a selection of sandwiches was something I didn't see often. I couldn't even remember the last time I’d been for a picnic with anyone. Probably when I was a child.
"This should cover you, guys. I've also put a blanket in there so you can lie down if you're so inclined," Mel said, looking from Dawson to me, and I seriously wanted to tell her to fuck off and stop being so obvious.
The last thing I wanted was to scare Dawson. He was still in the closet, and he’d probably like to stay that way for the time being. Get the hint, sis.
Dawson took the basket, and we went down the stairs and came out onto the main street. The day was warm and the street busy, and all I wanted to do was take his hand and hold on to him, never let him go. But I couldn’t.
So, I resorted to pointing out all the old places I’d hung out before and all the new places I’d yet to explore.
We walked to the edge of the town and then took the path for the forest and trailed through the cedarwood trees that offered us a gentle breeze on this hot summer day.
Being in Cedarwood Forest again after all these years, with Dawson, nonetheless, made me feel... at peace. It was so serene out here in the middle of nowhere. I enjoyed the countryside more than I dared to admit. And even though I’d ran away from this town, being back in its embrace gave me a sense of purpose again.
My rehab center had been somewhere similarly remote in the UK, and it had helped me get back in touch with myself and embrace my inner demons. Even if some of those demons had come back to haunt me. Like Dawson Eldred.
Not that I could complain now. I liked Dawson's haunting. After spending an entire day together, most of it in bed, I couldn't imagine going back to the way life used to be without him. I couldn't even begin to process how fucked up I felt every time the thought that we wouldn't see each other again struck me.
If there was one thing I was sure of, it was that I wanted Dawson in my life. The fact that Dawson had also told me he wasn't letting go of me, either, made me hopeful.
Hopeful for a new chapter in my life. A chapter where all my dreams came true.
"You're very quiet," Dawson said and broke the peaceful silence of the forest.
"I'm just thinking."
"Thinking about what?"
"You. Me. Life," I said, injecting nonchalance to my words.
Dawson stopped and turned to face me. I looked at him and let Dawson take my hands.
"What about me, you, and life?" he asked.
I didn't want to be too forthcoming with him even though we had been completely open with each other the day before.
We had shared so much of what had happened in our lives. We’d even said things that perhaps were too early to be said. And while it was true that we had known each other and had been with each other in the past, it felt too soon to admit to Dawson that imagining my life without him scared the crap out of me.
That was twentieth-date material. Not picnic-after-a-day-long-fucking-session date material. I decided to say something more acceptable.
"I was just thinking how much I like this. Being with you again. And if memory serves me right, we made a kickass couple."
"We did indeed." Dawson smiled.
"Do you remember Mr. Capaldi? That time he almost caught us making out backstage while the other guys were rehearsing?" I asked.
Dawson glared at me with a knowing look and a cheeky grin appeared on his face.
