Page 27 of Please Don't Leave Me

He laughs and rubs his hand down his cheek and jaw. “Same. You look great.” That smile still hasn’t left his face, so I believe him. “Wanna go in?”

When I turn and walk through the gate, I feel him gently place his hand on the small of my back. He’s so calm, cool, and collected. It makes me less anxious than I was two minutes ago.

SAM

She’s just as beautiful as she was in her photos, if not better. Those eyes, though darker in color, sparkle when she smiles. Her outfit shows off her figure, especially her butt, which looks amazing in those jeans. She’s wearing boots that add a little bit to her height, but I still tower over her.

We start off by going into the gift shop to get a drink. I buy myself a hot chocolate, and she orders a hot apple cider, which I pay for, despite her protest. It was my idea to come here, so I’m going to use that as my excuse to treat her to everything today if she tries to put up a fight. Actually, it was Quinn’s idea, but I won’t bringthat up unless she does.

“So what made you choose this place? Have you been here before?”

Busted. “Actually, it was Quinn’s suggestion. He gets out a lot more than I do. When I told him I wanted to take you out on a date, he suggested this place.”

“You were talking about me to your brother?”

“Ummm, yeah.” I’m a little nervous, so I rub the back of my neck. “We pretty much talk about everything. We’re really close.”

“That’s sweet. Are you as close with your older brother? Was it…Jacob?”

“Yeah, Jacob. And no, we aren’t as close. Quinn gets himself involved with everyone’s business, and Jacob mostly keeps to himself.”

“B and Quinn sound like they would get along well. But boy, would they cause trouble.” She laughs. “Does Quinn have a girlfriend?”

“Women aren’t Quinn’s type. But no, he’s single.”

“Got it.” She nods with no hint of judgment on her face. Not that I would expect it from her anyway.

We’re walking around the orchard, talking, when we come across a maze. It's made out of rectangular hay bales stacked high enough where even I can't see over them.

"Wanna try it?"

She looks little nervous. "Sure."

"We don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, I want to."

We toss our empty cups in the trash and walk to the starting entrance.

"Have you done one of these before?"

As we start the maze, she walks a little closer to me, her arm brushing up against mine. I use it as an opportunity totake her hand in mine. She doesn't look up at me, but I can see she's smiling now.

"Yeah, they always have one at the county fair near my hometown."

"Makes sense. I forget you're from a small town."

We continue chatting as we walk. She tells me all about her small town and how even though she loved her childhood, she never wants to move back there. I start to notice that the further we get into the maze, the less talkative she gets. Ten minutes later, Lou grabs my arm with her other hand that isn't locked in mine.

“Are we lost?”

“No, I’m pretty sure we just reached the center of the maze,” I reassure her.

“I wasnotexpecting it to be this big. It’s going to take us 20 minutes to get out of here.” Her breathing becomes quick and shallow, her eyes darting around us in every direction.

I turn towards her and cup her chin in my fingers. I tilt her head up to look me in the eyes. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” She does her best to fake a casual smile.

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