Page 64 of The One
I laughed. “I just wanted to be with you, Rhett. I never cared about what movie was picked.”
“My girl.” His voice was soft. “The good news is, you won’t have to wait long to find out what I have planned. We’re almost there.” I felt his eyes on me. “And I know you love surprises, which is why I didn’t tell you about any of this.”
“I do. I love them so much.”
He squeezed my fingers. “And you’re going to love this one.”
He pulled into a lot and turned off the engine. This time, I knew where we were. I’d only been to this park once before, andit had been years ago. What stood out the most was the scenery. The whole area sat up high with LA below, the lights of the city so bright that they illuminated the entire park.
Rhett grabbed the bag of food from the backseat and a few things from the trunk.
As I joined him outside, I held out my hands. “Let me help.”
“I’ve got it. Just find us a good spot to sit on the grass.”
I led us toward the back side, as close to the cliff’s edge that I could get us, where the view was the best. “I think right here.” We were so high up; it almost felt like we were in a plane and I was looking at all the lights out the window. “Definitely right here.”
He set down everything he was holding, except a blanket, and he spread it out over the grass. After we sat, from a small cooler, he took out a Diet Coke, placing it in front of me, and a Coke for him. From a canvas bag, he removed some silverware and napkins and paper plates.
I watched in awe. “You’re kinda cute.”
“Yeah?”
“You thought of everything. I’m impressed.”
“I even thought of this.” He placed a small votive candle between us, the scent of vanilla strong when he lit it. “I stole it from Mom’s house. I thought it would be a better idea than the candlesticks from my dad’s dining room table. I was afraid those would fall and set the blanket on fire, and that was a situation I didn’t want to deal with.”
“Good call.” I put my hand on his arm. “This is so perfect.”
He was quiet for a moment. “Do you know why I chose this spot?”
I tried to trace back and think of every possible reason. “No.”
“The first time I saw you and talked to you was in gym class freshman year, but the first time we hung out was right here at this park.”
“It was?”
He nodded. “I told you that a bunch of us were coming here to hang, and you showed up with Penelope. It was a Friday night, after one of my football games.” He pointed to the left, on the other side of the grass. “We were over there, the whole group of us, and I got you to walk with me over here.” He pointed down as though where we were sitting were the same blades of grass as before.
The memories were slowly unraveling, and I whispered, “I remember.”
“We talked right here until you had to go home. And that night was the first time I touched you.” He was gripping my fingers. “It was only your hand, but back then, that felt like a lot.” He gave my fingers a squeeze. “I guess this place will always be special since it’s where it all started for us.”
“Rhett …” I swallowed, the emotion thickening in my throat. “I was wrong. You’re way more than cute.”
He chuckled. “Didn’t think I was sentimental, did you?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. I wouldn’t put anything past you.”
“There’s more where that came from, but right now, it’s time to eat.” From the large bag, he took out several to-go containers. “I got a bunch of Italian. My dad swears by this restaurant. They just opened, so I haven’t had a chance to check it out, but Dad says it’s as good as what we’ve eaten in Italy. There’s calamari and meatballs for an appetizer”—he set those two containers in front of me and opened them—“and for the main course, there’s chicken parmesan, spaghetti with meat sauce, fettuccini Alfredo, penne with vodka sauce, and of course, garlic bread.” Every time he mentioned a new dish, it would appear from the bag, the plastic top coming off and a whole new scent filling the air.
“I think I might be drooling.” I wondered how we were going to even make a dent in all this food. “This is incredible, Rhett. I don’t even know how to thank you.”
“And there’s tiramisu for dessert.”
My head shook as I looked at him. I couldn’t stop the movement; I was just totally blown away by all the effort he’d put in. “I can’t believe you did this all for me.”
“This is just food, in a park that overlooks the best view of LA.”
