"It was you,"
He stills, and for a split second, he looks striken, but his expression shifts.
"I was still in high school then, and it was in the parking lot, I was running. You were there. You caught me when I was about to fall. "
"Sweetheart, I don't know what you're talking about."
"You don't?" I ask. He shrugs
"I don't." He releases me, and we start walking again.
I don't say anything else. I'm too preoccupied with my thoughts. Really, what is up with this? I take a peek at him from the corner of my eye. He looked so familiar, I thought maybe, I might have seen him before. I was so sure before, but now, not so much.
I mean, it is possible it isn't him, after all that was a few years ago. I might be mistaken. I don't remember that day well, but I know I remember his eyes. That stranger had the same striking blue eyes as Max.
I decide to let the matter go. If he isn't the one, fine. If he is the one but he doesn't want to talk about it, that's also fine.
Max takes a turn, and I follow him without thinking too much. The atmosphere feels different here. I look around, there are no more houses or any type of building for that matter, i realise I stopped seeing houses a while ago. It's all trees.
We are walking on a dirt path, so I know that at least this way is used often, maybe hikers, I think, but a totally rational part of my brain whispers or murderers.
I choose to listen to the rational part of my brain this time because if there's one thing this long walk has taught me, it's that when it comes to this man I'm clearly not very rational
"Where are we going?" But before he answers, the path opens up, and instantly my jaw drops. Literally. Before me is the most breathtaking, picturesque view.
There is a clear lake that reflects the vibrant greens of the surrounding trees. I've never been good at identifying trees, but I don't know what they are called. I only know that they look beautiful.
The ripples on the surface of the lake make the colours even more mesmerising, and the soft sounds just add to the ambience. The lake is surrounded by luscious looking green grass and wild flowers. I bend down to take a closer look, and I see that some of the plants have exactly three leaves.
"Clovers!" I exclaim with joy and look up at Max. He gives me a subtle nod. I can't help myself, I laugh, I run my hands through the plants, and some of them bend over out of shape, I instantly feel guilty.
Max bends down beside me.
"It's fine. They'll pop back up. They are resilient. "
"You think so?" I ask
" I know so," He replies. His gaze arrests me.
I believe him.
Somehow, it doesn't feel like we are talking about flowers anymore, and the atmosphere has gone from lighthearted to a little bit heavy. I tear my gaze from his and i look at the flowers again I laugh when I see the flowers are indeed popping back up.
I sit on the grass and take off my shoes. In this moment, I want nothing to take away from my experience. I want to walk around. To feel the breeze in my hair and to feel the earth beneath.
A melody starts playing. I turn to stare at Max, and his hand is outstretched. He doesn't say anything, but his expression tells me all I need to know. It's not like in the club, when he was daring me to dance. No. This time, it's different. This time, it's softer.
I contemplate his hand for a moment, but I take it. He pulls me up to my feet and comes close to me. So close that our chests are touching. His frame towers over mine, and the top of my head just barely touches underneath his jaw. Despite the size difference, we fit. Like two perfectly aligned puzzle pieces.
He smells like he did when he was in my class..... earthy, like the air after a slight drizzle. He also smells like him. It's both comforting and disconcerting. I barely know him, but he already feels so important to me.
"Dance with me," he says, his hand coming to settle on my waist. his voic is deeper and filled with something other. I put that thought away, and I choose to live in this moment. I choose to live in the now.
Right now, in this moment, I don't want to be me. I want to become someone else. I just want to forget. If I deserve a gift, this is it. This is what I want.
The dance starts out slow, easy, just two people maving with the beat, staring unblinkingly into each others eyes. Soon enough, the energy changes. It's still a slow song, but there is a difference in the air.
The turns get sharper. The twirls, more intimate, the twists, more charged. We dance and dance. I've never felt more alive. I make a twirl, and in that split second, he holds me in position my back pressed to his front and his face in my neck.
I'm not given a chance to analyze our position, before he quickly twirls me again, this time though, away from him. He gives me a roguish grin, and as I'm twirling back to him, he grips my waist, and like I weigh nothing at all, he throws me up in the air.
It's the most exhilarating thing ever. The funny thing is, I'm not scared, I know he'll catch me, I trust that he'll catch me.
As if we've done this a million times I spread my hands out and when he catches me, he holds me by my ribs while I throw my hands and my head back and widen my legs. He spins us around and then releases me for another twirl before bringing me back to him.
We continue dancing for a few minutes, but then it starts to slow down. The twirls and turns are no longer charged. Just simple but all the more romantic for it.
The song ends, and I find myself in a classic waltz pose. Bent over with Max, steadying me while bent over himself. There is a smile on his face, and from the aching in my cheeks, there is one on mine, too.
He lifts me up, and I notice that I'm the only one panting. There's a sheen of sweat on my body, but Max is not panting. He's as cool as cucumber, while I'm a panting mess. But this, this is somethingi dont feel insecure about.
We stand there staring into each other's eyes. He leans in closer to me, and for a beautiful moment, I think he's going to kiss me, I lean in closer to him to him, too. The meadow is silent, too, like, the whole world is waiting with bated breath. The only sounds are my breathing, which sounds a little bit harsh in the silence. We are so close that our breaths are intermingling. I lean in a bit closer, but a breeze blows, and I shiver.
The moment is broken. He takes a step back, and I want to drag him back to me and kiss him senseless, but i don't. Instead, i just wrap my hands around myself. My sleeveless arms are currently on display with a light sheen of rapidly disappearing sweat. And it's gotten kind of chilly.
Max places a jacket around my shoulders. For the first time, I noticed that he had on a full three piece black suit.
"Are you wearing a suit? I ask incredulously. He raises his eyebrow, and I want to smack him. He takes off his cufflinks, and he starts bringing his shirt to his elbows.
I gasp