Me
Having a really good time. Too late… I already ate pineapple on my pizza. Whoops!
She respondsimmediately.
The horror! And apparently you also text on dates. Strike 2! Get back to Andrew xo
I glance out the window, wondering if Andrew is headed back yet. I don’t see him.
Andrew ran into the store for some surprise that I can’t see so I’m waiting
I see dots pop up on the screen and then disappear. I’m about to text her again when the doors unlock, and Andrew tosses a bag in the back seat. “No cheating. You can’t look at what’s in the bag. Promise?”
I scoff. “Why are you being so secretive? This better be good after the way you’ve hyped this up.”
His eyes meet mine, and I can see he’s being serious again. “It’ll be good.”
He pulls out of the parking lot, and in a matter of minutes, we are driving down a dirt road with no streetlights. The sun still hasn’t gone down, but there’s an orange glow beginning to tinge the sky.
“Oh my gosh! You’re going to murder me! That’s why you’ve been so secretive.” I glance toward the mystery bag sitting in the backseat of the truck. “You stopped at the grocery store to get supplies!”
“Yes, because the mini-mart is famous for selling murder weapons,” Andrew deadpans. “We are almost there. Just be patient.”
I can’t sit still. I’m glancing back and forth from the left to the right side of the road and back to the left side again, trying desperately to find something I recognize and get some inkling of an idea of what we are going to do.
Andrew brings the truck to a stop, and rushes out, throwing the rear door open and grabbing the grocery sack before saying, “Give me two minutes, and then you’ll understand everything.”
I don’t even get the chance to acknowledge his words before he’s hustling to the back of his truck, pulling the cover off his truck bed. I hear a lot of rustling around and then I begin to see little specks of light lining the back of his truck.What is he up to?
Andrew comes around to my door and opens it, holding out a bandanna. “What’s that for?” I ask, pointing to it.
He pushes it toward my face. “It’s a blindfold.”
“What do you need a blindfold?—”
“Just trust me, Em,” he sighs, grabbing my hand and helping me out of the truck, then tying the bandanna to cover my eyes.
He walks me several feet along the length of the truck, and then his hands grip my waist to hoist me up and set me down on what feels like the tailgate. I let out a little shriek in surprise.
I hear him jump up next to me, and then he says, “Alright, you can take the blindfold off now.”
He helps with the knot tied on the back of my head. When I finally see, I affirm I am in fact sitting on the tailgate, facing away from the truck.
I turn toward Andrew and see the pride radiating off of him. It melts my heart. He reminds me of a puppy sitting for his owner so he can get a treat, so innocent and excited.
I take in the scene around us. We are in a field that looks to be in the middle of nowhere. I catch a glimpse of the lights I saw earlier and turn to look at the truck bed behind me. It’s filled with pillows and blankets, with a tub of chocolate fudge brownie ice cream seated perfectly against the pillows. Small tea lights are lining the truck bed. It’s gorgeous. It’s simple, and it’s perfectly planned for me. I couldn’t ask for a better date set up.
I open my mouth to say something to Andrew, but I’m speechless. This is so romantic, and I’ve never had someone put so much thought and time into something for me like he did.
“Oh wait! I almost forgot…” He trails off as he pulls his phone out and presses a few buttons. A speaker at the edge of the truck bed begins playing music.
I stammer, “I—I can’t believe…you did this all for me? How did you plan this in less than twenty-four hours?”
He smirks. “I’ve had a lot longer than that to plan this one out. Do you remember when I took you into town for books and ice cream after you tried wakeboarding?”
“It was an amazing day, books and ice cream in one trip!” I reply.
“I remember you saying your perfect first date would involve getting pizza and a romantic gesture that shows thought and personalization to you. In a way, you planned this date out for us when you were fifteen, but I came up with the grand gesture idea last summer after that night under the stars. I saw how mesmerized you were by them, and we didn’t even do things the right way, so we are doing it right now.”
