He squeezes my thigh, “It’s okay, nothing to be embarrassed about. I find it endearing,” he reassures me. “What is bothering you then?” he asks slowly.
I blew out a long breath, “before my parents died, we had planned to take a trip to New England for fall, but we never got to.” A tear slid down my cheek from thinking about my parents. I missed them very much.
“I’m sorry, Blair. I can’t imagine how difficult and heartbreaking that was for you. How long has it been since they died?” he asks gently. The hand on my thigh provided solid comfort and stability from him.
“It’s been four years now since the accident,” I say, barely above a whisper.
The truck cab falls into a gentle silence, but it’s not suffocating; it feels more like a warm hug. My hand is still resting on top of his. I move my fingers in between his digits, linking our fingers together. I squeeze his hand with mine, a calm washing over me. I turn to him with a small smile on my face, “What’s on the itinerary for the day?”
He unlocks our hands real quick and flips his hand around, palm facing up, allowing our hands to interlock better. He gives mine a gentle squeeze, letting me know he’s here for me, the action comforting. “Well, a few things. The plan included some scenic views, orchards, vineyards, and hiking.”
“That sounds perfect,” I say, as my heart swells and warmth blooms through me.
The biggest smile flashes across his face, “I’m glad. Our first stop will be a farm where we can pick some pumpkins since it’s October. We should be there in about twenty minutes.”
The farm was right outside of Hartford, and it didn’t take long to arrive. It was surrounded by forest, with fall foliage scattered between the green growth. The farm was all decked out for the fall season. They had stacked bales of hay, an old, broken-down wooden wagon filled with pumpkins, colorful scarecrows, a giant corn maze, and acres of pick-your-own pumpkins. We stepped out of the truck into the crisp air, the sunshine warming my face from the cool breeze. It was a lovely day to be outdoors.
“How many pumpkins are we picking?” I ask him with a smile on my face.
He hums, “well I guess as many as you want, but I was going to go for the biggest pumpkin I could find,” a devilish smile on his face. A laugh escapes me; of course he would. He walks over to me and takes my hand, pulling me towards the entrance. “Let’s go, we have a full day ahead of us,” he reminds me, a boyish and carefree smile on his face. I follow his lead, walking towards the fields.I can’t wait.
We head our separate ways, walking down each row, trying to find the perfect pumpkin. I bend down and find one that is almost perfectly round, bright, warm orange, with no blemishes, and a thick, sturdy stem.This is the one.I cut the stem and head towards the red barn where the checkout is. As I head that way, out of the corner of my eye, a small, perfectly round pumpkin with no ridges or blemishes lying on the ground catches my attention. I bend down and cutthat one off the vine, taking it with me.
When I meet Asmodeus at the tent, my eyes go wide. I start laughing at the sight in front of me. Of course he would pick a pumpkin fit for a giant; it’s as wide as he is and probably weighs about 100 pounds. It is lopsided, with bumps, ridges, and an extremely large stem at the top. I grin at him, “I see you found the largest pumpkin here, very impressive.”
He grins back at me, “of course! I love your picks as well. Let’s go ahead and pay, and head to our next stop.” He pays for the pumpkins, putting them in the back of his truck before we leave.Aww, how cute, a tiny pumpkin family.The thought of the pumpkins being our little family makes my cheeks flame.
We get back into the truck and head to our next destination. I spend my time watching out the window, the leaves near their peak change–yellow, reds, and oranges–bursting with color across the landscape. It takes about 25 minutes before he stops the truck in a parking lot.
“Alright, we’re here!” He announces. I look around, a bit confused because all I see is thick forest. “What are we doing?” I ask, confusion crossing my face.
“We are in Ender’s State Forest. There is a waterfall here that’s a short walk away. I heard it’s quite spectacular this time of year with all the fall leaves.”
“You sure are setting the bar high,” I tease, “Let’s go.” I walked toward him and he led the way to the entrance of the trail.
It was a short walk to the waterfalls, maybe half a mile. There were supposedly five waterfalls in this area alone. The trees in the area were painted in the colors gold, orange, and red, standing out against the green thicket. With each stepwalked, the crunch of the leaves was heard beneath our shoes. It was breathtakingly beautiful, it was hard to pay attention to the path in front of me. I definitely lost my footing a couple of times, but Asmodeus caught me, ensuring I was safe.
It didn’t take long to come across the waterfalls, which were breathtaking. Each one was shaped differently, but had the jagged rocks surrounding the cascading water. The rocks covered in moss and fallen leaves. A couple of them had fences up to ensure people couldn’t get too close, but I understood why since the rocks were slippery from the water. The landscape popped with contrasting colors between the dark onyx of the rocks, the green from the trees and shrubs, the crystal clear blue from the sky, and the fall tones from the maples and oaks.
“This is beautiful,” I whisper. Staring at the picturesque view in front of me.
“Yea it really is,” I heard whispered next to me. I look up to see Asomodeus gazing at me, awe and longing written on his face. A blush heats my face, realizing he was talking about me. I turn back around, unsure what to say. We kept on walking until we were able to complete the small one mile loop and ended back at his truck.
We were both silent as we got back in. The silence was comforting; I didn’t feel the need to talk or to fill it. Being around his presence calmed my mind and racing thoughts. Our next stop was only fifteen minutes away, a quick drive to the vineyards. I had never been to a vineyard before. Of course he was checking off all of the boxes for things I wanted to do and see.
He turns to me as we get into the parking lot, “how does some wine tasting and pizza sound?”
“That sounds perfect! I’ve always wanted to do something like this. I swear you have some secret power you’re using on me,” a small laugh escapes as I shake my head.
He hums. “Maybe, maybe not,” he winks. “Just wanting to be thoughtful and give you an experience worth remembering. You’re my mate, I’m going off instinct for how I can please you. I’m happy to know that I am,” he growls. My cheeks heat from the innuendo, while my heart soars at his attentiveness. I wonder how else he could please me.
Up first was the wine tasting. We were able to walk around the vineyard while we sampled five of the house wines. The Riesling was the best. Next, there was a date night pizza event where we enjoyed pizza, salad and dessert paired with a bottle of wine of our choosing. I was a bit tipsy after we finished the bottle, but it was delicious. I was glad I was not the one driving. Asmodeus didn’t seem phased at all from the alcohol.
I point a finger at him, my eyes narrowing. “Can you even get drunk?” I slur.
A warm hearty laugh comes from his chest. He grips the finger I’m pointing at him. “Yes Blair I can, but it takes a lot, or magic laced alcohol. I want to make sure I’m sober since I have precious cargo in the truck with me and don’t want anything to happen,” he says, nibbling on my finger he has before he moves his hand allowing our fingers are interlocked and my hand is in his.
I groan,why is he perfect?He grins at me and pulls my hand towards him, placing a kiss on the back of my hand. “Shall we get out of here and finish our fall drive?” he asks. I nod my head in agreement.
