He grins and nods again. “Yep. I only need a few minutes and hydration is super important.”
Taking the canteen, I stand to the side and watch as he next unloads some poles that attach quite easily together and create a canopy toward one end of the blanket, which Hugo holds down with some stakes in the ground. Then he drapes and fastens a gauzy material over it. As he unfolds it, out pops something small and he pauses to hunt for it.
He’s grinning when he finds the small brightly colored thing and holds it up between his two fingers. It takes me a minute to realize he’s found another tiny duck. He sticks it safely into a side pocket before resuming his mission.
Before my eyes, Hugo produces half a dozen lanterns from the metal cart and places them around the blanket, plus blow-up pillows with pillow shams over them, and a couple blankets he places in a neat pile. As if there needs to be more, he finishes it off with a short, collapsing table filled with food.
Somehow, he’s frowning at it all though. I can’t imagine how he isn’t pleased with this. It’s amazing. Special. Simply breathtaking. And he did it all for me.
Hugo turns and heads into the field, picking flowers as he goes. Returning, he’s obscured by the canopy, but before I manage to move so I can see him, he’s placing a vase of flowers on the little table.
When he’s satisfied, he comes around the luxurious picnic and hands me a single pink and yellow flower. “Ready?” he asks.
I nod, speechless.
“Sorry it took so long. I practiced in my yard so I could get it set up as quickly as I could.”
Tucking the canteen under my arm, I grab him and kiss him. “I’ve never had anyone do something so sweet for me.”
The moment is broken almost immediately when another plane roars overhead. We jump and then laugh.
“I thought about noise-cancelling headphones, but then we couldn’t hear each other. Planes are cool to watch. I thought it might be fun.”
“This is amazing, Hugo. Really. There’s nothing better.”
He beams at me again. “Shoes off.” He drops to help me remove my shoes and step onto the blanket without getting my feet dirty. Hugo joins me a minute later once he’s sans shoes, too.
“Is this a good angle? I can adjust us.”
“This is perfect.”
“We don’t have to eat yet. I know it’s a little early. But we can if you’re hungry.”
“I’m not starving, but if you’re hungry, I can definitely eat now.”
Hugo thinks about it and decides he’s hungry. He carefully pulls the table closer and together, we uncover the dishes. There’s a variety of finger foods—both savory and sweet—none of which need to be hot. He said that wasn’t a hurdle he was ready to attempt quite yet in his introduction to dating.
The number of times he checks in with me to make sure I’m comfortable and that I like what I’m eating has me wondering if Hugo needs some reassurance. He’s never come across as someone insecure, so I try to pay extra attention to exactly what he’s asking and when.
By the time we’re finished eating, I decide it’s not insecurity that’s making him ask. He wants the night to be perfect. For me. The food I must have expressed liking the least, he took away and pushed something else in front of me. When I adjusted a couple times on the ground, Hugo brought one of the pillows over for me to sit on.
His concern isn’t about needing reassurance at all. His concern is all for me. Wanting me to feel good and comfortable and enjoy everything about right now.
He’s especially mindful when the planes take off. I can tell after the sixth or seventh, he’s beginning to regret his decision in location. Once he’s moved the table away, I bring him close and pull him down so we’re laying on the blanket, wrapping my arms around him.
“I love this spot,” I tell him. “This really is amazing.”
“It’s so loud,” he says. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. The planes are super awesome to watch. I’ve never been this close to see them take off. I love how you can feel them in the air and under us as they shake the ground. It’s such a cool experience.”
Hugo sighs. “I should have set up camp a little further away.”
“If they’re too much for you, we can definitely move.”
He shakes his head. “They’re not.” His hand touches my face gently. “I just don’t want them to be too loud for you.”
I’m not sure I can get closer but I try. Pressing my body flush to his, I kiss him softly. “This is honestly perfect. I’ve never had such a romantic evening before.”
