He gracefully maneuvered me around like I was nothing but a rag doll. I found myself staring up at the stars when he dipped me and lowered his face so that I could almost taste the scent of him.
“There’s more to you than you allow anybody else to see, even Corbin.”
Those cornflower blue eyes studied me. “And you think that you can see more than anybody else ever has?”
I shook my head. “I think you want to let me see more than anyone else.”
Silence hovered between us, save for the way my heart still rattled against my ribcage.
Bale stiffened his hold on me, and for a moment, I was sure I had ruined it all between us.
Surprisingly, he eased me upright and nodded. “Maybe I do. Are you brave enough to let me show you more, or is your confidence all for show?”
Realizing that we had ditched Corbin back at the tractor, I glanced in that direction to see him casually leaning against it—no indication of annoyance or jealousy on his face. Either he was more secure than I gave him credit for, or he was a master of the emotional poker face.
“He’ll be okay,” Bale murmured reassuringly to me. “Let’s go, I want to show you something.”
After a brief internal debate, I concluded that if Bale was willing to reveal a little bit more of the mystery that surrounded him, I wasn’t going to pass it up.
He gave a gentle tug on my hand, and I finally turned and followed him as he led me away from the courtyard. I saw the path that led to the cornfields and paused.
The resistance on my hand prompted him to turn and look at me questioningly. “What’s wrong? Getting skittish?” he taunted.
I rolled my eyes. “No,” I stated firmly. “I thought we weren’t supposed to go into the cornfields after dark.” I recalled the rules that were conspicuously posted right at the entrance to the courtyard.
He laughed so loudly that I visibly jumped, my eyes widening slightly at the sudden sound of amusement with a mocking tint to it.
“Fuck the rules, I practically own thecornfields.” He gestured with his hand, swiping across the sight of the rows of corn. “The Council knows not to pull any bullshit with me.”
He leaned in with a slanted grin. “And since you’re with me, they won’t fuck with you either.” A beat passed before he added with intense conviction, “Ever.”
Straightening up and with another gentle pull of my hand, he continued towards the tall stalks. I reluctantly followed him, sparing one last glance towards the opening festivities.
Before disappearing behind the first wall of corn stalks, I caught one final look at Corbin and the smile pulling at his perfect lips.
After several moments where only the moonlight above us illuminated the path, I finally broke the silence.
“Is this all part of the corn maze everybody talks about?” Simple curiosity nagged at me.
There was a tightening in Bale’s shoulders before he shook his head.
“No. The maze starts and ends at the southwest corner. We’re closer to the northern half of the field.” Each of his words felt forced and rigid instead of explanatory, as though he hadn’t wanted to give anything away.
Despite the dark, Bale navigated us through the field with ease. Seemingly, there was never a wrong turn, never a wasted step. It was like he knew each stalk on an extraordinarily intimate level.
It was an absurd thought to think that anybody couldbe familiar with tens of thousands of plants. But somehow Bale managed to give off that very impression.
“How far into the corn are we going?” It already felt like we had been walking for ages.
Glancing back at me with a knowing grin, he said, “You’ll see. We’re going to where I like to come and get away, to be stuck with my thoughts. To where no one else can see me.”
That last part stuck with me.
“To where no one else can see me.”
The real question was whether he was bringing me there so I could see him.
We came to a clearing where the earth remained flat in a large circle without any plants sprouting up from it. At its center, an empty cross frame stood where a scarecrow should be maintaining watch over the fields.
