He grabbed another sweatshirt from the back and shrugged it on before climbing out of the truck with a blanket tucked under his arm. I did the same, standing by the fence as he came around. He tossed the blanket over the fence and grabbed ahold of the top part of the fence and hoisted himself over with one easy jump. Um, yeah…there was no way I could do that in these jeans. It wasn’t that the fence was that high or anything, but I wasn’t sure I was graceful enough not to make a fool of myself. I’m sure Jude would find it absolutely hysterical if I fell on my face.
He held out a hand for me. “Just put your feet on the bottom piece and lift your leg over. I’ll help you.”
I looked at him hesitantly.
He thrust his hand towards me again. “Come on, Tater Tot, just take my hand. I would never let you fall.”
I reluctantly did what he asked and let him help me over. Somehow, on my way to the other side I lost my balance and my body slammed into his. We fell to the ground but somehow Jude maneuvered us so that he took the brunt of the fall. He grunted from the impact and then again when my elbow hit his ribs by accident.
“I’m so sorry!” I immediately jumped to my feet.
Jude was sprawled on the ground with brown pieces of grass stuck in his hair. He seemed stunned, but then he started to laugh. “I said I wouldn’t let you fall and then you went and tackled me. I wasn’t prepared for that pretty girl.”
“I’m so sorry,” I repeated, heat infusing my cheeks at my clumsiness. I was so mortified that I was even able to overlook him calling me ‘pretty girl’.
He sat up, rubbing the back of his head. “I’m okay.”
He clambered to his feet, dusting dirt and grass from his clothes. He picked up the blanket that had fallen to the ground and started walking. I had no choice but to follow him.
The dead grass crunched beneath my feet as we trudged through the field. It was crazy to think that in a few short weeks spring would be here and the grass would soon be green. Spring was my favorite time of year. I loved the colors and flowers, even the smells. There was something so promising about spring—it was a new beginning.
Jude stopped in the middle of the field and spread the blanket out on the ground. “Sit,” he instructed.
With a reluctant sigh, I did as he told me. “Why are we out here?” I asked, drawing his sweatshirt closer to me as I shivered.
“I want you to see something.”
“Thanks for the non-answer,” I mumbled as he sat down beside me. He wiggled around until he got comfortable.
He chuckled, sweeping his hair from his eyes. “There’s something I want you to see,” he repeated, “be patient.”
You’d think Jude would know by now that I was the least patient person on the planet. Only a few minutes had past when I asked, “What are we waiting for?”
“Oh, Tate,” he chuckled, his eyes crinkling as he lay back, propping his body up with his elbows, “you’re something else.” Tilting his head, he continued, “Look around you, appreciate what’s right in front of you for a change. You need to slow down and enjoy life.”
“Look at you sounding so wise,” I commented, resisting the sudden urge to smile. I wanted to smile a lot around Jude and that scared me a bit.
He gasped, his eyes brightening. “I am wise.” He sat up and drew his knees up, draping his arms on top. “Now watch, here comes the surprise.”
For a moment, I wondered what he was talking about and then I realized we were watching the sunset. The sky deepened with hues of orange and red as the sun descended. My mouth fell open in awe as the meadow around us became awash with golden light. I didn’t speak and neither did he. For once, I was living in the moment, and maybe this moment wasn’t such a bad place to be.
There was calmness in the air around us as the last of sun’s rays fanned across the land. It didn’t take long for the sun to disappear and for the stars and moon to twinkle above us.
Without saying anything, we both lay back on the blanket, staring up at the sky above.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” He whispered, his fingers brushing lightly against mine where we rested side by side.
“What?” I asked, trying to pick out any of the constellations.
“Nature…everything…you.”
I felt his eyes staring at the side of my face and I turned to look at him. “Jude—”
He placed a warm finger on my lips. “Don’t say anything. Please, don’t ruin this moment for me.”
I shivered, but it wasn’t from the cold. “I don’t know you at all,” I admitted, feeling ashamed of all the judgments I’d made of him. Knowing Jude in high school, and after what happened with Graham, I’d turned him into this horrible person in my mind but he really wasn’t the guy I thought he was. People are always spouting about not judging one another, but we all do it, and I’d been completely unfair with my assumptions of the man looking at me. I’d held onto childish notions making him into the bad guy, when he really wasn’t. It was so much easier to blame him, though. But easier doesn’t always mean better.
“No, you don’t,” he breathed, scooting closer to me so that there was barely any space between our bodies. He turned away from me to look back up at the night sky. “We didn’t ask any questions today.”