Take My Breath Away

by Wendy L. Wilson

  I glance at the clock and then back at Bethany.

  “Do you need help or will you be ok if I take off?” I ask, my face heating with guilt over wanting to skip out.

  Normally, I would love to do this sort of stuff with my best friend, but it’s already 11:37 and I want to see what Judd had up his sleeve. That leaves us plenty of time to do whatever he has planned, go to his apartment to get dressed and then come back to help before the party.

  Bethany springs up from the end table she was dusting and lowers her brows into a scowl.

  “Of course I need help!” She snaps. “Why?”

  I grit my teeth and prepare for a tongue lashing. “I was just hoping I could come back later before the party and help you.”

  Any hope that she would let me off the hook fades as her mouth draws open and her frown deepens.

  “Well, I need your help now. You can’t expect me to do all of this,” she whines, placing her hands on her hips.

  “You won’t be. We will come back an hour early and help out. Plus, I got pre-made snack platters, so half the work is already done.” I beam proudly at my decision in getting those, despite Judd’s arguments of buying several pizzas to throw in the oven.

  “Fine, but don’t get all caught up rolling around in the sheets and end up blowing me off. This is our party.”

  She sounds plenty annoyed, but I’m just glad she gave in so easily. It’s rare when Judd and I have time to go anywhere. Usually we are so busy with school, my job, his job at Evan’s grandfather’s construction company and from countless trips back and forth to help with Dad, so I am not going to let a guilt trip hold me back from enjoying my afternoon with him. This is the first Saturday in the past month that we have not been vegged out on the couch at my parent’s house and I intend to indulge in whatever he has planned.

  “I won’t skip out on you, I promise. Judd and I will both come early and help.” I bounce up and down, eager to find out where this day is going to take us and hoping my excitement will redirect her irritation.

  Bethany stops cleaning and walks me down to the truck where we find Judd leaning up against the driver’s side door in an intense phone conversation. His eyes meet mine and he abruptly wraps up the call.

  Shoving his phone into his jean pocket, he takes two strides and is at my side. His face lights up when he looks at me but then strangely falls as soon as he sees Bethany not too far behind.

  “So what are you two up to that is so pressing that you can’t help me?” She bluntly asks and I have half the mind to flick her in the forehead.

  Wonderful! With his brows lowered and his lips etched into a frown, his aggravation is evident.

  “I told her we had something planned and that we would come back early to help.” I say, bringing Judd up to speed.

  He smiles at me and squeezes my hand for reassurance.

  “Absolutely,” he says to me in a gentle tone before looking back toward Bethany. “It’s been a month since we have been together so I figured I would take my girlfriend somewhere special this afternoon.”

  I flinch at the icy tone he takes with her and how he stresses the words ‘my girlfriend.’ Looking back and forth between the two as they level each other with a heated glare, I come to the realization that they are definitely not over the whole, ‘He used me to get to you’ and ‘She was obsessive and stalkerish even though she knew I wasn’t into her’ ordeal. I clear my throat, ready to end this standoff.

  “Is everything ok?” I ask Judd quietly.

  “Yeah, just a bad conversation with Tristan, that’s all.” He smiles and then looks away.

  “I’m in a foul mood, too,” Bethany throws out; her glare has softened to a weepy expression. “The guy I told you I was chasing after keeps blowing me off and I’m just about done with this whole cat and mouse chase.” She lifts her eyebrows and lets out a frustrated sigh.

  “Ok then,” I say still feeling there is something I’m missing. “Sorry to hear that. You’ll just have to show him and hook up with some hot guy tonight.”

  She laughs and then waves us on. “I better get back to getting the apartment ready. If I get it all done, I’ll shoot you a text. Have fun.” With that, she turns and scurries away.

  I’m a lousy friend for not sticking around to hear about the deal with this guy, but it is so seldom when we get a whole day to ourselves.

  “Is everything ok? I mean, you seem a little on edge?” I ask, unable to shake this feeling as we both hop into his truck.

  Judd starts up the truck and his grip tightens on the steering wheel as he answers, “Yeah, it’s fine. It’s just she . . .” he pauses, flashing a quick glance my way as he continues, “You know what, it’s no big deal. Besides, I don’t want to worry about this right now.”

  He smiles over at me and I, in turn, scoot across the seat to get as near to him as I can possibly sit.

  The bite in his tone earlier told me I am definitely missing something, but at this point I am way too focused on him and this surprise to worry about anything else.

  AFTER SWINGING BY ONE OF my favorite cafés, we pull into the gravel lot of a small playground. Judd throws the truck into park, turns to look at me and grabs my hands, pulling them into his lap between us. I crinkle my nose and give him a wide grin, absolutely wound up with anticipation.

  “Ok, so since we haven’t had a chance to go on an official date and this is the first time we have really had a day to ourselves, I wanted to take you on a real date.”

  He looks straight into my eyes and shows off the brightest, most gorgeous smile I’ve ever seen. I feel like a little girl that just got called up on stage to be sung to by her favorite rock star. As I gaze into his eyes, my heart thuds so loudly that I may melt into a puddle at any moment.

  “But instead of taking you on some cliché type date like dinner and a movie, I wanted to share a part of my past with you and take you somewhere that is special to me.”

  I grip his hands and look around at the park. He chuckles and then opens the door, pulling me out on his side.

  Once he hoists me down to stand beside him, he reaches into the back and grabs the bag he brought out of Sonny’s Café earlier. I know for certain it contains food regardless of the fact that he will not reveal its contents. As soon as the creamy scent of cheddar mixed with the bold aroma of onion and broccoli hit my nose, I knew he had gotten me my favorite; Cheddar Broccoli Soup. Lunch is definitely on the menu for this date.

  I try to hold back the giggle that tickles at my stomach from being so ecstatic. He holds the sack in one hand while nervously swinging our joined hands back and forth between us. My stomach swirls, my heart pounds up into my throat and my insides are tied in knots. You would think I am thirteen years old out with a boy alone for the first time. I am so nervous that my hands are sweating. Oh Lord, please don’t let him notice.

  My ears perk up to the rattling of the swing chains and the quiet squeak of the merry go round as the wind hits it. Walking past them and an old weathered slide, we make our way to a weedy area between two trees.

  At first, I swear he is leading me to absolutely nowhere, but as he pulls me along I can make out where the grass has been worn down into a path. The earthy fragrance of autumn rises up into the wind, along with the sounds of leaves crunching beneath our feet as we wind along the make shift trail in silence. The path is narrow, so I stay close behind Judd with my fingers still laced between his.

  He pushes a couple of branches to the side and steps off the path, motioning for me to go in front of him. I hesitate, afraid I may fall in a hole or run into a bear or something, but then I hear the steady stream of water and my curiosity takes ahold of me.

  I step from under the canopy of branches and my mouth opens with wonder. The rustling of leaves and twigs stir from behind me as Judd’s arms engulf my waist in a warm and secure embrace. He pulls me to him and lays his cheek against my head.

  For once, the feeling of his warmth isn’t the only thing that has me me
smerized. I glance around slowly and know I must be in some sort of fairyland. In front of me sits a beautiful body of water that is only about twelve feet around, but it is encased in what looks to be some type of cobblestone with a gorgeous fountain in the middle.

  The fountain reaches up towards the sky with four tiers, each of them spilling a steady stream into the main circle of water.

  I step a little closer to take in the details and see the bottom of the water shimmer as the sunlight hits it. Looking even closer, I can tell it is covered in pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters, all of them very likely waiting on a wish. But that isn’t the most astonishing part of this place.

  Wrapping around the fountain is a pathway that twists, turns and circles back around. It is made up of small, intricately cut stones and gems in an array of colors, creating all kinds of images. One image is of a woman cradling a baby and another is of a woman standing hand in hand with three small children.

  Walking the entire perimeter of the fountain, I look over every detail of each beautiful picture. After strolling by every single one, I stop my investigation at a large slab area to the left side of the fountain, closed in by a curved bench. The image that lies before the bench is by far the largest of them all and truly the most beautiful. It displays a woman with a halo above her head, out stretched wings and her hands held up to the sky as if she is personally delivering a message to the heavens above. Along the bottom of the mural rests the letters T, J and J. I bring my hand to my mouth and swing around to look at Judd.

  He is still standing at the opening of the magical place with the sack resting at his feet and studying me this whole time. My heart drums into my throat as I open my mouth to ask what I think may be on the tip of his tongue.

  “Is this you and your brothers’ initials?” I ask as I point down to the letters.

  With a small pained smile, Judd comes over to the area with the angel and pulls me to sit at the base of the bench. I notice how he is extra careful not to step on the image of the lovely winged woman with brown hair that is the same shade as his.

  We sit side by side as Judd tells me the story of this place.

  “After my father left, Mom tried everything to occupy our minds so we wouldn’t ask too many questions. Most weekends, we ended up playing at that playground with several other kids our age,” he says, nudging his head towards the way we came.

  “One day, we drove to the park, but instead of playing she told us she wanted to go for an adventure walk. She seemed pretty down so I think she needed us to take her mind off things. So we went for a hike. That ended up becoming our thing; we would venture out into the woods around this park, each time choosing a different path. Then one day we found this fountain. It was all grown up and dirty but it seemed magical to us for some reason, especially Mom. She loved that it was a wishing well, because she said we all needed to believe wishes could come true. So that is where it all started. Mom got in touch with the parks and recreation department and then gained permission to fix it up.”

  Judd sighs, looking around at all the artwork surrounding the fountain. He puts his hand down and runs his fingertips across the stones before he says the next words.

  “Mom was really artistic. She could do anything with her hands. So she brought us here week after week with scrap pieces of craft supplies she got from work and all four of us made this.”

  He looks up at me and gives me a pained smile. I look down at the angel and carefully touch my hand to the stones.

  “And this is her?” I question, knowing it is. He smiles so sweetly and then places his hand beside mine on the cold stones.

  “My brothers and I came out here and finished this part after she died. We swore this would always be our place where we could be closer to her.”

  My eyes fill with tears as I watch Judd’s brows crease. I look over at his face and can feel the pain in his memories like they are my own. Slowly leaning into him, I brush my hand over his sturdy shoulders which seem so fragile to me now. My hand grazes over his tensed up jawline as I press a tender kiss to his lips, hoping he can feel all the love I hold in my heart for him.

  “I love you. Thank you so much for sharing this with me,” I whisper against his mouth.

  His lips rise into a small smile and his hand softly roams across my cheek, then up into my hair.

  “I want to share everything with you . . . always.” His words shoot right through my heart and I completely believe him.

  Following more talk about his mother and the property that the wishing well sits on, my stomach lets out a loud roar.

  “I think that is our cue to eat, not to mention, it may be getting cold by now,” he laughs while nudging the sack in my direction. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted so I got a little of everything. Go ahead and pull it all out.”

  I look at him a little puzzled because he knows exactly what I get from this café every single time, but I bite anyway and reach into the sack. First thing I pull out is a turkey and mozzarella Panini on rye with pesto sauce.

  I giggle, “Yeah, sure you didn’t know what I wanted.” This is only the same thing I get every single time I order from there. I give him my best sarcastic glare by cocking my head to the side and trying to arch one eyebrow.

  He kicks his head back on a laugh, “Keep digging,” he says as he motions for me to empty the rest of the bag.

  Reaching back in, I pull out another sandwich and I know this is his usual; Steak and Cheddar on sourdough, or a man’s sandwich as Judd always puts it. I shake my head and reach in for more.

  After pulling out a potato soup and the mouth-watering Broccoli cheddar soup that was attacking my nostrils earlier, I look to the bottom of the sack to grab out the napkins and spoons. There at the bottom of the bag sits a small black box with a pink satin ribbon tied around it.

  I let go of the bag and slap my hand across my mouth, sucking in a shocked breath.

  Is this . . .

  Judd leans forward on high alert at my reaction. “Ok, don’t run away, freak out, cry or any of those things girls do. It isn’t what it looks like at all. It’s just something I thought you should have and that I wanted you to have.”

  My heart climbs out of my throat and back into my chest. There for a minute, I really thought I would look up to find him down on one knee.

  I lower my head and close my eyes tightly, embarrassed by my reaction. I just know I am the shade of a stop sign.

  He opens his mouth to speak, grabbing both my hands with a stunned look in his eyes.

  “Oh, shit. Are you disappointed? Now I feel bad.”

  I try to hide my face in my hands, but Judd holds onto them firmly, raising my face so that I will look him in the eyes.

  “Let me take you on a couple more dates before we get to that point. Deal?” he says only inches away from my lips, before descending in on them.

  My heart skips a beat and then pounds fiercely as his soft lips linger against mine.

  He moves away just a bit and I nod my head.

  “Deal,” I whisper, feeling silly for hoping that he was proposing.

  Judd reaches into the sack and pulls out the tiny box.

  “Open it.” He places it in my hand and looks me dead in the eyes with a serious expression that has me captivated. “It may not be a ring, but it is a big step for me; a step that I want to take.”

  I bite my lip, excited to see what it could be.

  As soon as I slip the lid off, I am surprised to find a key. I pinch it between my index finger and thumb, dangling it in the air before me the same way he did the night we reunited. Judd grabs the key out of my hand and holds it up.

  “This may not seem like much, but it is the key to my apartment. This is a symbol of the fact that I want you with me all the time; every day; every second; every minute; I want you by my side. This leaves no barriers between us.” He presses the key back into my palm.

  I squeeze my hand around the piece of metal and press my hand to my heart, filled with so muc
h love for him.

  “This is perfect. I love it. Thank you.” I smile, looking around at our peaceful surroundings.

  “This whole day has been perfect and keeps getting better. I don’t think it is possible to ever top this first date.” Judd’s face lights up like a little boy proud of his accomplishments.

  After we enjoy our little picnic, we end up walking hand in hand around the entire perimeter of the wishing well while Judd tells the story behind each image in the path. We end our date throwing a couple coins into the well and silently making our own wishes.

  I giggle as I throw my first one in.

  Please let this night go by fast so we can be alone.

  Running my fingertips along the bumpy surfaces of another coin, I know I have one more wish. Closing my eyes tightly, I send one more wish out into the world before tossing it in.

  Please let him be mine forever.

  I open my eyes and sneak a look at him right as he tosses his last coin in. He doesn’t even have his eyes closed; he stares at me with a slight smile as he flips it into the water.

  “What was your wish?” Judd pesters me on our way back to his truck.

  “I can’t tell you that. It won’t come true.” I’m not saying a word; no way do I want to chance those wishes not coming true.

  “Come on, just a clue.” He flashes me his dimple and it’s all I can do to not cave in.

  “Nope, I can’t tell you.”

  Walking close behind me, his firm hands slide along the contours of my waist, pulling me against his chest right as we make it to his truck.

  “I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours.” The sudden warmth of his breath near my ear sends shivers through my body.

  “Mmhhhuhh,” I breathe out, leaning back into the security of his arms.

  “Was it about me? Mine was about you.”

  I quickly flip around to meet his eyes with a smile across my face. His hands automatically cling to my sides as I stretch up onto my tiptoes to kiss him.