“You are going to have to tell me what you brought because I’m afraid I won’t be able to see what I’m eating.”
“No worries.” He places a second blanket on our laps, then leans over and turns on a light that sits on top of the heater.
“It comes with a light too?”
“No, I taped a flashlight up there.”
I laugh. “How could I forget? I used to call you MacGyver for all the stuff you’d come up with.” I shake my head, remembering the time I complained about not being able to see in the dark when riding my bike down the backroads to meet him at night. Next thing I knew, he took some items out of his pocket, and a flashlight, and somehow attached it to my handlebars.
Every time I had a problem or needed something, he figured out how to fix it. He’s still doing that. And that just makes me fall even deeper in love.
“You were always protecting me, weren’t you?”
He smiles as he unzips the soft cooler and hands me a to-go container. “I always look out for you.”
When I open the container, I’m pleasantly surprised. “Teriyaki? I love it.”
“I hoped you would. It wasn’t something we ever ate back then.” He then hands me another container. “Your salad.”
“Thank you.”
Then he retrieves two plastic glasses and a bottle of wine.
I watch him thoughtfully as he pours our drinks. “I’m seeing a pattern with you.”
“Yeah?”
“You like to eat outside.”
He laughs. “I do. I hope it isn’t too cold for you.”
“No. Between the blanket and the heater, I’m good.”
“Well, you have me to keep you warm, too.” He hands me my glass.
Now I laugh. “Is that a line?”
“No, it’s the truth.”
We eat and drink and stare at the stars.
“Were you in the Middle East before?” I ask. “I mean, aside from this last month.”
“I was. Why do you ask?”
I take a sip of wine. “I was wondering if you can see more stars there.”
“You can. It’s amazing how much more you can see. We aren’t even seeing a fraction of what’s up there right now.”
That’s when it hits me—Cody has traveled theworld. Seen things I can’t even imagine. The farthest I’ve traveled is Hawaii. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it. But it isn’t the same.
I reach out and squeeze his arm. “Tell me about the places you’ve been.”
He turns toward me, wearing a smile. “I’ll do better than that. I’ll take you to some of them someday.”
“I’d like that.”
After we finish our dinner and wine, I lean back and stare up to the sky.
