The sound of the field party we’d snuck away off from was now nothing more than a murmured whisper caught in the gentle night breeze. We were alone. Just me, Nash and the crickets chirping in the wild grass surrounding us.

“Here it is,” Nash said, his voice hushed so as not to disturb the peaceful still of the night surrounding us.

I looked up just as we made it to the clearing and, as he had promised me in his ploy to get me out here, I was left speechless. The beautiful vision laid out before me was awe-inspiring, like nothing I’d ever seen before. The inky night sky was brilliant as it loomed high above, making the stars seem as if they went on forever. The clearing was surrounded by the darkened woods, the tall pines illuminated by the fireflies flickering in the darkness.

“Wow,” I whispered, fearing my voice might take away from the breathtaking sight. Looking around with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, I tried to take it all in at once, but it was overwhelming to say the least.

Feeling Nash’s eyes on me, I turned to look at him with a smile. “You were right. This is beautiful.”

He nodded. “Whenever I wanna be alone, or if I just need time to think,” he began, “this is where I come.”

“It feels as if we’re a million miles away from the rest of the world.” I looked up to the sky. It was so big, so expansive, it made me dizzy, and I almost lost my balance, but Nash steadied me, moving behind me. I could feel his warmth as he closed the distance between us. His chest pressed against my back, his arms coming around my waist. Resting his chin on my shoulder, his soft breath fanned over the skin at the base of my neck causing me to shiver despite the warm night air. My skin erupted in goose bumps, and I knew Nash could tell because his breathing changed and his hands gripped my hips a little tighter.

“You make me so happy, Murph,” he whispered, his lips barely grazing the shell of my ear. “I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

My eyelashes fluttered, my eyes closing involuntarily, and I basked a little in the wake of his words, smiling when he pressed a lingering kiss to my shoulder.

“Hey, look at me.”

Turning in his arms, I stumbled a little, silently cursing the beers I’d consumed against my better judgment. I was drunk. Or at least, I had been only a moment ago. But there, looking into Nash’s imploring eyes, I became lost within his gaze. I saw something I’d never seen before, and a soberness came over me. It was as if my mind was trying to tell me that I was going to want to remember this moment.

Nash smiled, his eyes moving between mine, zeroing in on my mouth before capturing my gaze once again. He lifted his hand, tucking my hair behind my ear so tenderly, his touch alone burning into my skin. “I need to tell you something,” he said, the tip of his tongue gliding out just enough to dampen his lips, and my heart stammered in my chest, watching him, waiting.