Change

I crunched down on another spoonful of Honey Nut Cheerios. My phone buzzed on the table beside me and I lay my spoon in my bowl. I smiled as I checked the caller ID, pulling my phone up to my ear.

"Hello."

"We're going out."

I bit back a giggle. I leaned my elbow on the table and rested my head on my hand. "I know. I was there when it happened."

I could almost hear Taylor rolling his eyes. "On a date. A real date."

I bit my lip. "Okay. Where?"

"It's a surprise. Are you free tonight?"

***

Later that evening, I heard the doorbell ring from my place at the bathroom mirror and strained my ears to listen. I heard my mom open the door, and I smiled as Taylor's voice drifted up the staircase.

"Hey, Mrs. Penner."

"Hello, Taylor!" my mom exclaimed. I smiled at my mom's obvious fondness at the fact that Taylor and I were together. "Veronica should be down any second."

"Sure, no problem."

I smoothed down my navy blue flowy tanktop and ran my fingers gently through my loose hair. I took a deep breath and looked myself over once more in the mirror before heading out the door. I was wearing the blue top with a simple pair of jean shorts. As I made my way down the stairs, I avoided Taylor's eyes, my hand trailing down the banister nervously. I knew he was looking at me, but I felt self conscious, as though this was the first date we'd ever had. It technically was our first official date, but we were already together. It was just the thought of the whole date idea that sent nervous butterflies to my stomach. My eyes finally lifted up to meet his as I reached the halfway point. He smiled and I bit back my own as I reached the bottom step, turning to my mom. She was beaming from ear to ear.

"Veronica, honey, you look beautiful." She clapped her hands together and turned to Taylor. "Doesn't she look beautiful?" I felt my cheeks heat up with embarassment.

"She does," Taylor agreed. My eyes flitted to his for a brief moment before I looked down, my cheeks undoubtedly flaming red. I slipped my feet into my flip flops and Taylor opened the door. "Goodnight, Mrs. Penner. She'll be home by 11:30," he promised. My mom waved and Taylor held the door open for me. I brushed past him and stepped out onto the front step. I reached down and played with the middle of my dress. I heard the door close and as soon as I felt Taylor's presence beside me, I turned to him. Our eyes connected and he held my gaze, his eyes casually drifting down to my lips. His own turned up into a tiny smile before he held out his hand towards his car. "After you." We reached his car and he held the door open for me before walking over to the driver's side. The top was down, and as he began to drive, I enjoyed the breeze that rustled through my hair.

"So where are we going?" I turned to him, finally working up the nerve to speak. He smirked.

"I'm not telling."

I pouted. "Not cool." Taylor laughed and I leaned my head back against the headrest, settling in for the ride. My hand rested on my knee and my heart rate sped up as I felt Taylor slip his hand in mine. His fingers threaded through mine and he squeezed my hand. I turned to look at him with a smile, chewing the inside of my cheek, and I saw him smile in return, though he kept his eyes on the road.

We pulled up to the Belle River Marina and I laughed. "Here again?"

"Do you not like it here?"

"I love it here."

Taylor then proceeded to wordlessly get out of the car, having to let go of my hand in the process. I was disappointed; I loved the feel of his warm hand in mine. I opened my door and got out, shutting the door behind me. Taylor walked up beside me, leaned over the car into the backseat, and pulled out a red cooler. He held it in one hand and then grabbed my hand with the other, instantly putting me back into my crazy nerves mode.

We walked in the opposite direction of the lighthouse this time, towards where people kept their boats tied up. I kept asking Taylor what was up, but he refused to answer. We walked down the dock, past 10 or so boats, before stopping at a tiny motorboat. It was white with a blue stripe down the side, and above the stripe on the left side was the word, The Mission.

Taylor turned to me, setting the cooler down on the wood of the dock. "You like water right?"

I grinned. "Yep."

Taylor grinned back. "Good." He let go of my hand and I watched as he effortlessly pulled himself onto the boat. I picked up the cooler and handed it to him with both hands. He laughed at my clear struggle and took it from me, placing it on the passenger seat of the boat. He then reached up both hands and I took them so he could gently pull me in beside him.

The boat wasn't huge, but it wasn't a small canoe either. It had a driver's seat at the front with a passenger seat beside it, and behind the seats was the floor of the boat, covered by a blanket. At the back of the boat there was a bench and a step that dipped down towards the water.

"This is really nice," I commented, looking around. I ran my hands along the leather of the seat as Taylor unhooked us from the dock. "You sure you know how to drive it? Or are we just going to float and see what happens?"

Taylor threw me a glance. "You're funny."

I giggled, turning back to survey the lake. I heard Taylor move behind me and watched as he began to rev up the motor at the back. His arm muscles flexed, and I blushed as I stared. I quickly turned away as soon as he had the motor going, and I sat down in the passenger seat. Taylor moved up to join me on the driver's side. He swiftly maneuvered us out of the docking area, and into the calm waters of the lake.

I turned and watched behind us as Taylor pulled us out of the marina. I glanced at him and he glanced back with a smile. I turned my knees towards him, rested my arm on the back of the seat and watched the scenery pass us by. We had been going along the lake for at least 10 minutes without exchanging words between us, since the rev of the engine and the sound of rushing water was overtaking all other sounds. I kept sneaking glances at the man beside me, feeling giddier and giddier each time. When Taylor finally pulled to a stop in the middle of the lake, there was a sudden, comforting stillness that extended over the water. The boat stopped and the water ahead of us was gently rippling. We had left behind waves in our wake. The sun was slowly starting to go down, casting a glow over the water and the trees on the surrounding land. It was beautiful.

"Wow," I breathed, nodding in approval.

Taylor smiled from his spot at the back of the boat where he had gone to cut the engine. He grabbed the cooler and sat down at the back of the boat. I took that as my cue to join him. I sat beside him, pulling my legs up underneath me. Taylor reached his hand in the cooler, grinning as he pulled out a box of Goldfish, two bottles of water, and a container of fruit. "You can thank my mom for the fruit," he said.

I laughed and took the container from him, pulling it open. I took a strawberry and popped it in my mouth. "Mm," I mumbled. Taylor watched me, a smile growing on his lips. I blushed, putting the cover back on the container and putting it on the floor in front of us.

"So, um," I cleared my throat. "Thank you. For this. It was really nice of you."

Taylor shrugged. "I owe you a lot, Vee."

I bit my lip and shook my head. "You don't, though. Not anymore."

"Well, if you'll let me, I'd like to keep making it up to you."

Our eyes connected. "Really, Taylor, it's-"

"Just let me, okay? You deserve it." His face was serious, and his blue eyes searched mine.

I finally nodded. I looked down and played with my shirt before glancing out at the lake around us. I bit back a smile as an idea formed in my head. I quickly stood up, gripping the side of the boat for support, stepped past Taylor and over the bench, and before I could think twice, I jumped off the step at the back and fell into the water with a splash. I heard Taylor calling my name as I went under. The lukewarm water sent a rush through my body, and I came up, spewing out water. I was disoriented for a moment before I heard the familiar voice, and I turned in that direction.

"Ronnie! Are you crazy?" I met Taylor's concerned face, matching it with his concerned voice.

I grinned, brushing my hair out of my eyes. I kicked my feet to stay afloat. "I told you I liked water." Taylor stared at me in disbelief and I raised my eyebrows. "Coming in?"

"You're crazy."

I shrugged, kicking and pushing myself backwards. I floated on my back, twitching upright as I heard another splash from the direction of the boat. I looked around, bursting into laughter as Taylor surfaced in front of me. He approached me, and I smiled. I ran my fingers through my hair, pulling it all to one side.

"It's kind of cold," I commented.

Taylor burst into laughter. "Yeah. A little bit. It was your idea."

I wrinkled my nose at him, pushing myself backwards again. I squealed as Taylor grabbed my legs, pulling me back into him. He wrapped his arm around my back and pulled me into his chest. I suddenly realized that his upper body was very bare, and I blushed. The sun was almost down, and so thankfully, I didn't think Taylor could see my blushing cheeks. He smiled at me and I smiled back, my arms around his neck. I pulled myself even closer to him, my chin resting against his shoulder, my cheek against his neck.

"How about we go back on the boat?" Taylor whispered in my ear, sending chills down my spine. I nodded and he let me go. We reached the boat and Taylor got up first, giving me a front-row view of his tan back, shoulders and arms. He stepped over the bench and turned back to give me a hand up. He pulled me into the boat and the air, even though it wasn't cold at all, felt freezing when it hit my soaked skin. I shivered and wrung out my clothes over the side of the boat. Taylor had cleared all the food to the front of the boat, and was now sitting on the bench. I walked over and sat beside him, in front of the bench, and he joined me. I crossed my arms over my chest and glanced at him with a giggle.

"Sorry."

Taylor laughed. Both of his arms wrapped around me, and he rubbed his hands up and down for warmth. Our body heat and the naturally warm summer air eventually warmed me up. I rested my head in the crook of Taylor's neck, looking up at the stars that were beginning to show. His skin was warm against mine, and I cuddled into him as much as I could. We lay there in silence for a while, the water around us calming down. I interrupted the silence by letting out a quiet laugh.

"What?" Taylor's deep, quiet voice asked from beside me. I shook my head.

"I just don't know what's wrong with me, that's all." I started to laugh, and I felt Taylor's body shake underneath me as he laughed, too.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Vee," he whispered. I rolled my head back so that I could look up at him. His eyes searched mine and we simultaneously leaned closer, our gazes drifting to each other's lips. He gave me a soft kiss, stopping my heart from beating for a moment. He kissed me again, longer this time, and I completely forgot where I was.