Troublemaker

Zoe wasn’t one to be impressed at much, but the house he lived in was on a pretty good scale of impressionable.

It was a moderately sized two story, and she wondered why he needed so much space for just him. When they parked she got out and looked at the well manicured lawn, took in the smell of the fresh cut grass.

The interior was very much updated compared to the way it looked on the outside.

“I’m going to go hop in the shower and get this out of my hair really quick. Make yourself at home.” Nick didn’t know the type of person he said this to because Zoe couldn’t help herself. She checked every closet, cubby, drawer, and cabinet. She fell in love with his kitchen the most. It was very new age and technologically advanced.

She reminisced about cooking on a wood cook stove with her grandmother as a child and smiled at the good memories of the smells and tastes that were made on that old stove.

Her memories led her outside to a wonderfully built patio. It had a pond built into the structure and the furniture looked, honestly, like it had been bought at Wal Mart. She giggled at the thought of seeing someone like Nick in a store like that. Target, maybe, she thought.

She sat down on one of the chaise lounges and took in the summer sun. As she was basking in the heat, he came out and sat down beside her. She didn’t hear him join her so when he kissed her cheek, it was a pleasant surprise.

“So, what now?” He asked.

“I have no idea but the fact that you are near me is all I need right now. Well…that and this wonderful weather.” She situated herself deeper in to the chair, closing her eyes.

“Sounds like a plan.” He signed and leaned back in the chair he sat down in.

Several hours passed in complete silence. He went inside and got something for them to drink a couple of times, but besides that, the night fell without a word being spoken. He honestly thought maybe she’d fallen asleep.

He got up and check on her and she was indeed asleep. He went inside, grabbed a throw blanket, and laid it on her in the chair. He decided a fire to surprise her would be nice so he got to work stacking wood from his shed. When he’d made the perfect teepee with the sticks, he lit them up, creating a beautiful flame.

He looked into the fire from his chair and realized the fire was symbolic to what he was feeling for her. He’d never felt this way about a girl before, but he still couldn’t put his finger on what made her so irresistible.

Nick decided he didn’t care and went inside to grab some hot dogs and stuff to make s’mores. He didn’t have any hot dog buns, but he did have a loaf of bread. He scoffed at how trashy that seemed, hot dog on a slice of bread, but then shrugged.

When he walked out with everything in his arms, she stirred and looked at him.

“What’s all this?”

“Campfire rations.” He smiled at his good idea after she started smiling looking at the fire and food he’d started and brought out.

“Sounds awesome.”

“I have no hot dog buns, but I have bread.”

“Oh! That’s the way I like it!” She exclaimed. He chuckled at her enjoying something like that right after he just thought to himself how trashy it was.

They set for a couple of hours in the dark back yard, a cool breeze rolling across them every once in a while from the lake down the road, just eating and talking. He grabbed a few beers from his fridge after the food had been consumed and set them between them.

“Oh, Bud light man! I like it! Thanks for this; it’s exactly what I was thinking.” She giggled and popped the top. He looked at her get super excited about something as simple as someone bringing her beer. It made her just that much cuter to him and he smiled. While he wasn’t paying attention he moved his chair closer to hers and started holding her hand.

He didn’t notice the smile that played across her lips as she looked into the fire, comfortable silence engulfing them again. She looked down at their hands and how neatly they placed in one another. She was so thankful for having someone like him come into her life. He’d healed almost every scar she had from her ex and she couldn’t even remember the pain felt every time she thought of him.

“What is this thing we have here?” Zoe asked him as they both sat silent.

“I don’t know, but I never want it to end.” He smiled at her then went back to looking into the fire. She liked that answer, she truly did.