THAT TEEN LIFE

Chapter Eleven

Lily's POV:

John was taking me out for lunch, and I carefully chose my outfit. Something cute but casual.

I decided on a grey jumpsuit with tiny yellow flowers, and a pair of white sandals. I curled my hair and tied it up in a high ponytail, popped on a little lipgloss and grabbed my cellphone and bag.

John pulled up outside the house, and when he opened the car door me to get in, I caught a whiff of his cologne. It was a sweet, peppery smell, comforting and a reminder that John and I were still together, despite what had happened with...

I didn't want to think about him anymore.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

John smiled and put the car into gear, before we headed down the road. "I have a surprise."

He turned the radio up and Taylor Swift's "Forever & Always" played through the speakers:

"...And it rains in your bedroom
Everything is wrong
It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone
'Cause I was there when you said forever and always..."

I looked at John and took a deep breath.

"She's right," he nodded.

"I'm sorry?"

"Taylor," he indicated towards the radio. "It didn't feel right, the thought of not being together. I want us to be together for a long time. I hope forever and always, but for now I'm just hoping it's a really long time. And I hope we don't ever have anything else happen between us that will tear us apart."

"I promise I won't ever do anything to hurt you like I did with..." I let my voice fade away. "I will always love you, John."

He leant over to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, and I felt butterflies in my stomach - the good kind - and goosebumps prickled my skin. He was amazing, and he was mine.

~

John's POV:

We kept driving, past restaurants and cafes, and pulled up outside a stone wall with an archway. I turned onto the gravel road, and we drove through under the archway. It was so peaceful out here, and I looked over at Lily sitting in the passenger seat beside me. She looked so cute today, with her hair curled and tied up, and the jumpsuit looked adorable on her!

I pulled up outside a stone building and turned the car off.

"Where are we?" Lily asked.

I got out of the car and held the door open for her. "You'll see soon."

We walked into the building and I went up to the counter where a woman was staning.

"Hi, pick up for John," I said.

She nodded. "Just give me a moment," she smiled.

~

Lily's POV:

I looked around at the rustic interior decor of the building. It was beautiful, like out of a movie. A large firepleace stood off to one side, with dark brown leater couches and a large sturdy coffee table, decorated with pinecones in glass vases.

John was definitely surprising me; I had no idea where we were, but I was excited.

The lady behind the counter returned and handed John a rustic picnic basket, with a dark green blanket over top of it.

"We're going on a picnic?" I smiled.

John nodded. "Yes. Thought we should do something different to our usual cafe dates."

I took his free hand and squeezed it, then held on until we got to the car. He held the door open for me, and I got in, taking the basket into my lap. A wonderful smell wafted out from the gaps in the basket walls.

"What is in here? It smell amazing," I looked at John, who was now in the driver's seat.

"Fruit, bread, nuts, cold meats, ginger lemonade and some cheesecake," John listed. "I got the Sweetheart Basket."

"You are seriously amazing," I said, butterflies gathering in my stomach.

They were the good kind, not the nervous kind. I never felt nervous around John. He only brought out the best in me.

~

The picnic was over too quickly, and John packed up the basket, while I admired a beautifully twisted tree. The trunk looked like two trees entwined, and the branches reached up like graceful fingers, caressing the air.

"Did you have a good time?" John asked later when he dropped me home.

"Yes," I nodded. "Thank you so much."

John reached over and tucked some hair behind my ear, before pulling me closer. The kiss was just like any other kiss we had shared, only this one held so much more love. When he pulled away, I felt breathless and even more in love with him.

He said goodbye and got into his car. I watched him drive off before I went inside, and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I called Abbie and waited for her to pick up.

"Hey! How was it?" Abbie asked.

"Amazing!" I laughed. "Are you home?"

~