Trust Me

Chapter One

Warmth spread throughout my body as Dale's beautiful eyes flashed towards me, the sun bringing out fiery golden shades that swirl together into deep brown. We had decided to lay outside on his family's trampoline since the winter weather warmed up considerably in the past few weeks, turning into the gentleness of springtime. Getting away from his rowdy younger brother to have a few moments of peace together was also an added bonus.

"Your eyes are so lovely in the sun," I murmured, brushing my fingers softly against his cheek. "Sometimes I wonder how someone so perfect is mine."

A small smile pulled at the corners of his lips, making me giggle, but it didn't seem to quite reach his eyes. Instead they spoke of a bittersweet sadness. Over the course of our relationship I'd noticed that he always turned shy and distant whenever someone showed him any resemblance of affection. It always made me wonder if someone earlier in his life had perhaps shown him anything but.

I propped myself up on my hand and looked down at Dale, feeling as if this was the right moment to finally get the words that have been stuck in my mind out in the open. "Can I tell you something?" I didn't know where this newfound confidence was coming from.

"Do I want to hear it?" His face was etched with sudden worry, though he was trying to hide it.

Sighing, I glanced down at the hand that was holding me up, studying how Dale's tan skin was so drastically different from mine. "Sometimes I think you don't want to hear anything I have to say from the way you seem to close yourself off from me, but I want to tell you. It's been in the back of my mind for awhile now, and I think I'm finally ready to speak the words with complete sincerity."

Peeking up at Dale's face to see his reaction to my words, I flinched when I saw how easily I had angered him with my own frustrations towards him. It was if he didn't hear me hint towards what I wanted to tell him. He only focused on the negativity. Regret flooded through me when Dale let out an angry huff of breath and overdramatically rolled his eyes before nimbly jumping off the trampoline to make his way back into the house.

"Why do you always have to do this?" His low voice seemed to echo angrily in my ears, shaming me with the fact I was the one who made him this upset. "You always moan and complain about how I'm just not quite good enough for you. Can't you at least see that I'm trying for you?"

Pain shot through my foot after I hurriedly jumped to the ground in pursuit of Dale. I always seemed to land wrong. "That's not what I meant, Dale, and you know it. You just seem to always shy away from any way I try to express my love for you!"

Dale turned to face me, his wispy brown hair momentarily falling into his eyes before the wind began pulling it in different directions again. From the stunned silence between us, I realized I had said something I hadn't meant to.

"Love?" Dale whispered, as if he couldn't believe the word could possibly be directed towards him. "Did you just say that you love me?"

I closed the gap between us and loosely wrapped my arms around his waist, burying my face in his chest in an attempt to hide from the embarrassment I had placed upon myself by blurting out precious words in the heat of the moment. I wanted him to know the words had been sneaking into my thoughts, taunting me with its significance, but I had hoped it would come out in a more heartfelt manner.

"I didn't mean for it to slip out like that," I mumbled, no longer having the confidence I did a few moments prior, "but I do love you, Dale. I just thought you should finally know that."

The tension of uncertainty in Dale's body was clearly evident, but he returned the embrace and rested his chin on top of my head. The compassion of the moment was so beautiful. It was rare to get such a sincere, loving action out of Dale, but when he happened to let his guard down for a little while, he would always make me feel things I'd never felt before.

"My heart is beating so fast," Dale finally spoke, his voice wavering a bit as if he was scared of this new chapter I had unfolded in our relationship. "It's nothing like I've ever felt before, but I know I love you too." His soft hands gently pulled my face up to look at him, and I saw nothing but happiness lighting up his smiling eyes. "The things you make me feel scare the hell out of me, but I love it. I love you, Ava."

I planted a brief kiss on his lips, letting out  small, giddy laugh. "I never thought that in a million years I would hear you speak those words back to me. You almost seem too good to be true."

Dale looked at me with those wide amber eyes, making my heart sing in my chest. I never understood why people would romanticize the eyes of the person they loved with such compassion and intensity, but looking into his eyes right now, I knew that in that moment, I wouldn't mind getting lost in their warmth forever.

"I always wondered if I would ever find love; the idea of it seemed so unreal, but I'm glad to have found you. You bring so much happiness into my life." Dale tucked a strand of my dark hair behind my ear, becoming shy from his words.  Why did it seem like he always knew the perfect thing to do in moments like this, yet he was scared of the emotion put behind each one?

I was surprised by how comfortable Dale seemed to be saying his thoughts out loud like that. It was nice for a change, but I didn't want to push it. I wanted him to become used to showing his true emotions at his own pace instead of putting a wall up in between himself and the rest of the world whenever things moved too fast.

"You make me really, really happy too." I could feel a blush spreading across my cheeks from how vulnerable we were letting ourselves be in front of each other. "This is the happiest I've been in a long time, and I don't ever want it to end."

Dale opened his mouth to speak, but a loud wail cut him off, making us both look towards the source of the sound. His youngest brother, Keegan, was running out of the house half-naked and screaming with a friend he had invited over earlier.

"Get a shirt on at least!" Mrs. Johnson, Dale's mother, yelled from one of the windows in the house, obviously seeing what the children were up to. "It's still too cold outside for you to be running around like that!"

Dale gave me an apologetic look, "Sorry they ruined the moment. It's kind of hard to be alone here." He shrugged his shoulders as if he wasn't really all that upset. He was probably actually happy to have his brother interrupt us so we couldn't continue this conversation.

I shook my head, "It's fine. I should be getting home anyways, before I'm late for supper." I pressed my lips to Dale's for a quick second, trying to erase some of the awkwardness that was now weighing down the moment. "You could come over and join us, you know."

"I can't," Dale replied, shaking his head. "Mom has to go into work soon and Ben's already at work, so I have to stay and watch Keegan and Lincoln until his mother comes and picks him up." Dale motioned towards the two little kids in the yard with us.

I tried not to let myself be too upset that his other brother couldn't watch them. After all, just because the way he made me feel was so addicting, still didn't mean we had to be together constantly. No matter how much I wanted it.

"Alright," I mumbled, "I'll see you at school tomorrow." I bit my lip. "I love you, Dale."

A grin pulled at his lips, "I love you too, Ava."

I held Dale's gaze for a moment longer, trying to memorize every single detail of this moment so I would never forget it. The wind picked up once again as I began making my way around the front of the house to my car, causing my hair to dance around my face.

"Bye, Ava!" Keegan shouted after me, waving his hand so enthusiastically at me so I wouldn't miss his farewell. For a second I feared he might break his wrist.

I waved back, smiling at his innocence and wishing I could be that carefree once again. Risking a glance back at Dale, I was left with a warm feeling spreading from my stomach to my toes. He was smiling widely in my direction as I walked away, and I could see the love shining in his eyes from here. Was he really too good to be true?