"Mm… we've got some time, then." Lucas thought for a few seconds. "I guess we could go to the park, then? There really isn't much around here, to be honest." Lucas remembered the day at the amusement park as well. He'd held onto her hand on some big rollercoaster 'so she wouldn't be scared', but they both knew full well that he was the one who was afraid.
Melissa had been distracted by the memory, only humming in response to his question. Tucking her phone away, she lifted her gaze up to him. "Whatever you'd like to do, is fine with me." She smiled brightly, glancing back down to their hands. Ironically, she found today rather similar to the picture she had on her phone.
"Alright, let's head out, then." Once they'd paid and finished their food, Lucas led Melissa out of the diner, never letting go of her hand. "Sometimes I come here just to get away from my dad. It's nice, you know? Peaceful." He hummed softly to himself as they walked.
Melissa looked up, and around with a fond expression. "I don't even need to guess why. I love this park, a lot of good things have happened here." Smiling brightly, she took a step closer to her with a warm smile. "We really need to go on walks together more often, I like this."
"Yeah, I agree." Lucas returned the warm smile and kept walking. "We should go sit by the creek. I go there all the time." He veered to his right, pulling Melissa along with him.
Catching herself at the change in direction, she attempted to stay at the same pace as him. Though with baseball, he had more speed in his stride. "I'd love to go," She chirped, finally standing by his side while they walked.
Lucas pushed through the trees to a shaded little creek that seemed almost entirely untouched by people. "Sometimes, it feels like no one else knows this place exists." He said softly, not wanting to disturb the peace of the place. A few butterflies fluttered lazily above the water.
"Wow…." She whispered, halting in her pace. The place was gorgeous, she was surprised she hadn't found it before. "You really don't think anyone else really knows this place exists?" She asked softly, running her thumb over his knuckles. 'Because this could be our place…'
He shook his head. "Like I said, I've been here a lot, and I've never seen anyone else. It's pretty out of the way." He was smiling softly, seeming more relaxed now that he was here. "Sometimes I see deer and rabbits and stuff. It's really nice."
Her heart skipped a beat, as a grin broke out on her face. "Really?" She asked excitedly, careful with how loud she got. Melissa didn't want to change anything about the place, she felt she was already doing enough of that just being there.
"Mhmm. And that willow over there is great for sitting beneath, especially when it's warm." He led her over to a sleepy looking weeping willow and pushed through the curtain of branches. "This is probably my favorite part." It seemed almost magical within the tree. Rays of soft sunlight shone through the gaps in the leaves. "I planted a few flowers here to add to the atmosphere." He gestured to the little purple and white flowers decorating the grass.
Slowly, her olive green eyes scanned over the grass and followed up the tree. Melissa looked happy, as if she was in a dreaming state. At least that's what it felt like to her. A literal dream in reality. She was by Lucas's side, holding his hand, and having him bring her to his favorite place. What more could a girl ask for? Her heart skipped a beat, as she turned her gaze upon him. "This is gorgeous Lu, I don't know how you find the best things."
Lucas was watching her reaction with a soft smile and a light flush on his cheeks. He loved seeing how happy she was in his favorite private part of the forest. "You like it?" He asked quietly. "I always just… I feel better when I'm here. Safer. No one knows about this place, so they can't hurt me."
"So you must really trust me then," Her tone was a whisper, as she had no other way to talk. As of the moment at least, she had no real reason to talk louder. "Right?" It was just her need for reassurance kicking in. Something she hated, but knew wasn't going to go away.
"Of course." Lucas gave her an affectionate side hug, grinning. "I know you won't tell anyone. I can't risk the general public ruining this place."
Once more, her body relaxed, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I honestly don't deserve you." She whispered, linking her arm around his waist with a soft sigh.
"Wrong. I don't deserve you." He squeezed her gently and led her up to the tree. "Can you climb? There's a great bundle of limbs that are super easy to sit in, and it's really nice."
"Yeah, I can climb." She hummed, pulling away from him. Kicking her flats off, she bent down to pick them up and carry them. "My shoes would probably mess me up though." Laughing, she pulled her long waves over her shoulder.
Lucas grinned cheerfully and pulled himself up into the tree. He stabilized himself and held his hand out to help Melissa.
Taking his hand, she pulled herself up so she was next to him. "Thanks," She chirped, tucking her shoes under her arm. Standing about face-to-face, she forced herself from getting a red face, focusing on something else instead.
"N-No problem." Lucas wasn't as fortunate, and he ended up with rather flushed cheeks. "Um… this way!" He carefully led her up a wide branch and settled himself down once they reached a place where a few branches crossed each other and made a sort of cradle they could sit in.
Pulling herself up, and besides him, she smiled just as bright as before. "This is just the best," Laughing, her smile kept growing. The longer she was with him, the more her heart beat. Though she had one thought echoing in her mind. 'Lucas and Melissa… sitting in a tree…'
"Mhmm." Lucas watched the branches sway in the breeze, his legs dangling between the gaps in the branches they were sitting on. He seemed… happy. He had a calm air of peace around him that he never seemed to have anywhere else. He truly felt safe here.
The invasive thoughts were getting to her, so she decided to just shut off her thoughts and focus on him. Even if it meant getting flustered, she would bare that instead. "What is your biggest secret?" She asked mindlessly, leaning back against the tree.
Lucas blushed, surprised by the question. That I like you. "Um… I dunno. I mean, the whole daddy issues thing was pretty big, and technically a secret up until now…" He thought for a few seconds to try and find something other than the real answer to answer with. "When I broke my arm in second grade, I didn't actually fall down the stairs. Claus accidentally pushed me off that cliff near our house and he didn't want me to tell people because it would 'sound really bad'."
Melissa laughed lightly, remembering when he had met up with her a few days after. "What color was your cast again? You had it for a reason… I just can't remember it." She hummed, setting her shoes beside her before focusing her gaze on him solely. His blonde hair, and blue eyes were what caught her attention the most whenever she saw him. It was the opposite of herself. Darker hair, and darker green eyes. She liked it though, opposite attract right?
"Um…" Lucas took a few seconds to remember. "I think it was green? To remind Claus of all the grass on the hill. I think I intended it to make him feel better, like, to say 'Hey, it wasn't all that bad, it was really grassy', but it made him feel more guilty." Lucas laughed a bit, looking out at the branches again. He was personally attracted to Melissa's darker features the way she was attracted to his lighter ones.
"Wait really?" She asked, seeming surprised by the reply. Though she was still laughing. "I don't think you told me that bit, you said it had to do with frogs I think." Laughing harder, she tilted her head back against the wood of the tree. "But then again, I don't have the best memory, so I can't be too sure." Melissa shrugged, turning her gaze to where he was looking.
"Maybe I did." Lucas shrugged. "I don't really remember. That was years ago." He hummed softly to himself and leaned back as well. "Um… I guess another secret would be that I like singing. I don't know if I've ever sung anything around you before."
"That's a dangerous thing to bring up Lu," She teased, bumping her knee against his. "Now you know I'm going to be bugging you, but if you don't feel like it, I'll let it slide for now." She chirped, her eyes zoning out on something far off.