“The old farmhouse?” It was a favorite of teens needing to get away from their parents.
“Nope,” he said. “But good guess. Now just be patient for two more seconds, because we’re almost there.”
I sat quietly until the car pulled to a stop.
“Don’t open your eyes,” he reminded me.
I couldn’t deny how much fun it was to have a surprise awaiting me. It almost didn’t even matter what the actual surprise was either. That wasn’t what made it fun. It was the anticipation, the excitement and the thought that Jacob had put into it that really made it great.
“I’ll open your door for you,” he said.
The engine stopped, and I listened as Jacob got out of the driver’s seat. A few seconds later, he opened my door and undid my seat belt for me. He took my hand and helped me out. I wanted so badly to take a peek, but I didn’t. I kept my eyes crunched together and allowed him to be my eyes as we walked away from the vehicle.
“This is so fun,” I said, with a giggle.
“Just wait,” he said.
We walked for a little ways. I held onto Jacob's strong arm, taking each step carefully since I couldn't see where I was going. He was patient and gave me directions and warnings about stones and things so I wouldn't trip.
“Okay, open your eyes whenever you’re ready,” he said as we came to a stop.
I savored the suspense for a few more seconds and then slowly pulled off the scarf and lifted my eyelids. It took less than a second before I realized where we were.
“William’s Park?” I said, recognizing the familiar area.
It wasn’t the park that he was surprising me with, though. It was what laid in front of us on the grass. There was a blanket spread out and on top of it, a wicker picnic basket overflowing with food. Next to the basket was a bottle of unopened champagne in a bucket of ice and two champagne flutes. He had situated the entire arrangement at the far end of the park, where there was a small opening in the bushes. On the other side was the creek that I had shown him a couple of days before, but a little bit further upstream.
“I would have set it up over in your favorite spot but I decided that I didn’t want to make a mess over there,” Jacob explained. “It seemed like that exact area was so special to you and I wasn’t sure if you’d like a picnic anyway.”
“Like it?” I said. “I love it.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. He laughed and kissed me back, glad that I was obviously pleased.
It was just a picnic, but I couldn’t have imagined a better surprise if I had tried. In fact, I almost liked it more than the expensive dinner the night before. This surprise took more thought and effort, making it feel even more romantic.
“It’s perfect,” I said, as I pulled away from him and looked into his eyes.
“You really like it?” he asked. “I was kind of afraid you’d think it was cheesy.”
“It’s not cheesy at all,” I said, as I glanced back at the beautiful arrangement on the grass. “I’ve never had anybody do anything like this for me before. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” he said. “I have to be honest, though. I’ve never had a real picnic before
with anybody. I’m glad you’re here to join me with it.”
“Me too,” I said.
We sat down on the blanket and Jacob opened the bottle of champagne.
“I’ve been saving this bottle for almost five years,” he said, as he popped the cork. “I had always said that I’d save it for a special occasion and I figured that today was the perfect excuse.”
“Is it a special occasion?” I asked, with doe eyes.
“Of course it’s a special occasion,” he said.
My lips curled up into an uncontrollable smile. “What do you mean?”
“Isn’t a picnic in the park with a beautiful girl special occasion enough?” he asked. “I can’t think of a better reason than that.”