I allow Seth to drag me down the sidewalk and to his truck parked along the side of the road. He swings my door open and then waits for me to hop in before shutting the door with an exaggerated flick of his wrist. His face crinkles into a boyish smile as he peers at me for a brief moment through the window, and then before I can respond, he's whipping his way around the hood of the truck and jumping in.

"You seem awfully excited," I observe aloud.

He just shrugs, revealing that same youthful grin as he starts up the engine. He's tapping his fingers along the steering wheel as light Indie music trickles through the air. The wind tickles my scalp through the open windows and I finally allow myself to relax into my seat.

We don't talk, but I can't help but notice the carefree atmosphere that seems to surround us. My heart aches with everything that's hit me over the past few days, weeks, and months, but right now, at this moment, I think I'm on the edge of happy. I can see a wave of good headed my way and the arms of my soul are reaching out desperately for it.

I've lost all reservation. I've lost all caution. Up until my mother's death, I'd been so afraid of doing anything in regards to Seth because I feared it would only make things worse. But now, I just don't care. I don't care if my honesty pushes him away. I don't care if my actions repulse him. I don't care if awakening the girl I'm supposed to be only ruins us further.

I don't care.

Because for some reason, I feel that being open is worth the risk. Maybe it's a dangerous place to be, but I feel as though I've tried everything. The only option now is to just be me—the girl he fell in love with in the beginning. If he loved her once, maybe he can love her again. That is if he doesn't already. My chest still contracts at the possibility of him sharing my love, but it's been weeks since my confession and he doesn't seem the least bit concerned about saying it back.

I'm going to wait until he reveals his intentions for today. I'm curious about where he's taking me. I want to know what he has planned. But as soon as today is over, I'm going to come right out and ask him. I'll interrogate him all night if I have to. I've gotten some answers, but I need more. I won't be satisfied until every stray question floating around in my brain is answered.

Be prepared Seth Vans, I'm coming for you.

But for now, in this peaceful moment, I'm going to let it go and just enjoy myself. Which is exactly what I do. Without another thought, I find myself pulling my legs up on the seat and then pushing myself up and out the window where I sit on the windowsill. The wind catches each strand of hair and tangles them around my head, but I'm feeling too free to care about the mess I'll have to deal with later. I lean my head back, keeping my grip tight on the edge of the door as my body sizzles with energy. I'm free. This feeling is what used to keep me alive... no wonder I've been slowly dying over the past few years. I've put myself in bondage by committing so heavily to work instead of play.

My arms are bent in order to hold my body as close to the truck as possible, but when Seth swerves the vehicle carefully onto a country road, I let myself go. My arms extend, losing all slack as I lean back, my hands still clinging to the door as I sway with the breeze. I drop my head back and smile up at the sky. Normally Seth would be laughing while tugging me back inside the vehicle, but he doesn't do anything to stop me.

My eyes are closed, but when the music suddenly switches from Indie to Rap, my heart swells. Seth hates Rap, so I know this action was specifically done for me. I almost feel like he knows exactly what it is that I need right now, and he's willingly offering it to me.

Was this his plan all along? To venture out into the open fields where nothing but freedom lay? If that's the case, then the man I'm married to is brilliant. He seems to know what I need far before I do. It's astounding at times, and I've missed it.

Without any help from my brain, I find myself muttering the lyrics to songs I didn't even know I knew the lyrics to. I feel as though I standing in the middle of a whirlwind. It's as if time is standing still, but everything around me is whizzing by with mad speed. I'm just observing as life continues on while I smile upon it.

My eyes scan the trees in the distance and the faint lines of the road as they blur past me. Everything is moving except for me and this sensation makes me feel powerful. I honestly feel like I could fly if I wanted. If I let go right now, the wind would sweep me into its embrace and carry me up into the heavens.

As quickly as each song lyric leaves my lips, the wind is sucking them away. I could scream at the top of my lungs right now and no one would hear me. The words would just be yanked out of the air and into this cyclone blowing around me. I can almost feel the breeze as it pulls the sound from my body and swallows it down its vacuum-like stomach.

I let my body sway with delight and ease until I feel the truck start to slow as gravel pops beneath the tires. My head feels light and dizzy when I open my eyes, and I blink several times to orientate myself. Glancing about, I spot a cluster of trees in the distance and I bend slightly to peer into the cab of the truck.

"Where are we?" I inquire, sitting back up and looking behind me to see the parking lot we seem to be stationed at.

"You'll see," he says with a mischievous grin as he pulls the keys from the ignition and slides out of the vehicle.

I follow suit, pulling the rest of my body from the window and dropping to the pebble-covered ground. My bare feet cringe at the sensation, but I brush it off, not caring enough about the pain to make a big deal about it.

"This looks..." I spin around, taking in the scenery, before landing my eyes on Seth's eager expression, "... exciting?"

He chuckles but doesn't offer an explanation before he's swiveling around and heading towards the trees. I follow close behind, anxious to discover where he's leading me. We walk on until I think my feet are bleeding, but I refuse to complain. It was my choice to scurry out of the house without putting on my shoes; now I have to pay the consequences. I'm making careful work of avoiding sticks and rubble, but the discomfort doesn't cease.

At least forty minutes pass, and yet, I refuse to harass Seth with any further questions about our destination. He seems to know where he's headed, and for now, I will trust that he's not going to slit my throat behind some random tree and leave me for the coyotes to munch on. I like to believe that he cares enough for me that he'd try to make my murder a little less gruesome.

I can feel the timid hint of evening descending. Another hour and it'll be dark. This guy better have a good reason for dragging me into the forest at dusk. Does he not realize that this is where blood-hungry mosquito's and flesh-craving beasts live?

And then he's stopping under a massive white oak tree and spinning around to face me. He's all about this boyish smile today, and I watch with mild fascination as it presents itself again. His excitement is contagious and I find myself grinning back at him while I wait for an explanation.

"What do you think?" he finally says with a deep excited exhale.

"Well?..." I glance around us, taking in the moss-covered ground and tall skinny trees that seem to be hugging us on all sides. The space around the oak tree is bare of anything other than twigs and dirt. It's as if the other trees have all made room for the leafy beauty in the very heart of the forest. If it weren't for the king of all trees right in the middle, I'd almost feel like I were inside of a tree cocoon.

"I mean, it's pretty cool," I tell Seth honestly. "I'm not sure if it was worth destroying my dainty little feet for, but it's nice."

"Yeah," he says in agreement, turning to face the tree. I only have a slight view of his profile, but even from here, I can see the smile on his lips. I'm hoping he'll do something really gentlemanly and, I don't know, maybe give me his shoes or something. But instead, I watch as he flings his flip-flops off his feet and then takes a step towards the tree.

"What," I start to say with a hint of playful sarcasm, "Are you planning to Spiderman your way up that tree?"

He pauses in his pursuit towards the towering leaf-covered beast and shoots a humorous look over his shoulder.

"Yep." And with that, he's jumping to latch his hands around a large branch.

I watch in a dazed stupor while his strength strains against his shirt as he effortlessly pulls himself over the branch. He wraps his legs around it once he's seated and then leans down to offer his hand to me. I feel like a child as glee swims into my veins and conducts a smile onto my face. Without any hesitation, I take his hand in my own, my legs floundering in the air as he practically bicep-curls me up to him. When I'm close enough, he grabs my waist with his other hand and sets me on the branch.

By this point, I've done almost nothing to assist him in getting me to the branch, mainly because I want to see what he's capable of, but also because I'm not in the mood to make a fool of myself. Once seated, I scoot back slightly until I can rest my back against the trunk of the tree and glance over at Seth. He's not looking at me though but is instead scanning the limbs above us as he tries to figure out our next move. Now that I'm up, the rest of the climb should be easy. It's that initial getting into the tree that's always been a struggle for me.

"Ready?" Seth asks suddenly and I twitch my gaze to find him eyeing me with expectation.

"Yep." I nod, trying to stay balanced as I push myself up into standing.

My hands cling to the trunk of the tree as I carefully look around for my next move. Seth's one step—okay, maybe five steps—ahead of me, and I watch in awe as he climbs his way to the tallest possible point of the tree. I'm still gaping at his athleticism when he reaches his destination and glances down at me, a brow quirked in amusement.

"You coming?"

"Yeah," I mutter, knowing that it's now his turn to watch me fumble my way up the tree—I promise I won't look as sexy doing it as he did. "Prepare yourself," I say seriously. "This will be the greatest display of tree-frogging that you'll ever witness."

He chuckles softly. "Should I get my camera ready?"

"Most definitely," I say with a strenuous grunt as I pull myself clumsily to the next branch. From the looks of things, that should be the most difficult part of this climb. The rest should be a piece of steak.

It's a good five minutes later when I reach the top. Compared to Seth's thirty seconds, I'm feeling pretty good about myself. It could have been much worse. I offer a triumphant grin in Seth's direction just as he shoves a small black object in my face. I lean back just enough so I can focus on it properly and then roll my eyes.

"Wanna watch it?" he asks, nodding towards the phone that he has in front of me.

"You actually recorded that?" I say, a bundle of laughter tripping out of my lips.

Seth gives me his evil smile but doesn't respond. I press play, eager to see what he saw, and instantly regret my decision. I look like a frightened kitten clinging to a raging bull—just imagine what that might look like since I'm positive not a soul on earth has actually witnessed such a thing. My hair. Oh gosh, my hair. Yes, sticking my body outside of a moving vehicle was a horrendous idea. I could challenge Einstein in a wacky hair competition. In short, I look ridiculous and it has my gut squeezing out endless laughter as I watch myself struggle up the tree.

"Gosh, I'm a hideous climber," I huff playfully.

"Well," Seth says, not denying the description of myself. "If you don't find that beautiful, then you might find this to be."

I peer up at him just as he swings his head slightly to the left, indicating the space below us. I follow his gaze, and my breath catches when my eyes fall upon the most stunning scenery ever created by the artful hands of God.

There's an opening in the trees that surround us, and we have the most brilliant view right through it and into an endless field of sunflowers. It looks fake. The sun is just setting off in the distance, casting a warm glow over the flowers like honey. Even though the sky is dimming, the sunflower field is almost radiating the very colors of the falling sun. It's magnificent.

I'm rarely speechless, but right now I have no words to express just how I'm feeling. My chest feels full and, for the first time in ages, I feel special—like I'm getting to view the most epic secrets on this planet. I realize that there's so much more out in the world than just my problems. There's beauty beyond the ashes of my life. If only I could blow all the damage away on a gust of wind and run wildly through beauty such as this.

"Wow," I finally mutter, not able to detach my eyes from the rolling flower-covered hills below us.

"Yeah," is Seth's simple response.

I can tell he's just as caught up in the scene around us as I am, but I still manage to glance his way long enough to spy the ease and stress-free expression on his face. He looks happy—truly happy. I can't even recall the last time I saw him look this relaxed.

We don't stay in the tree long because as time ticks by, the sun dips lower. Our butts aren't even numb by the time the sun disappears and we're forced to clamber down our new secret hideout in the dark.

Seth reaches the bottom first and then holds his arms up in preparation for catching me when I drop. The breeze sweeps over my skin as I fall through the air, and before I can fully enjoy the sensation of free-falling another sensation is sliding over my waist. Seth's hands grip me securely as he places me carefully on the ground, but the moment his fingers slide away from my hips, I'm aching to feel them again.

I wish I had something snarky to say that would break the moment. I need to not desire him so badly right now, but I can't help myself. Clearly, Seth's mind is elsewhere, because just as he releases me, he's walking towards the other side of the tree and collecting his shoes.

He doesn't slip them on, though. Instead, he turns and makes his way to me, holding the flip flops out to me as he nears.

"Here," he says quietly, almost as if unwilling to break the serenity that has gracefully descended upon us.

I take the shoes from his grasp, not tearing my eyes from his. I smile and he returns it without hesitation. It's then that I glimpse something spectacular. There's a depth in Seth's eyes that makes my heart stumble in pleasure for just a moment. It's an emotion that I've seen before, but it's been so long. I can't be sure that I'm really seeing such tenderness in his gaze, or if it's my own hopeful desires that are making me see things, but either way, I find my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth as I fight to pull my thoughts together.

My mind scrambles back through the day. How I'd been so prepared to corner Seth and demand he confess his love, but right now, this is almost better than any confession. There's an intimacy in his gaze that speaks louder than love, and I can only hope he means it. I can only hope he's aware of the look he's giving me and that he wants me to see it.

"Thank you," I find myself almost whispering.

But as I slip the shoes onto my sore feet, I know that Seth understood my gratitude. Sure, I'm thankful for the shoes, but there was more to my words than a simple appreciation for protection from the elements. I needed tonight more than I've ever needed a physical display of affection or a verbal profession of love.

Tonight, Seth said everything he needed to say without uttering a single word.