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"Oh" She laughed "I suppose since we didn’t get to make love in the backseat"

"No, this isn’t about sex" I shook etsx with you, but that’s kinda all we know about each other If we’re going to be friends, we need to …"

"Okay, stop right there" Maddie turned to face an Martelli I knew you were a great guy"

"I’uy" I denied her words If she knew the truth about what I had been thinking about doing, well, I’oing to a field then?"

"It’s a special field" I smiled at her briefly "Just be patient"

"Okay"

I looked at the fas as I drove and I could almost smell the pollen in the air The fields we passed were lush and green with dashes of colors, the floere in blooot excited as I pulled off of the road and down a street with a Do not pass sign I stopped the car and jumped out

"Come on, we have to walk from here"

"Can we leave the car here?" She jumped out of the car and looked worried "What of the police see it?"

"It’ll be okay" I laughed "If you didn’t notice, we’re on a private road, pretty far fro"

"Okay" She looked up at ?"

"Follow rabbed her hand and she s aluy, on a date with a girl he liked, and everything was right in the world The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and Maddie and I were happy to be in this ain, not able to keep her curiosity to herself as alked down overgrown path

"It’s a special field my mom used to take me to as a boy Just me and her" I didn’t look at Maddie as I spoke, scared that somehoould be too overwhelmed to continue on this journey "I always loved nature, it’s sorass, I love the feel of the sun on my face, I love to just be sed up by nature; it "

"It kinda her, doesn’t it?" Maddie’s voice was soft and thoughtful as she looked around "When I go ca, I’m reminded that there is so rades or a new top"

"Yeah" I dropped her hand and bent down to pick her a feers that were growing to the right of us "Like, take a look at these Have you ever seen such a bright pink before in your life? Look how vivid it is It’s a pink that could punch you in the face"

"They are beautiful," she agreed, and seous smile and I felt a part ofthat I hadn’t known existed A part of me that was full of wonder and belief

"And this one" I held the violet flower delicately "This one reminds me of your eyes, it’s purple, but when you look at it in a different light, it looks navy blue So beautiful and deceiving Yet so lovely and captivating"

"I hope you don’t think I’ht as e of you is deceiving," I answered slowly, trying to explain it to her, as well as to myself "I think when I look at you, I see a beautiful, wonderful, capricious girl And all I can focus on is your impish smile But then there are tiht, and I see a rich, privileged girl And I feel deceived, because how can I be falling for the girl with the purple eyes if she’s Maddison Wright " My words trailed off and we stared at each other for a while I think ere both in shock, not because I had voicedfor her I was really falling for her, and I knew that a relationship between us would do nothing but cause an Martelli," she began softly and then reached over to hold rew up daydreareen eyes, and I think, this man is too handsoirl you want And you’re cocky and self-assured, and you don’tpunches And I think, he’s a player, he’s all about one thing But then I see that hint of a smile in your eyes, followed by an even quicker hint of sadness and a whole lot of anger And I think, this man, this man is trouble He’s secretive, and he doesn’t trust, and he’s a thief, and I know he hateshere? What do I hope to get out of this? A for a heartache?"

"I don’t want to cause you a heartache, Maddie" Her words cut my heart and I didn’t knohat else to say

"I slept with you on the first night Ito herself "I tried to steal a cop car to get you to like ed you to be friends" She leaned in towards htly crazy, and I told myself that it would be worth it, that it had to be worth it And just now, you made it all worth it"

"I did?" I wanted to step back fro to feel overwhelrinned "You just toldfor hed "I’ve already fallen for you"

"Oh, Maddie"

"We deserve to give this a chance, Logan" She bit her lip and leaned in and pressed her lips against mine Her lips tasted like sweet mint and I closed my eyes as I kissed her back sweetly I pulled away frootten to the field as yet" I didn’t want to continue talking about us I wasn’t ready to delve any deeper into our feelings It was all too new for me, and I needed to think We walked for another ten minutes in companionable silence and then I saw the familiar two rocks on top of each other and stopped "My mom and I put those rocks there" I pointed over to theet this spot"

"Did you guys colazed over As I had gotten older, it had been harder and harder for my mother to take er I had not wanted to come and visit fields with mother anymore I could still re videoga particularly proud of a hi with o with him, and she had told him she didn’t want this life for her sons She then cao on a drive with her I hadn’t even looked up froht we could go to our field," she had said, but I ignored her She left the rooain before she died That was a hten as I stared at the rocks

"It must have been nice to come here with just your mom," Maddie continued and squeezed my hand as if she realized how hard it was for o" I pushed through the bushes next to the rocks and held theh and we took a few more steps and then I stopped and stared There in front of us was the largest field of sunflowers I had ever seen in o on and on, and each sunflower seehter than the next

"Wow, this is a" Maddie’s eyes shone with appreciation "This is so beautiful" She gazed around and gingerly touched the petals of a sunflower in front of her "I understand why Van Gogh painted sunflowers now"

"They all look so similar, but if you study them, they are all so unique The yellows in their petals, the oranges of the florets, all so unique if you stop to study them carefully"

"I don’t really know hed "Sad, really, but I couldn’t name half of them for you"

"So are sunflowers your favorite flower then?"

"Why, of course What about you?"

"Is it cliché if I say roses?" She blushed "Red roses are rinned at her

"No one has ever givento ignore the slight stirring of jealousy inside