The Summer That Changed Everything

Chapter Six - Part One

After huffing and puffing their way up the hill, Felicity and Jared made it to the top at last. Once they had stood there for a moment, catching their breath and admiring the view, Jared carefully stretched the blanket out, smoothing out all the crinkles, and they both sat on it. The grass was soft and cool beneath them, and thankfully, not muddy. Felicity bounced excitedly on her bum as Jared opened the basket and set out all the goodies. Sandwiches, crisps, fruits, sweets, cakes, you name it. It was everything Felicity loved, and the food smelled tantalising.

And let’s face it, it was food. So, there wasn’t much that Felicity didn’t love.

“You put a lot of thought into this, didn’t you?” Felicity commented, chuckling as Jared pulled out a large plastic bowl of trifle. She was so flattered that he went to so much trouble for her. The lack of time he had to prepare it didn’t go unnoticed, either. They had been friends for years, and this was not the first time Jared had surprised her with his thoughtfulness. But obviously, it hadn’t happened for a while. No one had surprised her with something this nice in a very long time. But how could the mere two of them eat all that food?

Scratch that, she was sure they could both polish it all off relatively easily.

“Well, I wanted to make it special for you,” Jared replied, smiling. Felicity noticed a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks as she called out his kindness, but she whipped her head away to avoid making it awkward. For her cheeks matched his. She felt a warm, fluttery feeling in her chest, but she couldn’t quite place it.

“Wow. Well, you’ve certainly done that.” Felicity grinned, staring at the wondrous food in front of her and still avoiding eye contact. Her stomach rumbled in anticipation, despite having cereal not long before.

They tucked into food not long after that. All Felicity’s worries about wasted food soon vanished from her head as she noticed the pace at which they ate. At some point in the late morning, the sun had risen almost directly above their heads, beaming down on them both. Felicity took her denim jacket off and placed it next to her.

All this eating was sweaty work.

If she were with James, she was sure she would receive some disgusted looks from him with how she shovelled everything into her awaiting mouth. He would hate how much she was trying to fit into her jaws, especially crisps. But with Jared, she didn’t care. The contrast in their reactions made her feel the stark difference in her comfort level.

She wasn’t sure what that meant, properly. Her uncertainty about her feelings added to the emotional turmoil she was experiencing.

“So, what was this business emergency your parents were so worried about?” Jared asked after polishing off a cupcake.

“Some sort of business deal that might fall through,” Felicity shrugged, not meaning to sound nonchalant. “You know I understand little about what they do.”

“That’s fair. Sounds serious,” Jared commented.

Felicity nodded. “I think it is. That’s why I’m trying so hard not to be bitter about it, because I’m aware of how important it is.”

“Hey, hey, what have I said about wanting to mope?” Jared cut her off.

“I know. I know,” Felicity playfully rolled her eyes. She then blew out a breath. “But I don’t even want to mope. You’ve put so much effort into this, and I’m so appreciative. I don’t want to waste my time by sulking.”

Jared’s only reply was another wink that made her stomach clench again. Butterflies zoomed around her body. She closed her eyes and worried she had overeaten.

They ate in silence once more; Felicity took that time to appreciate her surroundings. Recollections from her younger years came flooding back as she glanced around the space. Once upon a time, her parents would bring her here regularly. Memories resurfaced to a time when the business wasn’t the most crucial thing in their lives. She was. She also used to come here with Layla and Jared when they were children. It wasn’t too far from either of their homes, so their parents weren’t worried about anyone straying too far. And everything was a lot safer. Even then. The patches of grass surrounding her were where she and Jared used to wrestle and tumble around, while Layla looked on disapprovingly.

“Are you missing James?” Jared asked, breaking the silence, almost misinterpreting the reason for Felicity’s lack of communication. He hesitated over the words, picking lint off the picnic blanket.

The question almost scared him so much that he didn’t ask it, in fear of making her unhappy. It had been nice to see her smile that day. Although he always thought it was nice to see her smile, it was especially lovely today. He felt awful that she had been so down about her parents earlier on.

Felicity’s smile dimmed only a little. She kept her eyes on Jared and fought every urge to look away.

“Yeah,” she said, honestly. “It’s only been a couple of weeks, and I’m used to having James around all the time. It’s certainly an adjustment.”

“I understand,” he said. He wanted to lighten the mood, but he wasn’t sure how. He settled for the first thing that came to mind, but he was probably going to regret it. His default mode was more akin to the way he joked with his teenage friends from college. “I bet there’s one thing you’re missing more than anything, though.”

“And what would that be?” Felicity asked, unsure of where the conversation was heading. Though if she had any inkling, she would’ve shut that conversation down immediately...