It was Luke's suggestion to go outside. He thought a breath of fresh air would be good for me. We must have looked like complete fools earlier, screaming out the lyrics to a super corny song and dancing. I may be tipsy, but I won't wake up to regret my behavior. It was fun. We stepped out of the cabin through the backdoor. There was a wooden patio that overlooked the beautiful lake. The reflection of the forest glistened on its surface. I wondered how long before the sunrise. Luke was right about one thing: the cold air sobered me up pretty quickly. He was sitting next to me on the wooden patio and his knee pressed against mine. My skin had goosebumps, and it wasn't only because of the cold. I've never felt this way about someone before. And it's scary how quickly I fell. Luke leaned forward and I saw him run a hand through his messy hair before he turned to look at me, "You cold, Minnie?" I nodded and without hesitation he shrugged off his zip up hoodie. He put it gently around my shoulders and his hands lingered over my arms. I felt the warmth of the fabric on my skin and nuzzled my nose into it. I breathed in his scent and felt the jacket loose and large over me. And then I looked up at him. "Aren't you cold too?" I asked him, now that he was in a thin shirt. He shook his head and didn't say anything. He was looking at me in a way I hadn't really seen before. A deep gaze of emotion I couldn't read. "Do you remember this?" he whispered, the crackling of the fireplace still faintly behind us. I knew exactly what he meant. This felt a lot like summer camp. The night we went on our camping trip. Except, there had been a campfire behind us with a lot more people chatting. The night sky overlooked nature and the tall trees that made up the forest. I remembered how Luke had come to me, when I was listening to music all alone with a plate of sandwiches. It was our first real, meaningful conversation. The first time we had ever looked beyond outer appearances. "You know what you told me that night?" he asked me, still speaking in a low voice. His voice sounded husky but honeyed at the same time and I didn't understand how he could accomplish that. I tried to remember what I had said that night. "I called you a selfish jerk?" "You do that often," he smirked. "True," I whispered. He and I knew well the rocky start to our friendship. "I'm your selfish jerk now," he slid his hand across me, holding onto my waist and pulling me closer to him. "Yes, you are," I breathed onto his lips as he kissed me. I got lost in our kiss. His touch had the ability to freeze time for me. I lose all awareness for everything else around me except him. Luke. Maybe I'm still a little drunk... but I know I'll feel this way when sober. "So what did I tell you?" I asked him, curious to know what he remembered from that night. It had been the beginning of a roller-coaster friendship. "You said you fell in love with a boy who didn't love you back." Did I really say that? I must have opened up to him about my ex-boyfriend Kaden earlier than I thought. I felt embarrassed by that now. I had been really hurting that summer. "I thought it was love," I admitted, "He was my first boyfriend and I was captivated by all that came with it. Those emotions were new and, at the time, I had no idea that what I felt was not love. It takes time to realize it." I also realized that Luke Dawson really listened to me. He remembered my comment from all that time ago. A comment I had long forgotten ever saying. And now, he didn't rush me. He didn't say anything that would misinterpret my feelings. He just waited for me to say more. I stared out at the lake in front of us. "I never thought I'd recover from that heartbreak. But looking back, I needed that break up." It paved the way for all this. "If I could go back, I would tell myself not to get caught up in my emotions and avoid reacting too strongly," I said, thinking of what no one ever told me. Maybe if I had a different sister, she would have. "I'd tell myself that, when going through a relationship for the first time, delay making any decisions I can't take back." Movies encourage us to dive headfirst into relationships because it's what we want. We want to believe that this relationship is with The One. "Feelings take time to mature," Luke said, "Like that wine you downed at dinner." I laughed, finding it rare how he could make me smile while I relived a sad moment. "I fell so fast that my feelings confused me," I finished up, "You can call infatuation love if you've never loved before." I have regretted opening up to people before, but I knew that with Luke it was different. It's been different since the start. I hope I'm not wrong about that. I guess you never know until... until you know. "Can you tell the difference now?" he asked softly, and before I had time to react - to really process what he had just said, he changed his mind. "You shouldn't wait to sleep. I can see your eyelids drooping. Come and I'll show you to your room." ** I hadn't realized it was already almost 3AM. The night had flown by and I wished we could repeat it I was leaning on Luke as he showed me to my room. A quilted cover over a double bed and a vanity table with some perfume on it. It was one of the guest bedrooms. I saw my duffel bag already placed next to the wardrobe. Luke had left it there earlier. "Good night, Minnie," he whispered, kissing me gently before leaving. He knew I was a bit tipsy still. He left and I raised my fingers to my lips, missing his touch already. All this time together made me crave more. I crouched beside my duffel bag and pulled out a pair of PJs. I changed into them and washed my face in the bathroom. That's when I realized I'd forgotten toothpaste. I opened the door, listening to the quiet sounds of a sleeping house, and crept down the hallway to his room. I knocked before opening his bedroom door.