Ashley stared dumbfounded at Paula. The scariest woman in the world had almost kind of given her a compliment.

“I won’t hurt your daughter, I promise.”

Later that night, Ashley found herself riding shot gun in Spencer’s Tahoe. It was a little chilly but they drove with the windows down, singing to one of her father’s old cds. As it turned out, Spencer was a fan of his old band and knew all the words by heart. The girl was completely tone deaf but she still belted out the lyrics as loud as she could which made Ashley giggle. They pulled up in front a huge pond. There were steep hills surrounding the pond and a curvy sidewalk bordered the entire thing. A few ducks glided in the water and Ashley could smell the sweet grass.

“I used to come here in high school, when I was upset or just needed to think,” Spencer said, “It was my favorite place in the world. The way the wind blew off the water just managed to soothe me, especially after my parents divorced or when I had trouble at school.”

Ashley’s heart broke for the pain that Spencer might have had at this place. She couldn’t stand the thought of the other girl feeling anything but happiness. Reaching over, she put her hand on Spencer’s shoulder and then turned her so that they were face to face.

“Spencer, I want you to close your eyes. Do you trust me?” Spencer closed her eyes and nodded. Ashley got out of the car quickly and went around to Spencer’s door. She opened it slowly and guided the blonde out of the truck. Ashley made sure the lights were still on and put in a new cd. The music flowed out of the speakers and she made sure that Spencer was standing in the headlights with her.

“Ashley what’s this song? It sounds familiar; it’s the one you’re always humming!” Ashley smiled at Spencer’s recognition.

“It’s a rip of the CD I’ve been working on as my final project, it’s um a new song that I wrote for you, open your eyes Spencer.” Spencer opened her eyes and saw Ashley standing there with a small box in her hand. Her eyes got wide and Ashley opened the box slowly, revealing a delicate set of matching bracelets.

“My Dad gave me these right before he passed away, and he told me that when I finally found someone that I wanted to be with, someone that was special that I should give her the other one. I want you to wear the other one.” Spencer’s eyes clouded with emotion and she took Ashley’s face in her hands.

“I would love to,” Spencer said kissing her softly. Ashley pulled back, fastening the small silver bracelet on Spencer’s wrist.

“Dance with me?” Ashley asked. Spencer moved in closer and wrapped her arms around Ashley’s neck. They began to sway back and forth slowly, their gazes tripping over each other. Ashley’s heart was pounding and she leaned into Spencer. Their eyes locked and Ashley’s mouth went dry.

“Spencer, I… I love you.”