“When two people connect it is like a force of nature that can’t be stopped.”
It was high school and one of the best parts of living in our small little mountain town was that we could still get away with slipping higher in elevation, setting up camp, and having a woodsy.
Now, I know not everyone is acquainted with the vernacular, so let me explain… It’s a party in the woods.
We’d load up our gear in my buddy’s jeep and off-road it. Climbing high through the forest trees, we’d reach a secluded meadow on the other side. It was a soothing place the tourists had yet to discover. Everyone who wanted to join us knew exactly where we were going and it always drew a good crowd.
The local cops couldn’t reach us, they couldn’t see our fires, and they couldn’t hear our jubilant cries of adolescence. We were safe and man did we relish in it.
As the day was fading, our jeep rolled to a stop and my eyes found his immediately. As though he was waiting for me, he stood just a few feet before us and rushed forward to help us unload.
“Hey Eve,” he spoke as he grabbed a bag from the pile in the back.
“Hi Gabe,” I smiled. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
I was right, his smile was more breathtaking in the light of day, not that it didn’t put a spark in the night. Even as I watched him walk away, my stomach felt as though a million butterflies were trapped inside.
Gabe was handsome, broad-shouldered, and lean. He had light brown hair, neatly cut and styled. His jeans fit his body just right and his white shirt was clean beneath the flannel he wore. His skin was like ivory, almost to perfect to touch, but it was starting to tan beneath the close mountain sun.
As the dusk filtered through and night began to settle in, our fires glowed against the blackness of an unpolluted sky. The stars twinkled overhead reminding us all of how small we truly were in this great big universe.
The night was just beginning.
Truly, it was all a blur around us as Gabe and I gravitated towards each other and never left one another’s orbit. We settled comfortably side by side near the fire’s warmth.
I learned his full name was actually Gabriel, which I loved. He laughed as he told me he was a bad Catholic boy, yet he never had a car without a rosary hanging from his rearview mirror. He had worn many hats professionally and lived in an array of different towns and cities, but he had decided to settle back in his hometown for now.
He spoke of classic bands with affection and was shocked to learn that I not only knew who they were, but that I listened to them too.
We marveled at how at ease we both felt, how our conversation flowed so fluidly, and how much we had in common despite our six-year age gap.
Gabe wouldn’t stop staring, stating, “You have the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen, Evangeline.”
I liked the way my name rolled off his tongue. He made me blush, consistently, but I think the fires glow helped hide it.
It was an unexpected night as we’d both come for the party, but those desires had slipped away with the sun leaving us the night.
Gabe and I watched the sunrise as the only two survivors of the night’s follies.
We didn’t kiss, even though the want was certainly there. The night had been ours and that was enough.
I was sixteen and wouldn’t see or hear from him again for two-years.
Read the rest of the story…
Evangeline and Gabriel: Introduction
Evangeline and Gabriel: Dedication
Evangeline and Gabriel: At 1st Sight
Evangeline and Gabriel: Sitting by the Campfire