"I like the ponytail." Reed tugged on the end of my hair to make his point.

"I figured I'd blend in better this way."

"You're not going to blend in, but I like the look."

I glanced down at my worn out hooded sweatshirt and jeans. "This is the real me."

"I know, and it's nice." He pulled away from the curb.

"Where are we going exactly?"

"A field in North Charleston. It won't take too long."

"And who are we playing with?" Surprisingly, I hadn't questioned that yet.

"It's mostly Al's friends and a few guys I went to high school with."

"Does that mean Al's going to be there?"

Reed turned. "Yeah. Is that a problem?"

I remembered how awkward our first meeting had been. "I don't think I made the best first impression."

"Yeah you did. He thought you were cute and humorous."

"Humorous?"

"Yes. Evidently you were funny before I got there."

"Not intentionally," I mumbled.

Reed must have heard me because he laughed.

I tried not to get too nervous about playing a game I'd never played with a bunch of older guys, but it was a little bit intimidating.

Reed pulled into a parking lot, and I prepared myself. By the time I got out, Reed already had a black bag slung over his shoulder.

I pointed to the bag. "What's in there?"

"My equipment."

"Was I supposed to bring my own?"

Reed laughed. "Yes. I expected you to buy your own equipment in less than twelve hours." He shook his head. "I have gear for you."

I followed him over to where a group of guys waited. Al noticed us and took a few steps toward us. "You brought Juliet?"

What? Al didn't know I was coming?

Reed didn't seem concerned about his uncle's reaction. "She's our secret weapon. Trust me on this."

I grabbed Reed's arm. "Secret weapon?"

He grinned. "That's what you are."

After introducing me to his other teammates and the guys we were playing against, Reed sat down on a bench and unzipped his bag. I got even more nervous. All but two of them were dressed head to toe in camo. What the hell had Reed gotten me into?

I watched in disbelief as they all pulled out guns, ammo, and other things I couldn't name from their bags.

"Heads up." Reed tossed me a pair of goggles.

"Where's my gun?"

"Cutting right to the chase, huh?"

He handed me a gun and showed me the basics. "I think I'll catch on."

"I'll take your word for it."

I liked it that Reed didn't question me.

We walked out into the field. It was pretty much set up with a team on each side and the main field in between. The field consisted of obstacles, like broken down cars and these man-made structures you could climb. I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do, but I assumed Reed would let me know.

He came up behind me and leaned in to whisper, "You need to get over to that structure and climb to the roof."

"The roof? Aren't I asking to be hit?"

"They won't bother with you. They're going to be more concerned with Al and me since we're the biggest."

"Okay..."

"When the other team passes, take them out one by one."

"You make it sound easy."

"It might be." He grinned. "Have fun, Oakley."

The horn blew, and I did exactly as Reed said. I climbed up and waited. As Reed expected, they weren't even looking for me. I double checked my gun as I waited for our opponents. They moved past, thinking they were safe, and I hit the first one on the arm. I did the same for the second, and then got the third guy in the back. I knew there were two more left, but I figured three out of five was pretty darn good.

I climbed down and hid around the back side of the structure. Before long, Reed and Al took out the remaining men.

"Nice going, kid." Al patted me on the back when I met up with them.

"Thanks, but it was all Reed's idea."

Al turned to Reed. "You knew she could shoot?"

"I had a hunch." He grinned, remembering back to laser tag. "Where'd you learn to shoot like that?"

"My dad's retired Army. He made sure his kids could handle a gun. I didn't like it, but I put up with my yearly lessons."

Reed smiled. "Your dad sounds like an interesting person."

"He is. You'd probably get along with him."

He put an arm around my shoulder. "You want to play the next round?"

"I think I might sit it out." I was having fun, but these guys took things seriously, and it might be more entertaining to watch.

"That's fine. Maybe we can grab lunch after this?"

"I'd love to. I skipped breakfast."

"All right, see you in a few." He grinned before striding back toward the field.

***

"What's going on with you and Reed?" Cara asked on the way back from the house on Sunday night. It was a clear night, slightly cool, but still warm enough that the walk was pleasant.

"Nothing. We're just hanging out."

"You sure? You two spent practically the whole weekend together."

"We did not." I hadn't even heard from him after paintball. We'd had a great lunch at a burger joint, but that was it. "What's up with you and Bill, Mallory?" Deflection seemed like a great idea.

"Don't get me started."

"Wait, what happened?"

"I went back to the house with him after the party. He totally broke down and cried about missing his ex-girlfriend."

"Seriously?" Cara and I said in unison.

"Yes. It was so awkward. I think I'm done dating for a while. It's kind of a blow to your self-esteem when a guy cries right before you're about to hook up."

I put a hand on her back. "It could have been worse."

"How?"

"He could have cried during sex. Or after."

"Good point. Wow, my favorite pessimist just described a glass as half full."

I laughed. "What can I say? Life without Dylan is good for me."

"Are you sure it's not life with Reed?" Cara laughed.

"Reed and I are just friends."

"Uh huh. I'm sure."

"We are."

"I give you guys a month." Cara messed with her phone. She was probably texting Aaron.

"I say two weeks." Mallory ran a hand through her hair.

"What? You don't think I can handle being single?"

"No. I don't think you can resist Reed."

"He doesn't like me that way. I'm telling you, we're just friends." Was it bad that part of me wished we could be more?

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I had forgotten to turn the ringer on. I smiled when Reed's name flashed across the screen. "Hey."

"Hey, are you busy?"

"Define busy."

"Doing something important. Is there another definition I'm not aware of?"

I laughed. "I'm not busy."

"Want to do something?"

"It depends. What would we be doing? I don't think I can handle any more paintball."

"I promise, it doesn't involve guns at all."

"I'm halfway back to my dorm. Should I turn around and head for your house?"

"I'll head toward you. We can meet up halfway."

"See you in a minute." I hung up.

"Was that Reed?" Mallory asked.

"Yes."

"And you're sure nothing's going on?"

"We're friends."

They both laughed.

"I'm going to meet up with him. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Cara grinned. "He found you first."

I spun around. Reed was right behind me. "That was fast."

He shrugged. "What can I say? I was anxious to see you."

"Have fun, you two." Mallory grabbed Cara's arm, and they continued toward the dorms.

"What are we doing?" I asked. Reed had already turned back the way he'd come. I followed.

"We're going airplane gazing."

"Airplane gazing?"

"You've never done it? It's like stargazing, except you're watching planes take off."

"We're going to the airport?"

"Near it." He stopped at his truck and held open the passenger door.

"Thanks." I smiled. "Do you go airplane gazing often?" I asked when he got in.

"Not so much anymore."

"Why the sudden decision to go again?"

"It's not sudden." He downshifted. "I finally have someone I want to go with."

I couldn't help smiling.

Reed pulled into an empty field, parking the car somewhere in the middle. He shut off the engine and the headlights. We were in almost complete darkness. The full moon and some distant lights from the road were the only illumination. He reached over me to pull a flashlight out of the glove compartment.

"Ready?"

"Where are we going?"

"Not far." I could almost hear a smile in his voice.

He switched on his flashlight and hopped out. I waited for him to come around before I joined him. "Why do I feel like I'm in a horror movie?"

He laughed. "It's not a horror movie. I promise."

"Good."

Reed opened the tailgate. He had a few blankets rolled up in the back. He hopped up and gave me a hand. He spread out a blanket and lay down on his back. I tentatively settled down next to him.

"Geez, Reed, if you wanted to get me alone, you could have found an easier way."

"This isn't just alone. It's isolated," he said in a scary voice.

I punched his arm. "Don't mess with me."

He laughed. "I won't. Trust me. You'll like this once the planes start."

"I'll take your word for it."

I heard the first plane before I saw it. It roared to life before flying right above us.

"You're right. This is cool."

He laughed. "That didn't take long."

I looked back up at the sky. "Whenever I see a plane, I wonder where it's going."

"Yeah, I'm like that when I see people at the airport. I wonder what their stories are." He shifted, and his arm brushed against mine. "Like when I see an excited-looking woman, I wonder if she's going to see her boyfriend. And if I see a young kid, I wonder if he's going to see his parents."

"How introspective of you."

"Introspective? I'll give you introspective. Do you ever wonder what we're doing here?"

"Like why we're alive?"

"Yeah. Do you?"

"Of course. Doesn't everyone? I don't know. I guess we're here to live, learn, hopefully fall in love, have kids, and continue the cycle."

"So you want to fall in love and have kids, huh?"

"Not now, or at least not the kids part." I knew I was blushing, but thankfully, he couldn't see it in the darkness.

"What about the fall in love part?"

"That can happen anytime, but it's not a rush. I'm only eighteen. I'm all about the living part."

He laughed. "I'm twenty-one, and I feel that way, too."

I wanted him to kiss me. The thought came to me out of nowhere, but once I felt it, I wanted it so much it hurt. He didn't, though. He just lay there, watching the planes take off. I did the same for the next few hours and let my thoughts drift.

Eventually, we got back into the front of the truck. "I like airplane gazing."

He smiled. "We'll have to do it again sometime."