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Silently they moseyed around the nearby canyon and then over to the river.
At one point he caught her watching the water, a serene smile ghosting her lips.
They used the bathrooms nearby and then Asa went into the nearby lodge and got everyone lunch.
Cas looked surprised when Asa brought them a couple of sandwiches. But it would be incredibly rude to eat in front of them. His dad would kill him if he did something like that.
He and Zara sat at a picnic table facing each other to eat their lunch.
“Thank you,” she said around a mouthful. “I can pay you back when we get home.”
He snorted. “It’s a couple sandwiches. I think I can afford it.”
She narrowed one eye at him but didn’t argue. “Do you do this drive often?” she asked.
Was it his imagination or was she trying to sound casual?
He shook his head. “Not often. I should though. I always forget how pretty it is out here.” He looked around at the spring foliage.
“You really undersold the Illinois countryside.”
He canted his head to the side. “You get to see some of the most beautiful places in the world.” He shrugged, figuring that explained it.
The smile on her face went a little funny and she snickered. “Oh, Asa.” Her tone was light. “Everything is beautiful.”
She looked around at their surroundings, truly enjoying whatever it was she saw. He felt that tingle in his limbs that he usually did when he was with her. Like a low-level buzz of awareness coursing through his entire body.
The sun brightened the gold in her eyes turning them almost citrine. He used to think they brightened them artificially for events or music videos. But that just wasn’t the case. At first glance, one would assume her eyes were a light brown; maybe even hazel. But different light, her mood, the presence of tears, could alter the color in significant ways.
“Where did you get your eyes?” he asked. “I’ve never seen that color before.”
She turned those eyes on him with a look that almost made him laugh. “Are you about to tell me they’re beautiful?”
He chuckled. “You don’t like to hear that?”
She rolled her eyes. “Telling someone they have beautiful eyes seems like the most obvious compliment.” She dusted the crumbs from her fingers.
“What do you mean?” His lips quirked up on the side, amused at her irritation.
She flattened a look his direction. “Because all eyes are beautiful.”
“No, they’re not,” he disagreed.
“Yes, they are.” She leaned forward and lifted her eyebrows. “Name one person with ugly eyes. Just one.”
He opened his mouth and then closed it.
“Go on. I’ll wait.”
He sighed and shook his head because she was right. He couldn’t think of an example.
She sat back and crossed her arms. “See? Eyes are beautiful. All of them. They’re like little swirling galaxies rolling around in people’s heads.”
He barked a laugh. “Didn’t exactly stick the landing with your metaphor.”
She shrugged one shoulder, unworried. “You know what I mean. Eyes are amazing. But it always feels so disingenuous when someone points it out. What am I supposed to say?” She fluttered her lashes and pitched her voice higher. “Why, thank you,” she cooed. “I grew them myself.”
He tipped his head back and laughed long and loud. He tried to sober himself but for some reason what she’d done hit him in a spot in his gut that hadn’t been punched with humor in a long time. It was hard to stop laughing.
