Update: The playlist Nevada made is right here if you wanna check it out: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVIx79V8eu26s0CXEuurdIqd0csXdX0Ue

"Oh, I've really missed Nashville!" Nevada exclaimed, beaming.

She listened to the wonderful sound of the bustling city and felt the hectic air of the place.

"It is nice here," Martinus agreed.

Nevada glanced over at him. He looked troubled.

"What's on your mind, Martinus?" Marcus asked him, tilting his head.

Martinus shoved his hands into his pockets and watched as Nevada looked all around in wide-eyed wonder. She was enjoying every bit of this nighttime stroll through her childhood city.

"I just know that Elaine used to live here in Tennessee when she was a young child, and I want to take her on a really fun, romantic date here that may take her back to those days. I just don't know what to do." Martinus answered with a sigh.

"Nevada, you used to live here too. Any ideas for him?" Marcus asked.

Nevada gave another wide smile to the city as they stopped at a crosswalk. She turned her excited face to her friends.

"Actually," Nevada said slowly. "I might have a thought of what you could do!"

"Please, tell me. I've been searching for days on what to do and I've got nothing." Martinus told her.

"Well, my parents are out of town at the moment, and they live about forty-five minutes away from here. They have a large property out in the country and it's a grand place to see the stars. I could arrange a date thing for out there, and I'll make a playlist of a few songs she used to adore. I'll even lend you my truck!" Nevada said, her eyes growing wider in excitement. "I have a couple ideas for a romantic setting as well. This will be so much fun!"

"Wow," Martinus mumbled. "You'd do all that?"

"Sure! I'm not sure what I'll do that night without my truck, though."

"You can drive him out there in your truck and set up earlier in the evening. Then I'll bring Elaine when you're done and I can take you, Nevada, and we can hang out together that night." Marcus purposed.

"Wonderful!" Nevada enthused, over excitement spreading across her face. "When should we do it all?"

"I think everyone is free tomorrow night, actually," Martinus said, a smile crossing his face.

"Great!" Nevada exclaimed, practically jumping up and down as they slowly made their way to the other side of the road. "Let's go pick up a few things while we're out. I already have so many ideas on what we could do!"

Nevada took off, leading the way. 

"She seems really excited about your date," Marcus commented.

"Girls enjoy creating romantic things, even if it's not for them." Martinus shrugged.

"Since when do you know so much about girls?" 

"Since I have a girlfriend and you don't," Martinus replied with a grin.

-------------

Nevada winced when her truck lurched forward as it struggled to hoist itself over a rough patch of the wide-open field. She eased her truck over the stumps and rocks that were littered around everywhere, moving at less than ten miles per hour. 

"I don't think I've ever driven this slow before, not even in city traffic!" Martinus exaggerated, sighing and rolling his eyes. 

"I can't help it, this field is rough!" Nevada replied defensively. 

They finally slowed to a stop and Nevada put the truck in park. 

"I'll be right back," she said, opening her door and hopping down from the seat. "I'm just going to make sure I don't want to take her any further up."

Martinus sighed again and watched her shut the door. He leaned back and pulled out his phone, propping his feet on the dashboard. He saw Nevada circle around the truck and glance around the field before she finally came back and opened the driver's door.

"This is good, let's get the stuff and set up," she said as she pulled the keys out of the ignition. "And get your nasty shoes off my dash!" 

Martinus pretended to be offended, "These are brand new Yeezys!"

"Couldn't care less," Nevada replied, slamming her door. 

Martinus laughed.

The first thing Nevada did was pull out a bunch of soft quilted blankets. When Martinus got out of the car and went around to her side, she immediately shoved them into his arms. Then she pulled out some soft pillows and motioned for him to follow her.

"What's the plan?" he asked, following her around to the truck bed.

"Well," she started, tossing all of the pillows into the bed and opening the door. She climbed up into the back. "First we're gonna spread out those blankets and then set the pillows up. That way, when you two watch the stars tonight, you can do it in a comfy place, and not on the ground."

"Good idea," Martinus replied, smiling at the thought.

"I know,"

Within an hour, Nevada was just putting her finishing touches on her playlist for the night. The sunlight was slowly fading away and Martinus had resorted to lying down on his back in the bed of the pickup truck. Nevada was sitting on the edge, swinging her legs back and forth and wishing she had a boyfriend who would take her on such cool dates. 

It was then, at the perfect time, that Marcus texted his twin. 

"Marcus said he's almost to the address you gave him," Martinus said suddenly. 

"We've got no time to lose!" Nevada replied, leaping off the truck and running around to the front. She placed the keys in the cupholder for their use and then took back off to the back. With one swift jump, she landed back on the truck bed. She crawled up to Martinus' side on her knees and flicked on the string lights they had intertwined around the truck. 

"Come on, Tinus!" Nevada said, pulling his arm as she backed out of the truck bed. "We need to hurry if he's almost here!"

"Okay, okay," he replied, sitting up and following her to the edge of the clearing. "Are we going through the woods?"

"Yup, that way you and Elaine can have a dark, romantic stroll to get to the truck." Nevada swung around a large bag that he didn't even realize she had until then.  "Here," she said, pulling out a large flashlight. "Just in case it gets super dark on your wooded walk." 

He took it slowly and stared at it. Nevada dove into the sparse tree covered woods before he could comment on the flashlight. 

"Wait for me!" Martinus called, trailing after her into the forest.

"You know how to turn on the music, right?" she asked him.

Martinus dodged a branch that she let go, catching it right before it hit him in the face.

"Yeah," 

"Good."

"How long is this trail?"

"Not far, I promise. It gets clearer in just a second."

"Good, I don't think Elaine wants to crawl through a forest to get to her date."

Nevada simply chuckled. 

They reached a clearing and Martinus spotted a gravel road ahead, along with a house even further away.

"They should be driving up this way any moment now," Nevada told him. 

Sure enough, headlights swung around from a curve a little way down the gravel road. Martinus and Nevada stood just off the road, waiting for the car to approach. The small, black compact car bumped and jostled on the rough gravel road until it slowed to stop in front of the duo. 

Nevada marched right up to it and swung the passenger door open.

"Get out," she told the passenger, which was Elaine.

"Why?"

"Because,"

Elaine placed her sneaker on the road outside and slowly lifted herself out of the car. She sent a glance to the house down the road. 

"Isn't this your parents' place?" Elaine asked.

"Yep!"

"What on earth are we doing here?"

"I'm not a liberty to say," Nevada replied.

Elaine looked really confused. Nevada just laughed and placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. 

"Don't look so concerned!"

Nevada went to the car and took Elaine's place in the passenger seat. She shut the door and rolled the window down, watching as Martinus went to stand by Elaine. 

"Bye guys!" Marcus called from the driver's seat, leaning over Nevada to wave at the couple. 

The car eased forward, ready to turn around and go back down the long driveway.

"Good luck, my friend," Nevada said with a wink to Martinus. 

Martinus waved at them as she rolled the window up and the car drove off into the shadows. Elaine spun around and faced him.

"Martinus, what in the blue blazes are we doing way out here?" Elaine asked, her eyes searching the dark woods.

There was no moon in the sky that night, and the only thing aiding their sight was a single, tall lamppost, which cast a puddle of orange light around them and the surrounding clearing.

"I have a very special night planned for you," he replied, his adorable smile spreading across his excited face.

Elaine gave a worried glance to the pitch black woods ahead of them. The slight breeze caused the many surrounding trees to wave back and forth eerily and the way the daunting forest loomed silently ahead of them made her heart somersault.

"Come on, Elaine," he urged her, reaching over and gently taking her hand. "I promise it's safe."

She gave a sigh and flipped her hair out of her face before she took the first step forward. Martinus led her into the night-shrouded forest, keeping her close by. He flicked his flashlight around ahead, making sure they were heading in the right direction.

"You're so anxious," Martinus said softly. "Why don't we sing something?"

Elaine gave him a confused look.

"I'll start," Martinus finally said, moving his eyes to examine the trees towering above. "Nevada taught me this song, actually. I think it's very beautiful. Just like you."

Elaine smiled and looked downward.

I counted the stars tonight
Oh, how they shine so bright
I gather them all
So we perfectly align
While we gaze from far away
And separately watch the day
Come rising across the horizon
In our minds

Elaine watched Martinus' face light up as he gently sang the wonderful song. She didn't recognize it, but it was beautiful to her anyway, especially because he was singing it.

But now I know
My heart is strong
Where you belong
Is by my side

So will you hold?
'Cause time is cold
But in your soul
I'm standing by

She watched him as he began to vocalize to the song's tune. The twilight sky was behind him, making his face mostly just a silhouette to her. But his styled hair and gentle smile were still obvious, even in the simple silhouette. She smiled up at him, suddenly not so concerned about the dark woods and more focused on his sweet face.

I have waited a thousand years
And now that tomorrow's here
I will shout for the mountain top
Our hearts belong near

And we've traveled land and sea
Our beacon the love we keep
But when we unite
This will all have been our dream

Suddenly a loud cry from a wild animal sounded from somewhere across the deep, black forest. Elaine tensed up. Martinus pulled her closer to him and kept going on, walking and singing.

And now we know
Our hearts are strong
Where we belong
Is side by side

And so we'll hold 
Each other close
And in our souls
We're standing by

Elaine gasped when she spotted the clearing up ahead. She took off running and slid to a stop when she came close enough to see it all. She stood, taking it all in. 

The field was covered with waist-high yellowy grasses and a few towering pine trees here and there. The brilliant stars were overcoming the fading twilight and dominating the sky above. Ahead of her, there was Nevada's precious rose gold Chevrolet Silverado, the bed was filled with pillows and spread with blankets. There were string lights strung across the whole truck, in, out, and around. With the push of a button on Martinus' cell phone, Roses by Shawn Mendes played softly from the truck's speakers.

Martinus came up behind Elaine and said, "Nevada said she remembered you telling her about this song a long time ago. She said you even showed her the video on your cell phone. She made this whole playlist for me with songs that she remembers being a part of your childhood."

Elaine turned to him with a gentle grin on her face. He saw the beautiful sparkle in her eyes as she took his hand in hers. She pulled him over and she slowly lept onto the bed of the truck. On the edge, she saw a vase of multi-colored roses sitting in some water. On the other edge were a few snacks and the switch for the fairy lights.

"You wanna eat something, or look at the stars?" Martinus asked her, climbing onto the truck with her. 

"Let's look at the stars," Elaine replied, her face beaming with delight.

Martinus smiled at her and reached over to flick off the lights. The field turned dark instantly and they waited as their eyes adjusted to the dim, but gorgeous starlight. Elaine quickly shifted to lying down and staring up at the stars. Martinus sat next to her and turned his eyes up to the twinkling stars, shining high above the couple's heads. Elaine let out a soft sigh of contentment.

"This is great, Tinus," she grinned. 

"I was afraid you wouldn't like it," he admitted. 

"Martinus, as long as you're part of it, then how could I not?" Elaine asked, turning her eyes to him. 

They shared a smile. 

"Plus, the fairy lights helped too." She added. 

Martinus laughed. Elaine pushed herself up with her elbows and got up on her knees in front of Martinus. 

"Thank you so much, Martinus," she said softly. "This is the best way to end my time in Tennessee!" 

She surged forward and they met lips.

This is all purely fiction! CEDELAINE1 doesn't live in Tennessee, I just adore Nashville TN.

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