Who knows how it’ll end.
Oh, this is fun.
Yes, indeed.
2
I hit the ground with a thump, my face landing right in the mud. A big, dirty brown chunk of it goes into my squealing, open mouth, and I begin to gag as the man lying on my back leans down and growls into my ear. “That was a bad idea.”
You think?
I squeal and fight, but he’s heavy and pinning me down as if I weigh nothing and it takes zero effort from him to keep me here. Anger bubbles in my chest as I spit and cough, trying to get the mud out of my mouth. It tastes awful, like tacky filth, and the more he sits there, holding me down, the more I fight. “Let me go, you giant piece of dog turd!” I scream.
“Say please.”
He’s amused.
Amused!
“I’ll never fucking say please. Let me go. I have mud in my mouth, oh god, let me go.”
“If you want the mud gone, say please. It’s not that hard, just one little word.”
He’s not going to move.
I know it.
“Please,” I grit out, and with a chuckle, he gets off me. “You oversized, overbearing, blond-haired, Ken-doll-looking, ape.”
He bursts out laughing.
It’s the best sound I’ve heard in quite some time, gorgeous and deep, booming through the trees. I can’t help it, I crack a smile, even with a mouth full of mud, and then a laugh bubbles out of my throat, too. It has been so long since I’ve laughed, genuinely laughed. It feels almost foreign, yet scarily relieving.
We laugh until we’re coughing, and then we laugh some more.
“Come on,” Lake tells me, finally catching his breath. “Let’s go hose you off.”
He knows I’m not going to argue, because there is no way I’m going into town now.
“All I wanted was a beer,” I huff, wiping at my mouth, the strong taste of mud still lingering.
“If you don’t run your mouth the entire walk back, I’ll throw in a beer for good measure.”
Well damn, I can’t argue with that.
We walk back, the only light coming from the flashlight in his hand that flickers across the ground with every step he takes. A cool breeze tickles my hair back, and it’s eerily peaceful. By the time we make it back to the main house, I’m a lot less wound up and more than ready to be hosed off. Or showered. I’ll take either.
Lake leads me around the back of the beautiful homestead and unwinds a hose from the wall. He hands it to me. “I’ll turn it on slow, wash your face and mouth, then you can have a shower.”
I don’t argue, desperate to get this mud out of my mouth. He turns the hose on slowly and I lean down, bringing it to my face and washing the mud off. A sudden blast hits me so hard in the face I scream and launch backward. Lake’s laugh trails through the night as he stands, utterly amused with himself while I choke and sputter, drenched in water.
“What the hell?” I cry out.
“That’s for makin’ me run.”
I stare at him, dripping like a wet dog, mud and water running down my face. And then I lunge, hitting him with the still blasting hose. He barks out a curse as the water sprays into his face, too. Laughter bubbles out as I hold it on him as he frantically tries to turn it off. He spins toward me, grabbing my wrist and flicking the hose away, his laughter weirdly enjoyable.
“Okay, okay, truce,” he says between chuckles. “You win.”
“I’m not letting this hose go until you turn it off.”
He reaches in, turning the hose off and only when he does do I step back as his hand slides from my wrist. I put the house down and stare down at myself, then look back up at him. He’s drenched now, too. “What now?”
“Come with me.”
He turns and begins walking in the opposite direction to the house, and, soon, we find ourselves at a gorgeous lake only lit up by the lights on a nearby restaurant/café style building. I knew there was a lake here, of course, but I didn’t realize it was so damned big and beautiful. I can only imagine how it’ll look during the day.
“How original, Lake brought me to the lake.”
He gives me a look and then walks toward the water, tearing his shirt off before diving in. The splash is the only thing that can be heard, and I can’t help myself, I rush over, pulling my shirt off. As soon as it hits the grass, I dive into the water. It’s freezing cold, and yet the water making my skin prickle thrills me. I come up with a scream of joy that I feel so deep it brings a light to my soul I haven’t felt in so long. I’m free.