“I could have broken my neck on a rock. Or…” Lucah splashed me back.
“Stop giving in to those thoughts and just enjoy the moment.” That was easier said than done. My brain was always going in hyper drive. I could only rarely shut it off. He’d helped me a lot, though. He was just so calm about things and it sometimes drove me nuts. I wanted to be like that, but I couldn’t just change.
“I’ll try,” I said, lying on my back and staring up at the stars.
“That’s all I ask. Just listen.” I did and I heard various animals traipsing around in the woods, the lap of the lake and a distant owl. I wondered if it was the same one I’d heard earlier. Lucah swam closer to me and mirrored my movements.
“Sometimes it’s good to let yourself just float.” He was right. This trip was long overdue.
“Thank you,” I said. I didn’t have to tell him what I was thanking him for.
“You’re always welcome.”
Seven
The cabin was dusty and it smelled a little musty inside, but other than that, it was in good shape. We were both shivering from our impromptu swim, so Lucah went out to the wood shed and brought in an armful of wood to get a fire going while I huddled under a blanket that we’d brought with us. I’d also brought a set of our sheets because I didn’t know if the ones we kept here would be any good.
Lucah came back with the wood and I savored watching him build a fire and then light it. He also brought in the groceries and started boiling some water for tea.
“You take such good care of me,” I said. I’d never really thought of myself as the kind of person who would wanted to be taken care of. Sure, Sloane cooked nearly all my meals, but it wasn’t because I was completely incompetent in the kitchen. If I had to learn how to cook, I could do it. I’d always been independent, but it was nice to know that there was someone to support me. To care for me when I needed him and vice versa.
“I love that I have you to take care of.” The crackling fire flickered on his face, making him look beautiful. I reached out to him and he joined me on the old couch under the blanket.
“Ditto,” I said, leaning my head on his shoulder.
We sat in silence for a while and then the teakettle whistled. Lucah got up to make the tea while I went upstairs to get our room ready. When I came back he had peppermint tea for both of us.
I looked around the room. There were so many memories packed into the corners of this place. I’d spent so many summers here, some of them reluctantly when I was a teenager and too cool to hang out with my parents.
I started falling asleep and I felt Lucah carrying me up the stairs to the second floor where there were three bedrooms.
“That one,” I said, pointing to the one I’d always stayed in and where I’d put our things earlier. I’d made the bed, so the only thing left to do was undress and get in.
“I’m going to go put the fire out,” he said, but I was almost asleep. I barely noticed when he came back and crawled into the narrow bed with me.
~*~*~
The next morning I opened my eyes and was disoriented until I remembered where I was. My back was to Lucah and his arm was slung over my stomach. I slowly rolled over and stared at him as he slept. His face was so peaceful and it was nice to get this private moment to watch him.
Brushing his forehead with my fingertips, I let him sleep as I crept out of bed, put on his flannel shirt from last night and tiptoed downstairs to get some breakfast started. Outside, it was still misty with morning dew. Times like this always seemed magical. It made me want to drink tea on the porch and not think about much of anything.
I scrambled some eggs and made some coffee and put some bread in the toaster oven. My master plan was to have it ready and bring it to Lucah in bed. Usually, he was the first one up, but I’d slept so well last night that I’d gotten up sooner than I normally did.
Keeping one ear trained on the stairs, I assembled our breakfast on an old rusty tray that my mother had found at a local antique store and carried everything upstairs. Lucah was just sitting up and blinking at me as I set the tray down on the end of the bed.
“Surprise,” I said, leaning down to give him a morning kiss.
“You got up before me,” he said.
“I did. I’m not sure that will ever happen again.” Snagging a piece of toast, I climbed over him and sat on the bed, pulling the tray closer.
“You also made breakfast.” He seemed stunned.
“You’re acting like I’ve never gotten up before you or made breakfast before,” I said, glaring at him over my toast.
“Well…” he said, picking up a plate of eggs. I smacked him on the shoulder as he reached for the salt. “You know it’s true.”
“Fine,” I conceded. “That just means I need to do it more often.”