April Fools(4)

He laughed, "You don't trust her because she's a woman."

I sighed dramatically, "Well what am I supposed to think? She's always following you around, telling you what to do. There's a word for people like her, you know."

"A girlfriend?"

I scowled at him, "Very funny. I was thinking more along the lines of a stalker."

"What's the difference?"

"Be careful, be very careful."

"We're here" he announced with a huge grin on his face.

"Stop trying to change the sub...wow." We pulled up in front of the most beautiful house. It had an all white exterior and a huge wooden door. "This place is beautiful."

"I thought you might like it, I used to come here when I was a kid." He switched the ignition off before jumping out and walking around to my side. He opened the door and reached out for my hand.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Let's just say that I know the owner."

My eyes immediately darted to his, remembering the last time he used that line, "Wait, do you own this place?"

He laughed, "No, not this time. The owner is a family friend."

"Where are they now?"

"He's in New York. He said that I could come out here whenever I wanted so I decided to finally take him up on the offer."

"Well it's gorgeous."

"Wait until you see the inside."

***

Each room was more impressive than the last. Even though the exterior was traditional, the interior was modern and had quirky artwork and furniture. The downstairs was open plan and had the most amazing fireplace. I could picture us sitting in front of it, all cozy on a cold winters night.

"There's one more thing that I want to show you." He led me over to a wall made entirely of frosted glass. "This is my favourite part of the house." He pushed a button on the wall and the glass instantly turned clear. I gasped as I took in the breathtaking view. We weren't just in a beautiful house. We were in a beautiful lake house. The lake was surrounded by trees, making it completely private. It was so perfect, it looked like a painting.

"Do you like it?"

"Like it? I love it! I want to live here."

"He was actually going to sell it a few months ago but I talked him out of it."

"Why would he want to sell this place?"

"He spends most of his time in New York these days." He took hold of my hand and led me outside. I was thankful that it was a dry, sunny day. We walked right up to the edge of the lake and as I looked out across the water, I felt the craziness of the past few weeks begin to float away.

"Fancy a swim?"

I raised my eyebrow, "I've not brought my swimming costume."

"Who said you need a swimming costume?"

"So you've brought me all this way just to go skinny dipping?"

He laughed, "Well it's bigger than the bathtub." I shook my head but couldn't stop myself from laughing. He nodded in the direction of a little rowing boat, "How about a compromise?"

"I would love to, I've never been in a rowing boat before." We began to make our way over to it when I saw a ripple in the water. "Wait, are there any creatures in there?"

He laughed, "Creatures?"

"Yeah, like crocodiles or snakes."

"No crocodiles, no snakes" he replied, trying his best not to laugh.

"So nothing that can bite me?"

"Just me, now come on." He stepped in before offering his hand to help me in. I squealed when it rocked, praying to god that I didn't fall in. Isaac laughed as I sat down very slowly. "You ready?" he asked. I nodded and he began to row.

I quickly became transfixed by the way his biceps moved with each stroke. The more I watched him, the more I wanted to go skinny dipping after all. "Thank you."

"What for?" he asked.

"For wearing a short sleeved T-shirt, rowing looks good on you. You should do it more often, probably topless next time."

He laughed, "I will if you will."

I grinned as I looked out across the lake, "This place really is beautiful."

"It's even more beautiful with you here."

He stopped rowing when we reached the middle of the lake.

"Do you need a rest?" I asked.

"Nah, I thought that you could take over."

"Oh, well I'll give it a go."

He took my hands in his, "I'm joking, I just want to enjoy this with you. I know you've been through a lot recently, you could have given up but you keep on fighting."

I looked down at our hands, "I remember the first football game of the season, not because we won but because of you. I remember the way my heart sped up when I saw you. I remember your face right before you walked away from me. I remember how numb I felt for days afterwards. I remember how you told me that you would fight for us. I let myself down that day and I won't let it happen again. Thank you for not giving up on me."