Point of Retreat(86)

“Bark as in like a dog?”



“Yeah.”



“Uncontrollable belching,” I say.

“Oh gross." She wrinkles up her nose. "I could live with your barking, but I don’t know about the constant belching.”



“Well in that case, I change my answer. My turn again. Would you rather be abducted by aliens or have to go on tour with Nickelback?”



“I’d rather be abducted by The Avett Brothers.”



“Wasn't an option."

She laughs. “Fine, aliens. Would you rather be an old, rich man with only one year left to live? Or a young, poor, sad man with fifty years left to live?”



“I’d rather be Johnny Depp.”



She laughs. “You suck at this,” she teases.

I reach over and interlock fingers with her. She’s leaning back into the seat laughing without a clue in the world where we’re headed. She’s about to be pissed…but hopefully only for a little while. I drive around a bit longer while we continue our game. I could honestly play this game all night with her, but I don’t. We eventually pull up to our destination and I hop out of the car. I open her door and help her stand up.

“Hold my hands. I’ll lead.”



“You're making me nervous, Will. Why do you always have to be so secretive when it comes to our dates?”



“I’m not secretive, I just love surprising you. A little bit further and I’ll let you take off your blindfold.” We walk inside and I position her exactly where I want her. I can’t help but smile, knowing how she's about to react once I take off her blindfold. “I’m about to take it off, but before I do…just remember how much you love me, okay?”



“I can’t make any promises,” she says.

I reach behind her and untie the blindfold and remove it from her eyes. She opens them and looks around. Yep, she’s pissed.

“What the hell, Will! You brought me on a date to your house again? Why do you always do this?”



I laugh. “I’m sorry.” I throw the blindfold on the coffee table and put my arms around her. “It's just that some things don't need to be done on a stage. Some things need to be private. This is one of them.”



“What is one of them?” She looks nervous.

I kiss her on the forehead. “Sit down, I’ll be right back.” I motion for her to sit on the couch, so she does.

I go to my bedroom and reach into the closet and pull out her surprise. I stick it in my pocket and walk back to the living room. I turn on the stereo and set I & Love & You on repeat; it’s her favorite song.

“You better tell me now, before I start crying again…does this have anything to do with my mom? Because you said the stars were the last thing.”



“They were the last thing, I promise.” I sit down beside her on the couch and take her hand in mine, looking her straight in the eyes. “Lake, I have something to say and I want you to hear me out without interrupting me, okay?”



“I’m not the one that interrupts,” she says, defensively.

“See? Right there. Don’t do that.”



She laughs. “Fine. Talk.”



I start to say what I need to say, but something just doesn't feel right. I don't like how we're so formally seated. It's not us. I grab her leg and arm and pull her onto my lap. She straddles me, wrapping her legs around my back. She hangs her hands loosely around my neck and looks me in the eyes. I start to speak again, but I’m cut off.

"Will?"

"You're interrupting me, Lake."

She gives me a half smile and brings her hands to my face. "I love you," she says. "Thank you for taking such good care of me."

She's sidetracking me, but it's nice. I slowly slide my hands up her arms and rest them on her shoulders. "You would do the same for me, Lake. It's what we do."

She smiles. A tear makes its way down her cheek, and she doesn't even try to hold it back. "Yep," she says. "It's what we do."

I take her hands in mine and bring her palms to my lips and kiss them. “Lake, you mean the world to me. You brought so much to my life…right when I needed it the most. I wish you could know how hopeless I was before I met you, so you would realize just how much you've changed me."