Last Fall

This Time

7:00 a.m.

We had packed up our lives and vanished for two weeks into the wilderness. Okay not really, we were just camping, but Daneantha and Kelsey were the only ones who knew where we were. I didn't keep anything from her. As far as anyone else was concerned I was on a 'writing retreat,' working on new material. Lynn needed time to reconstruct herself and we needed time to rebuild our relationship without stress or questioning from other people, so we set up life for a while in a place of memory for us.

I couldn't get back to sleep so I slid out of our sleeping bag, careful not to wake her and as quietly as possible unzipped the tent. I stopped for a moment to make sure she was still asleep and sighed contently at her peaceful form. I clicked the camera button on the screen of my phone, wanting to keep her serenity forever in a photo.

"No one's gonna need you more." I whispered to the wind as I crept through the canvas door.

She appeared beside me not even half an hour later and rested her head on my shoulder. "Whatcha doing?" She asked with her eyes closed.

"Watchin the sun rise."

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Mhm."

"Shoulda woken me up."

"You looked too cute." I smiled and kissed the top of her head, tapping the beat of 'here comes the sun' on her thigh to accompany my singing.

10:00 a.m.

We walked through the woods and without her noticing, I stopped and let her go farther ahead. The sunlight shone through the branches and spilled onto her hair perfectly. I raised my camera and took a series of pictures, the shutter causing her to turn around with her eyebrows raised and smile at me continuing to capture the moment.

11:00 a.m.

She skipped rocks across the water, attempting to beat the record she has set the first of many times we had been here. She would bob her head with each skip and slump her shoulders each time it didn't go beyond eight, then pick up another pebble and try again. She turned to look at me after her umpteenth try and frowned. I looked around and bent down to pick up a rock wedged in a crack in the ground a few inches from where I stood and tossed it to her. She caught it gracefully but still looked like she was about to say that c word I hate.

"Sometimes you just have to try again."

She nodded and turned around. I raised my camera as she drew back her arm and let the rock fly with ease. My smile grew with each skip. Twelve.

She spun around with a twinkle in her eye I hadn't seen in a long time.

"Did ya see that!?" She asked eagerly.

"I got it on video." I patted the side of my camera.

1:00 p.m.

"C'mon scaredy cat." She teased.

"Hell no."

"Quit being a little bitch. It'll be fun!"

"No way." I shook my head and laughed when she pulled her hoodie up over her head, her tank top going with it. "Are you really doing this right now?"

"No Lex I'm just stripping for fun."

"Okay, smartass, what if someone sees?"

"Then you'll just have to defend my honor won't you? I mean, unless you want to come with." She smirked and tugged off her pants. I gulped.

"Lyndsey..."

"Yes?" She asked with an innocent face, well, as innocent as someone can look while unclipping their bra and letting it drop to the ground.

"You're unreal." I laughed again.

"Aw thanks babe." She mocked.

"I didn't mean it like that!" She just giggled and in a flash her underwear was off and she had jumped into the lake. I held up my camera and she just smiled and submerged her face underwater. All you could see was her bun and her middlefingers in the air.

"Dont make me come over there. Get in the fucking water." She called out after I lowered the camera from my eye level.

"Unbelievable." I shook my head again and lifted the hem of my shirt. Was I really about to skinny dip in broad daylight? Why yes, yes I was.

3:00 p.m.

She shivered as we changed into dry clothes. "That's what you get for swimming in 50°." I pressed my hand against her side and cracked up when she shrieked.

"That was cold you asshole!"

"That was the point."

She pouted and huffed, crossing her arms and looking in the opposite direction. "Baby don't be like that." I laughed and slid my arms around her middle. "I love you." I tried.

"Stop trying to butter me up you fuck ass." She said lovingly. Typical. She leaned into me as I tugged her sleeve down and pressed light kisses on her shoulder.

"I love you too." She whispered.

I left a mark at the base of her neck and whispered mine against her skin, reaching for my camera to take a picture.

5:00 p.m.

"So Thanksgiving is next week."

"And?" She asked as we gathered sticks to build a fire to keep us warm.

"My extended family won't be able to arrive until the day after so we're postponing the feast until then... and I really want you there with me."

"That could work..." She mumbled to herself.

"What could?"

"Oh, uh, so I was kinda maybe thinking of going home, but I don't want to go alone. I hadn't asked because I would never ask you to ditch your family like that, but if you're technically free..."

"I'll go with." I smiled. "They'll be really happy to see you ya know."

"You really think so?" She asked nervously.

"Your parents love you Lynds and so does Nate."

"I know." She sighed. "I just... knowing how much I disappointed them..."

"Stop it. Right now." I dropped the matches and held her hips so she was facing me. "You're sober right?" She nodded. "Exactly. A month and counting! I'm proud of you and I know they will be too."

9:00 p.m.

We sat on a fallen log and I admired the glow the fire cast on her silhouette as she tilted her head up at the dark night sky and pointed out constellations. She squinted and scrunched her nose as the flash went off.

She threw a piece of tree bark at me. "Put that damn camera down and hold my hand."

This time, I'll take your hand in mine
This time, I know that we'll be fine