Bound in Love

Chapter 14

They had been driving for good ten minutes and the landscape hadn't changed. Ever since they entered that narrow but asphalted road, that they have been surrounded by nothing but trees. Trees of every form and type. Chris had opened the window despite the chilly wind that invaded the vehicle. Ellie pulled her collars up and Chris looked at her.

"Are you cold?" He asked first. "Do you want me to close the window?"

Ellie smiled and shook her head. She wouldn't spoil that moment for him. The glitter in his eyes and the smile that didn't disappear of his lips were too precious. He had been like that since he had entered that road and Ellie knew it was because of the dense forest that engulfed them. Chris was a fan of nature. He adored getting lost in the middle of forests and be alone, just him and the orchestra of the forest. When they started dating, he started taking Ellie with him and they would spend hours hiking in the middle of nowhere, just to reach a valley surrounded by trees. It was on one of these escapes that he told her all about the forest's orchestra. He told her how the leaves of the trees danced to an unheard beat, whispering their songs to the wind. Then, he'd shut up to make her listen how the leaves whistled in different tunes. Chris also told her all about the lives that inhabited in the forest. All types of lives lived in there, from a simple beetle to birds of every color. To him, the forest was more home than their proper home. Thus, Ellie knew how pleased he was that not only there was not another house around, as well as a huge forest surrounded the house they had chosen to see.

"This is beautiful." Ellie said though, as she noticed the different pallet of greens that surrounded them.

"Imagine during summer when all trees will have leaves." He told her. "Some are seasonal so they lost their green." He pointed at some naked trees.

"Is this what you are looking for, babe?" She asked as she landed her hand on his leg, giving it a light squeeze.

"Yes." He said, nodding. "I want this peace, Ellie." He told her.

A few seconds after, the forest became less dense and on their left side a shade of blue began to appear. It was the lake that bathed the front of the house and a few seconds later, a huge wooden gate appeared in front of them and Chris stopped the car. They gasped at the same time as if they had reached some place in heaven.

"This is it." He told her.

"We still have forty minutes." Ellie said as she watched the time on her wrist.

"Let's go outside?" He asked with a noticeable excitement in his voice. "We can sit near the lake while we wait."

"Let's go." Ellie agreed and opened the door.

She left her purse inside the car and Chris locked it. The air was much cooler than in the city, but not intolerable yet. Ellie adjusted her coat better and then walked around the car to join Chris, who had his hand extended at her. She held his hand and they descended a small terrain way that led to the lake from the exterior of the house. From the foot prints on the ground, they could see that even though another house was not in sight, people came to visit the lake. As they got neat it, they saw a few timber benches near the lake banks, which confirmed their suspicions.

"Wow..." Chris exclaimed as they were exposed to the blue of the huge lake they had in front of his eyes. "This is so stunning."

Ellie was a little breathless as she was so in awe of its beauty. Intense blue as the sun made the blue sky reflect on the water and a pallet of green, yellow, and leafless trees contrasted with it. Nothing could be heard, just the water flowing, the forest's music and some bird songs. They looked at one another and smiled.