We spend the late morning, and much of the afternoon lazing about in the water. Almost at once, we seem to fall into a pattern of swimming ourselves exhausted in the lake, and then clambering up onto the beach to dry out in the sun.
At lunch, when the sun is high in the sky, and our stomachs are growling, we towel off before walking back to the cottage. Together we grab everything needed to enjoy our meal outside, and before slipping back out into the sun I grab a blanket from the living room.
With Nathan's arms loaded with the food, we set up camp on the beach, laying out the blanket and setting down all the food.
It's a moment of perfection; sun kissed skin, and air-dried hair, while the strawberries we bought taste like edible heaven on my tongue, and the lemonade is a refreshing blessing against the baking sun. We enjoy our sandwiches in silence, content to sit side by side as we watch the sun rise ever higher in the sky.
When the heat grows to be stifling against our skin, we decided to pack it in, and head back into the air-conditioned luxury of the cottage. Within minutes of being inside, goosebumps start to pebble my skin, and I head to get changed.
"What do you want to do?" I join Nathan on the couch, happy to lean into his side when he offers his arm up.
"D-do y-you ha-have an-any b-board g-ga-games?"
He helps me collect all our board games from the shelf, and lay them out on the table. With two tall glasses of lemonade at our side, and the radio humming softly in the back ground, we decide to play Sorry, and then Snakes & Ladders, followed by a quick round of checkers in which I lose terribly.
"You cheated, I don't know how, but you did." I shake my head at him as I gather all the checker pieces, quick to toss them into the box.
"Em-Emma, it's ch-ch-checkers, h-how c-can any-any-anyone ch-cheat at th-that?" He's grinning as he wraps his arms around my waist, tugging me just slightly up off the floor, until my toes are the only thing brushing the wood boards.
"You tell me," I stick my tongue out at him playfully, and he throws his head back in laughter.
"You-you're i-im-im-impossible." He carries me to the couch, but pauses before sitting to arrange myself into his lap.
"Why thank you, you are too." He grins at my wink before pulling me closer, cuddling me further into his embrace, until he can tuck my head safely under his chin. We sit in silence, slowly moving into a state of undeniable comfort; with our arms wrapped up around each other's waists, and our legs a tangled mess at the other end of the couch, I'm struggling to tell where Nathan ends and I begin.
"I-I w-wish I co-cou-could st-stay here f-for-forever." His words are a slight murmur, like whispers on the wind, as if he's afraid to speak too loudly and break the peace of the moment.
I press a chaste kiss to his neck before cuddling back deep into his warmth, "I wish I could too."
. . . . .
There is something, I've decided, that is completely wonderful about cuddling by a bonfire, under a sea of shimmering stars. Nathan pokes at the fire with the large stick we found in the woods, adjusting the logs to settle them back down atop the embers. Satisfied with his work, he leans back to embrace me, assuming our previous position; my jean clad legs curled up onto his lap, with his arm around my shoulder to anchor me against his body. We'd managed to fit ourselves into one Muskoka chair, and as of right now, it's debatably one of the best decisions I've ever made.
YOU ARE READING
Love, Emma
Teen Fiction"E-Emma? It's okay y-you know. I-I'm used to i-i-it." "You shouldn't have to be, some people disgust me, the nerve of them." "I can't blame t-t-th-them, I m-mean l-l-l-look at m-me." He sounds so defeated, even though I can tell he's trying to hide...
