By the lake

95. By the lake

🤍🖤💜 Jacob 💜🖤🤍

This day has been a strange rollercoaster of emotions and incidents I am unable to interpret. I have to do something to make this a better day .

Match was in the evening, so I thought I would spend the first half with Natalie. But she kind of vanished in the morning and I didn’t see her until after the match. She called me before the match to wish me good luck. But I was somewhat disappointed because I wanted to see her before going into the rink. I didn’t say anything to her because I thought maybe I was being a clingy boyfriend.

This is not the first time it has happened, though. She usually vanishes on Saturday mornings or is occasionally unreachable. Considering we know each other’s routines like the back of our hand, that’s peculiar. I wish she wouldn’t keep things from me. But then again, maybe I am being too nosy. It’s my first real relationship, so I am in self-doubt most of the time about so many things.

For this reason, I felt lost and distracted before the match.

‘Don’t tell me you don’t trust her.’ Ira had told me. Whenever I recall her comment, I feel guilty as fuck.

I need to trust her, because she does.

I hope she does.

….

As soon as I saw her in the ice rink, my doubts and resentment melted away. Or maybe I was just high on victory. Everything was perfect after the match. I danced with her, drank, talked, and laughed. I was looking forward to spending time with her after the party.

But then…

My heart almost stopped twice.

First, when June called me frantically. I rushed to pick her up without sparing a second. I knew I had to be there. When I picked her up, June denied talking about what the fuck happened. I hope nobody harassed her or something. I need to figure out who else from school was with her at that party. If that boy Aiden was there or not. If he was, did he do something? If so, he is so doomed…

After dropping June home, I came back to West’s party. I couldn’t find Natalie anywhere.

West, that fucker coldly told me probably she left.

Probably?

He asked her to leave.

I want to punch his stupid face to put some sense into his damn head.

Natalie, on the other hand, I am frustrated with her too. I was so furious when I saw her walking all alone in the dark.

At eleven fucking thirty!

She could have asked someone for a lift. Norris was there. I wanted to give her a damn earful about walking alone, about not keeping her phone charged. But she burst out in tears and I felt like an asshole for yelling at her.

I want to ask her what she and West argued about. But I wouldn’t, because I know she wouldn’t tell me the truth. For some reason, whenever it comes to West, she skirts around the topic and avoids telling me the real details.

If she does it again, it will agitate me. I might say something I regret, so it’s better to keep my mouth shut. She is upset and I don’t want to unsettle her anymore. I need to coax the truth out of her. I am just thinking hard about how.

“Where are we going?” She asks me.

“There is this place I wanted to show you… Maybe it will cheer you up a little…” I tell her.

“It looks like we are going towards the lake, but it’s some different road.” She observes.

I smile. “It sure is…”

I have been planning to bring her here for a while. This place is damn beautiful. I hope she likes it too. I glance at her dress.

“Although I am not sure how you will walk in that dress.”

“We need to walk?” she exclaims.

I nod. “It’s barely half a mile.”

“What? My sandals are biting my feet, Jacob,” she whines.

I chuckle. “That’s ok… I will pick you up.”

She crosses her arms and grumbles, “No… then you will make fun of me that I am heavy!”

“You are not heavy!” I have picked her up a few times while having… ahem… sex.

She is not heavy.

She cocks a brow at me and asks, “So, am I light as a feather?”

“No… You are not light as a feather either..” I say, amused, and park the car.

She gasps, looking outside, and opens the door.

We are barely there and she loves it already. I am so glad I bought her here now.

“It’s… it’s beautiful Jacob… How come I never came here…”

She says, taking a few steps towards the edge of meadow.

We are at the top of the meadow. At the end, the lake is visible. But mostly obscured by the trees. We need to walk this plain field, then cross the trees to reach the lake.

I take her stuff from the car, and her eyes widen.

“What the fuck!” she says as I put her shoes on her feet.

“You had it prepared!”

I grin and nod.

“Where did you get those?” she asks while removing her sandals and wearing shoes.

“After dropping June, I asked you dad if I could take you out for camping tonight…”

She gapes and I add, “I asked for your shoes and extra clothes.”

“We will camp tonight?” She asks in bewilderment.

“Yes..” I say as I pull her.

“Do I need to change now?”

“Nah… you can walk in this dress.” I say, while taking out the camping gear from the car.

“I would like to remove your dress near the lake by myself.” I say and she turns her face, blushing.