"Holy shit…" I muttered through a gasping breath, trying to regain my composure as Helena skidded the golf cart to a stop once we re-entered the gated safety of Bell Lake Meadows.
"My poor beer cans," was all Helena could muster, her head hanging low in genuine disappointment. I couldn't help but let out a giggle.
"I'm sorry for your loss," I said, giving her a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Ok… so… can we address that? Or…"
"Yeah, that was… weird. I haven't seen cops back there, ever! I mean, we've spent hours at The Cabin. Is it trespassing or something?" she questioned.
"I mean, yeah, Helena. The Cabin has to belong to somebody."
"Not uh!" she whined. "Did you see that damn thing?! Nobody takes care of that place!"
"Well, maybe the old guy who killed all those kiddos died," I half-joked. I heard the low rumble of a golf cart approach from behind us, and turned to see none other than Eddie rolling up with a cheesy grin on his face. He stopped beside us.
"What are you two crazy kids doing?" he asked.
"You will never believe what just happened to us, Eddie. I was showing Cass The Cabin and the fuckin cops showed up!" Helena responded.
"Oh damn… did they really?" he questioned.
"They did," Helena confirmed, hanging her head down in dramatic disappointment again.
"That's odd," he simply stated. "What did they say?"
"Nothing, we got out of-"
"POLICE!" he shouted out, perfectly mimicking the voice heard downstairs. He erupted in a fit of laughter and looked at us expectantly. There was a moment of silence before the realization dawned on Helena and I both at the same time.
"Eddie! You cock!" Helena whined. "You scared the shit out of Cass."
"Out of me?!" I quipped back, covering my ass. "Girl you darted out that window so quick."
"I wasn't scared per say… I just didn't feel like dealing with all that cop bullshit," she retorted. Knowing Helena, it was the truth. Eddie giggled again from beside us and playfully nudged my shoulder across the golf carts. There go the sparks.
"Sorry, Cass, hope I didn't ruin the cabin for ya," he said, peering into my eyes.
"Oh no, you didn't run the cabin for me. The pentagram in the middle of the floor and the basement allegedly filled with dead children's ashes did," I remarked, giving Helena the side eye.
"Well what are you guys up to now?" he asked.
"Well… I don't know. We were gonna swim in the bay, but, ya know… the 'police' had to make an appearance," Helena rolled her eyes.
"Come swim at my dock, then," he replied oh-so-casually, yet still my stomach erupted with butterflies.
"Okay, let me just go feed Mystique first. Why don't you take Cass over with you and I'll meet you there?" Helena responded.
"Sounds good. Come on, Cass." Eddie patted the empty seat next to him on his golf cart. I hesitated for a moment, until Helena practically shoved me off her golf cart. I gave her a quick glance, made my way over to the passenger side of Eddie's golf cart, and hopped on.
______________________________
"Wow, your yard is so nice," I spoke to Eddie as we rounded his house and approached his backyard. A little garden was situated in the left hand corner closest to the water, lush green vines growing every which way up the wire fence that surrounded it. A stone fire pit was placed somehow perfectly in the center of the yard, surrounded by soft brown sand and navy adirondack chairs. His dock was painted white, a thick string of rope ran along the outer edges.
"Oh, thanks," he replied casually, leading me toward the ivory dock. "It's all my mom. She loves things to be all neat and orderly. I have no idea how I'm her son," he chuckled. Without hesitation, he lifted the edges of his shirt and took it off, revealing a perfectly-toned, tanned stomach. I couldn't help but stare. He didn't have those unrealistic washboard abs that you see in movies, but instead, thin outlines that complimented his long torso perfectly. A thin line of hair trailed from his belly button down below the waistband of his bathing suit. Along the left side of his ribcage was a tattooed string of roman numerals etched in black lettering. It wasn't until then I noticed the rest of his tattoos: a half-sleeve of black-outlined drawings stretched around his right forearm, a ying-yang symbol in the style of koi fish sat between his shoulder blades, and a thin line that read "fuck it" above his right kneecap. My God, could he get any more perfect?
"You coming or what?" he teased. I just noticed how obvious my staring was - I was literally stopped in my tracks at the edge of his dock. I sighed, stepped onto the warm wood, and lightly shook my head to ground myself and rid of the not-so-holy thoughts running through my brain. Self-consciously, I removed my denim shorts to reveal the rest of the bathing suit I wore: a simple lavender one-piece with small cut outs around the curvature of my sides. The V-shaped neckline stooped low in the center of my sternum, accentuating my breasts. It was simple, but the more I thought about it, I looked damn good. Eddie seemed to notice too, looking up at me from the water he had already jumped into, with a smirk. That was all the spark I needed.
I slowly lowered myself down into the water, gripping my palms to the edge of the dock. The warm water embraced my body, somehow soothing the Eddie-fueled electric sparks that coursed through my veins. I waded toward him, the water rising against my chest as I got deeper. "How is this shit so warm?" I questioned, throwing my head back in pure bliss.
"I dunno," he shrugged. "The sun?" I tilted my head back toward him and couldn't help but grin. I lightly splashed some water toward him as a warning to cut the sarcasm shit. "What'd you think about last night?" he asked.
"I thought it was fun," I replied honestly. "Didn't love having to chug that beer, but, ya know, rules are rules." I shrugged.
"You don't like beer?" he asked.
"Uh… not really. I'm not a huge drinker, so," I danced around the fact that last night was actually the first sip of alcohol I ever had in my life.
"Well tell me," he started, inching closer to me in the water. "What do you like?" he asked curiously, an eyebrow raising.
"Oh, I mean… I dunno. Wine… maybe?" I responded, no longer dancing around my lack of alcohol use, but instead, flashing a giant sign that read I AM A GIANT PRUDE.
"No, no. I mean you, Cassie. What does Cassie like?" I pondered for a moment. Nobody had ever really asked me that question before, except Helena the day previous.
"I like books. I love my dog, Waffles. I really love nature and the outdoors… this place is like heaven to me," I answered, not even realizing all my guards and defenses were now completely dropped and forgotten. I wasn't thinking anymore, I wasn't covering anything up, I was just talking. I felt comfortable under Eddie's inquisitive gaze.
"Yeah, it's pretty sweet down here. Nice to get away from all the bullshit at home." he casually leaned back and let his body float atop the orange lake. I followed suit, the rest of my cares and worries floating away downstream. It was just me, the lake, and Eddie. Not even my panicked thoughts existed at this point. I closed my eyes and absorbed the sunlight that graced my face.
"Home? Where's home?" I asked him, eyes still closed.
"Belford," he responded casually.
"Ohhhh, so you rich-rich," I teased. Belford was about a 40 minute drive from my home-town, a bit more up north where the houses were notorious for being large and beautiful.
"Nah, I wouldn't say all that," I heard him respond, unable to see him as I laid back, one with the water. "I mean, our house is nice, but my mom worked her ass off to get us there. It wasn't always white picket fences and cleaning ladies."
"That's fair," I responded simply. "I'd say I could relate, but my family has always been average. Just a normal, middle-class, suburban crew. Nothing special."
"There's always something special," Eddie spoke, his voice now beside me as our bodies floated closer together.
"I don't know about that one. The most special thing about my life? Well…" I pondered for a moment. "I won my 8th grade spelling bee. I won a $25 Visa giftcard," I announced proudly. Eddie chuckled, small ripples erupting in the water, bringing our bodies even closer together. I felt his leg graze mine, which he instantly placed underneath my ankle, connecting us as we floated together.
"You're so innocent," he stated. I paused for a moment, hoping for clarification, but none was given.
"Is that a compliment?" I asked.
"It's whatever you want it to be," I could feel him shrug beside me. "But if it means anything, I like innocent."
"Really?" I asked in disbelief.
"I do," he responded calmly. "It's refreshing. It's sweet. I like being able to show people new parts of life that they never even knew existed. Growing and learning with someone… it's wholesome."
"I see," I responded, the temperate water enveloping me in a comforting embrace and soothing any anxiety that rose in my chest and my mind. "Well, what can you show me? I like to learn," I asked. He chuckled, pulling my leg over closer to him in the water, our sides now touching.
"I can show you anything you damn well please," he whispered in a low voice. Sparks. Sparks everywhere. Sparks down my spine, through my stomach, shooting down my legs. He grabbed my arm and pulled us both up in the water, facing each other. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me toward him, our stomachs touching, our eyes locking. I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist, holding me in place. I examined his face up close: a small scar below his left eyebrow, his hazel eyes woven with gold and emerald color, his plump, soft lips pink with color. I felt his breath against my lips.
"Show me," I whispered back. He touched his lips to mine, sparks flying out the top of my damn head at this point. Our lips danced together, perfectly in sync. His tongue ran along my bottom lip, begging for entry. I obliged. I swirled my tongue around with his, a minty taste from the gum he was chewing. I let out a breathy moan, grasping the nape of his neck as if to pull him closer to me, no matter how impossible. I felt him deviously smile against my lips, taking my bottom one between his teeth and slowly pulling back. I opened my eyes to find his perfectly aligned with mine, filled with life and lust. I stared for a moment, and let out a small, excited giggle, our faces still centimeters apart.
"Just you wait," he whispered against my lips, gripping my waist under the water. "I'll show you everything."