The Academy

Part Two: Chapter Seven

It's raining.

That's not surprising, seeing as we're in Seattle. But it's raining. I'm driving my car through the city, trying to find the address of our ranch house. I glance at my girlfriend, sitting in the passenger seat gazing out the window.

She loves the rain. And watching her admire it makes me love it as well. 

"Can I open the window?" She asks suddenly.

I frown and glance at her again. "You want to get wet?"

"Yes." 

I pull to a stop at a traffic light, facing Lindsey. She is smiling, looking giddy. I can't help but smile back as I shake my head gently. "Okay, then. Open up the window."

She giggles, a sound that brings light into my soul, and rolls down the car window as I start driving again. The buildings start to thin as we leave the city, the roads becoming quieter, allowing me to steal more glances at Lindsey. 

At first, only her hand was out the window, feeling the rain on it. Now her whole arm is out, and she looks very tempted to throw her whole body out. 

"You're insane." I laugh, and she laughs as well, weakly defending herself.

"It's fun!" 

"Can we at least wait until we get to the house? We can explore the land in the rain, but let's try not to track a crap ton of water into our brand new home."

She sighs dramatically, shaking off her hand and rolling up the window again, but I can see her smiling. I pull off of the paved road to a gravel one, unable to stop a gasp from escaping when I park in the unpaved driveway of the ranch.

Lindsey and I both sit in the car for a minute, staring. Absolutely in awe. This place is even more beautiful than in the pictures. I pull out my phone, finding the code to the lock on the door. I glance at Lindsey, smirk, and jump out of the car, making a mad dash towards the porch.

My shirt soaks in a matter of seconds, but I don't care. I look back and see my girlfriend has donned her cowgirl hat and is running after me, looking just as gleeful. She gets onto the porch and we take a quick look around, everything seeming normal.

"Are you ready?" I glance at her, entering the number and hearing the lock click, my hand on the doorknob.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

With that, I open the door and step into the house. I turn to the left and flick on the lights, my breath catching in my throat.

Just like the outside, it's even better than it was in the pictures. There are hardwood floors, a large fireplace, a flat-screen TV, a fully updated kitchen, and beautiful lighting fixtures. It's everything I thought it would be and so much more.

We slowly walk around, inspecting everything, but finding nothing wrong. The open floor plan is wonderful, we can do whatever we want with this space. There's a den in the back, enough room for a desk and a couch, and there's already a TV on the wall. I have a feeling that will become an office of sorts. Perfect for my overworking self.

The bathrooms are nice and there are french doors in the back leading out to a patio. Holy shit, there's a hot tub. That wasn't in the pictures. 

"Oh my god!" Lindsey laughs, pointing to the hot tub.

"This place is incredible." I breathe.

"Let's go upstairs," She jumps, grabbing my hand and pulling me back towards the door. To the right of the main entrance is a staircase, which we quickly run up. The master suite is first, which is carpeted. It has its own little balcony and a bathroom with a jet tub and large shower.