Lake of Fire [k. cobain]

ten

It was finally Friday. I couldn't have been more excited. My plans with Kurt were finalized.

I had let Jody in on where I was going, making her swear not to tell anyone else. She was going to cover for me. I told my mom and Aunt Lynda that I was going to see an old high school friend who lived over in Olympia for the weekend.

They seemed skeptical at first, but eventually bought it, although they were bitchy. They'd get over it. There was no way I was missing this weekend. I was so excited and so incredibly nervous.

Jody had forced me to go shopping with her for lacy underwear that I was embarrassed to wear. It was packed in my suitcase anyway. Who knows, maybe I'd end up drunk and gain some courage.

The day was dragging on like I couldn't believe. Finally the laundry was done and the rooms were all clean. Now I just had to wait out the rest of the afternoon at the front desk.

I hadn't had a single customer. I couldn't believe how slow the clock was moving. I had a book, but I couldn't concentrate on reading more than a sentence at a time.

My heart hammered away in my chest and my hands shook. Finally, the door swung open. It was a UPS man.

"Hello, I've got a package for a Ms. Andrea Wiley."

"That's me," I answered, as he handed me the clipboard to sign. He left and I stared at the small square cardboard box in front of me. Who would send me something? I wondered. There was no return address.

I grabbed the scissors from the drawer and cut the top of the box open. Inside was a folded note. I opened it and read:

Andi-
I know you don't like material things, but I really thought you could use this.
-Kurt

I looked into the box. It was a Walkman! My jaw dropped. He shouldn't have! But I was so excited to have one!

I ran out to my car to grab a cassette. I grabbed "Bleach".

The rest of my day passed by a bit more quickly with the addition of music.

Finally, the clock read 6:57 and LeAnn walked in.

"Hi!" I greeted her enthusiastically. She looked a little puzzled.

"Hi, Andi. Slow day?"

"Yep," I answered as I gathered my things.

"Well, enjoy your weekend off." LeAnn smiled at me.

"Thank you! I will! And thank you for covering for me." She and Martin were picking up extra shifts so that I could have off.

"Oh it's nothing, sweetie. Enjoy yourself." LeAnn settled in behind the counter as I headed for the door.

"Thanks!" I answered, walking out the door.

I found an unfamiliar car idling in the parking lot next to mine. Kurt rolled down the window. He had on sunglasses and a hat.

"Grab your stuff and jump in," he called to me. I quickly gathered my luggage from my car before tossing it in the back seat of his and jumping in the car. My heart was hammering in my chest.

"Hi Andi," Kurt said in his soft gravelly voice.

"Hi," I answered. He leaned over and kissed my cheek. I instantly grinned and turned my head so we could share a quick kiss on the lips.

"I've missed you so much," Kurt confessed as he backed the car out of the parking space.

"I've missed you too," I answered. Kurt reached over and grabbed my hand. I glanced over at him. He was so handsome in the evening light, with the slight stubble on his face.

Soon, we were on the highway headed straight north.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Outside of Vancouver," answered Kurt. "It's a bit of a drive, but I thought we'd enjoy it."

"Sounds great," I answered. I noticed that the car we were in was really nice, with a leather interior.

"The car's a rental," explained Kurt. "And I thought on the way I could introduce you to some music I like, if you want."

"I'd love that!" I answered. I really hadn't kept up with music since high school, and I hadn't really bothered much then. But I liked Kurt's style and I wanted to know everything about him.

Kurt had CDs, which didn't surprise me. We put on Surfa Rosa by the Pixies. I really enjoyed it a lot. And my favorite times were when Kurt would softly sing along. His voice was truly so beautiful.

Next, we listened to Enter the Vaselines. I really liked some of their songs too. I felt so free, riding down the open highway with Kurt by my side. We were both silent for a bit.

"What are you thinking?" Kurt asked after a moment.

"How lucky I am," I answered after a pause. "To have you." Kurt squeezed my hand more tightly.

"I'm the one who is lucky, Andi." I laughed. We passed the rest of the car ride talking and listening to music. I couldn't believe how well we connected. He felt like my best friend.

I finally remembered to thank him for the Walkman. I told him how much it had surprised me. He said he'd gotten it because I needed to listen to more music. He was right. I felt horribly inadequate in comparison to his vast musical knowledge. But he never made me feel dumb like a lot of guys would.

I noticed we were off of the highway and driving slowly down a winding back road.

"Wow," I commented. "This is the middle of nowhere."

"Away from people. My favorite," Kurt commented.

Finally we turned up a narrow gravel drive that wound up a hill. At the top was a building that I could make out. We got closer and I realized it was a cabin.

"This looks nice," I commented.

"Wait til you see inside," commented Kurt. He parked and cut the engine. We grabbed our luggage and headed to the door, where a small light illuminated the space.

Kurt put a key into the door and opened it.

"After you," he said, as he reached inside to flick on the lights.

I gasped. We were inside an absolutely stunning log cabin. The floor plan was open and there was a gorgeous seating area near a giant fireplace. The kitchen looked to be state-of-the-art. There were cathedral ceilings. This was a fancy cabin. And I was out here alone with Kurt for a whole weekend.

"The place is beautiful, Kurt." I commented, glancing over at him. He smirked at me and spoke softly.

"I'm really glad you like it. I was hoping I chose right."

"Is this your place?" I asked.

"Nope, I just rented it. But I've thought about getting a place like this for myself."

"It's definitely peaceful."

"Let's put our stuff in the bedroom," Kurt suggested. We wheeled our luggages into what ended up being a gorgeous bedroom. It had a vaulted ceiling with skylights and lots of windows. There was a giant, king-sized bed covered in cozy looking quilts and pillows.

"This is so nice," I commented to Kurt

"I'm really happy you like it," answered Kurt. "Andi, why don't you get cleaned up and stuff? I know you probably want to after work."

"Yeah, I do," I answered, feeling grateful that he had suggested it.

"I'm going to go put on pajamas and then I'm cooking us dinner," Kurt announced proudly.

"Wow," I commented. "That will be awesome." My stomach growled.

I went to get a shower in the absolutely stunning bathroom. The shower was extremely relaxing and refreshing. It made me feel a bit less nervous about tonight.

I boldly dressed in the lacy underwear I'd gotten with Jody. Over top I put the normal t-shirt and shorts that I always wore to bed. I can do this, I told myself as I headed out to the kitchen to find Kurt.