The Depths (Austin Carlile FanFic)

Chapter 21

*Austin's POV*

Nicole had really picked out the perfect spot. I don't know how she found this place, but it was everything I pictured Nicky loving. We were in the middle of nowhere in Florida. A tiny little cottage sat in front of a pond. Beside the pond was a huge, old willow tree, shading most of the property. Wild, waist high flowers were everywhere. A huge sun faded tapestry hung on the front porch. I could barely tell what it was. We walked inside and I smiled. It was cute. It had a small living room with a fireplace. There was hardly any furniture. Just a small couch, a chair, an overfilled bookshelf and a record player. In the corner were four huge stacks of records.

"So, this is the living room." Nicky said, walking to the kitchen. It looked like something straight from the 1970s. Yellow and white wallpaper, white daisies everywhere, old school appliances. Nicky pointed to another door. "That's the bedroom, honey. Go put our stuff in there and I'll put the groceries away."

"Does that fridge work?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yeah."

I frowned. "Baby, it looks like nobodies been here since 1974."

She chuckled. "I hired someone to keep up on it."

I opened the door and tossed our bags in there. "You own this place?"

She looked around, smiling. A proud look filled her eyes. "Yeah. It used to belong to Bette. She used to bring me and Stuart here on the weekends. It was like home. For a few days I had a mother that cared about me. I had a real childhood." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I love it here." She opened her eyes and smiled. "I lived here before I went to college. I turned it into my own paradise."

I smiled. "It's great, baby."

"Let me show you the yard. It's my favorite part of this whole place." She said, taking my hand and leading me out of the back door.

It took my breath away. This was the kinda stuff you only seen in movies. Dream catchers, homemade wind chimes, and hanging bottles decorated the back porch. Fairy lights and paper lanterns hung from the overhang. She had a swing and some patio furniture. I looked out at the pond and couldn't wait to go swimming. A rope hung from the tree, along with a tire swing. Next to the pond was a small shed.

I put my arm around Nicole. "This is breath taking, baby. I can't believe this place really exists."

She looked up at me and smiled. "Don't you feel like you go back in time?" She looked at the pond. "I haven't been here in so long, I forgot how much I love it."

I kissed her temple. "Let's go for a dip."

She smiled bigger and nodded. We stripped our clothes off and raced eachother to the pond. I jumped in and was surprised at how nice it was. It was deep enough for me to stand up in and the water to be a little above my waist. Warm, but not too warm and crystal clear. Nicky splashed in after me and giggled when I splashed her back. We swam for hours, then made dinner. After dinner we went back outside and sat on the swing, drinking beers. I dragged the record player out with us and played a Led Zeppelin album. Nicole sat next to me naked and humming along to the music. I rubbed her arm and looked at the sky. It was so clear out here. You could see every star.

"If I ever have kids, this is where I wanna bring them for a week every summer. Nothing but fun and nature." I said.

She nodded. "I love it. I love nature."