Confidant & Playlist

19. Set

Summer 2015

"Lacey!" I call walking in the front door of the house; I set my guitar beside the door and toss my keys on the counter. "Babe!" I call out once more as I bend down and un-lace my Converse. "Yeah!" I hear her voice call. 

"I'm out back!" I kick my shoes off, set my fedora on the coat rack and walk through the main hallway, then the kitchen, to the dining room where I slide away the glass door. I step out and close it behind me. Walking around back I hear the soft noise of water stirring. Following the noise I soon see the pool, lit only by small lights below the surface and a dim light from the back of the house. She sits poolside, her feel dangling over into the water with a notepad in her lap, with a pen at her side and an e-cigarette between her slender fingers. Her long dark hair falls to the middle of her back in light waves hiding birds escaping from her antique cage tattoo.

"There you are," I say, ditching my socks to put my feet in the water beside her. She smells of peaches, vanilla and cigarettes. 

"In the flesh," she adds chuckling. She picks up the pen and writes something down.

"Hi," I say as I lean and press my lips to hers. She switches the cig off and sets it aside. She kisses me passionately, her breath becoming short as she rests her arms on my shoulders. I put my arms around her pulling her to me as my skin itches for hers. Her chest melts against mine as I slide my hands along the curve of her waist. Her chin pushes mine backward and I slide my hands along her thighs, she trembles, light moans escaping her mouth as we melt together. She places her palm against my chest gently pushing me backward, our lips disconnect.  

  "Not...right now Bruno," She says reluctantly. I start to slide away from her but she holds me in place. She kisses me delicately, gently, unlike the brash kisses she often gave. She peers into my eyes as though she's searching for something them but before I can say anything she turns away directing her attention back to her notepad. She picks up the e-cigarette again but then sets it down. I hold the thought, letting my eyes wander her face; the arch of her eyebrows, the small bags underneath her eyes, she creases on either side of her mouth and the new worry-lines forming on her forehead.

"What's that?" I ask gesturing to the notepad.

"I'm making a bucket list." 

"Why?" I maintaining my seemingly nonchalantly facade I positioning my hands behind me and lean back looking up at the stars. 

"Because I want to make one; haven't you ever thought about all the things you want to do before you die? You gonna help me or what?" 

"Sure, but I haven't written them down." She's silent for a moment as she jots down something else. 

"What do you have so far?"

"Skydiving and party with all our close friends." 

"That's all? Didn't you say that you wanted to pull stupid pranks on unsuspecting people or something like that? Like that "Follow that car" prank from that one movie?" She throws her head back, her throaty but sweet laugh ticking the surrounding summer air; a light breeze blows.   

  "You're right, I did say that." She adds my suggestion to the list.

"Got any others?" We go back and forth until the list is about twenty items long from jumping off a cliff into the ocean to kissing under water and sleeping under the stars. Afterward we head back in the house and fall asleep in our clothes, wrapped in each other's arms with Geronimo at the foot of the bed.
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As I wake I feel blindly for the warm body that was often next to me but I find none; even moving my feet around at the bottom of the bed heeds no result; G isn't here either. An unbelievable scent, wafts it's way in through the almost shut door of the be bedroom Lacey and I share. It can't be... I roll over and peer at the the clock through my squinted lids. Six forty-five. It's this early? How is she even up right now? And she made breakfast?I tear the covers from my skin and run my hand over my face, rubbing my eyes until I can see clearly enough, just wanting to shut them again. I sit up and take my first step out of bed. Standing I walk my way to the bedroom door, open it and step into the hallway. The scent grows stronger; I hear some talk-show going on in the living room and the crackling of oil in a hot pan.