Always

Chapter 41

“Want to see the rest?” he asked.  I nodded, smiling up at him.

He led me across the small cabin and opened one of the doors, revealing a tiny bathroom, complete with toilet, sink, and a narrow shower.  I was surprised a boat this size had a bathroom, much less a functioning shower.  After closing the first door, he opened the second one. 

Behind this door was a quaint bedroom that held a double bed, a thin dresser, a bedside table, and a lamp.  And, of course, photos.  The room was small, but it was beautiful.  Rustic, worn, and cozy, it was exactly the type of room I would picture this boat to hold. 

On the bed sat a medium sized cooler, clearly having just been placed there a few hours ago.  Next to the cooler was a pile of cozy looking blankets and a few pillows.  I smiled at the sight, seeing where Harry was going with this. 

“I love it,” I told him.  He squeezed my hand as he watched me take in the room.

“Care to join me for a picnic on the deck?” he asked happily.

“I’d love to,” I agreed, grinning up at him as he entered the room to try and grab the cooler, pillows, and blankets.  He fumbled with the linens, finding it difficult to control all the items at once.  I giggled before stepping forward and taking the pile of blankets from him, allowing him to carry the cooler and pillows. 

“I had it,” he said sheepishly, shooting a shy grin at me.

“Sure you did,” I teased before leaning up to press a quick kiss to his cheek.  I turned from the room, walked through the cabin, and out the door onto the deck.  Harry followed me and set the cooler down on the deck toward the front of the boat. 

Following his lead, I took one of the blankets and spread it out.  Harry then helped me arrange the rest of them and the pillows until we had a comfortable picnic setting.  I was about to sit down when Harry stopped me.

“Wait, we have to leave the harbor first,” he said, smiling softly at me.  My heart thudded in my chest at his words.  He was actually going to take me sailing, not just on the boat.

“Really?” I asked.

“If you’d like to.”

“I’d love to,” I gushed, feeling my heart swell with pride and love for this boy.  He smiled at me before instructing me to sit down, safely out of the way and with a clear view.  I watched him closely as he easily maneuvered around the deck, never hesitating.  If I didn’t know better, I never would have guessed that he hadn’t been on the boat in nearly four years. 

He was a natural.  He moved nimbly across the deck, pulling on mysterious ropes and levers.  Before I knew it, we were moving, and he was steering us out of the harbor into the quickly darkening lake. 

I watched as the muscles moved in his arms and back, entranced by the boy in front of me and beyond impressed at his skill and prowess on the boat.  It was such an attractive quality that he was so talented at so many things, and I had never been more proud to call him mine.  Before long, we were in the middle of the lake, surrounded by nothing but softly swishing water, the quickly setting sun, and the clear sky.  After some more impressive and mysterious actions, Harry returned to me.

He sat down next to me, grinning sheepishly as he opened the cooler, presenting me with a simple meal of sandwiches, chips, grapes, and soda.  Absolutely perfect.  He acted so nonchalant, as if he hadn’t just single handedly sailed us out into the middle of the lake. 

“Right, we should stay floating here now,” he explained.

“Wow.”

“What?” he asked, eyebrows raising innocently.