Chasing Blue

#29: Lake House.

Present

Isabella

Royal is an understatement. The architecture is impeccable. Long grey curtains drape the sides of the glass windows, enclosed in velcro straps as they allow the lake to come into view. Everything inside the house is white. The walls, the ceiling, and the tabletops. The furniture is all in shades of grey. The flooring reflects the golden lights that brighten the entire house. The ceiling has no end, it's as far as my eyes can see. A flight of stairs curves to the second story of the house. 

The interiors are so modern, that I almost confuse it with a celebrity's villa for a second. The kitchen looks white and spotless. The island is so attractive from where I'm standing. The stairs are lined with a cream carpet throughout. The porch looks big on one side, but as I near it, I see it's lining an indoor pool. No, wait, it's an indoor hot tub that has the perfect view of the lake and the scenery outside. 

"What in the world is this place?" I say glancing at the top floor, curious about what it contains. 

Austin wraps his arms around me from the back. I feel his chest, warm and hard behind my back. I angle my face, still studying the house. His lips brush against my cheek and he slowly talks, tightening his arms around me. "My parents bought this place for their anniversary five years ago. Mom and the architect designed this place and it was officially ready two years ago. The four of us come here on weekends when my parents are in town. We kept this lake house as a private place, that just the four of us would use as a hideout."

I tense in his arms. "Austin, I don't think I should be here." 

He laughs against my ears and he pulls me closer to his chest. He starts trailing kisses down my neck and my eyes begin to close as I start melting in his arms. 

"I knew you would say that," he says against my neck. "Who do you think offered me the idea of bringing you to this place?" I was silent because I didn't want to guess wrong. "Dad suggested and mom agreed. So you're not trespassing." 

"Oh, my god," I close my eyes and hit the back of my head on his shoulders. "I can imagine how awkward that conversation could have been." 

"No, you can't," Austin muttered against my neck. "My patience was tested until the very last ounce in the process."

I laugh along with him, trying to imagine the number of times Frank and Aiden would have trolled Austin. I saw a little preview the other day and he was annoyed enough. He was right, I could never imagine what he went through. 

His hold on me loosened and he turned me around so I'd face him. He held my face with both his hands and leaned in until our noses brushed. "You wanted a place where nobody would interrupt us." He kissed my nose. "So, here we are." He pecked a brief kiss on my lips that ended up making me smile. "Where do you want to start?" 

. . .

My head fell back onto his shoulders as he continued to trail kisses up my neck and then my ears. The hot water tub was just the perfect temperature. His hands were caressing my skin as he grazed them all over my body, holding me to his chest. He teased the hem of my underwear and then my bikini top. I didn't have an actual swimsuit so I had to work with what I was wearing underneath my jeans and crop top. 

We sat in silence, occasionally talking but the scenery that we faced was a better sight than any of our conversations could ever compete with. The lake in front of me was calm, just like the heart of the boy my head is against. The moon is mirroring against the clear water, but as the wind moves the water, the reflection bursts into a spectrum, throwing the light everywhere on the surface. The night is reticent and serene. All I can hear is the bubbles from the hot tub and the sound of his kisses against my neck.