He's found excuses, reasons... whatever – he's found himself enjoying Ryan's company more over the span of the last few weeks than he has in the previous months she's resided at the lake. Because in his mind that's what she's done. She has become a resident, not just a vacationer.
The concern is still there, the reticence to become fully lost in the feeling of the moment. His is rooted in the fear that Fate will turn her head, and upon noticing his situation she will once again strike, once again stealing away the beating thing in the center of his being. And Ryan? Her reservédness is probably in relation to the small bit of distance he is trying to maintain, sensing that last leap that he is trying to keep from taking.
If he does it, if he hands Ryan his whole heart and she still chooses to walk away? What will he do, then? If he asks her what they're doing – if it's just a summer fling or something more – and she opts for the more casual choice? Can he recover, again, from a broken heart? Tori had bounced back at a faster pace after the death of their parents, but she had Gordon to help her remain grounded, to root her more securely to the present. They had done their best to pull him along with them but in the end, it was the lake that had saved him. The lake and the job had given him purpose. He could carry on their parents' legacy that way – carry on with what they had built.
That was also part of the reason for his hesitance to branch out any further. If they bought up more land and changed the concept from the small pockets of development, turned it into something more commercial, were they dishonoring the intentions of their parents?
Instead of crossing from his place to the old Johnson place via the water he's elected to drive, making a mental note to add landscaping to his to-do list for the coming days. The naturalness of the area is part of the charm, but there's a point where the front of the property leading up to the house turns from something aesthetically pleasing into just looking overgrown. Maybe he'll be able to talk Gordon into coming over to help one afternoon. All four of them could make an evening of it, spend time out on the water together afterwards.
Tonight, though, it's just the pair of them. He's brought along the wine – Ryan claiming that he had done enough in terms of food. It would be her turn for surprising him with a sunset dinner on the porch, or on the second level of the dock. She hadn't been entirely specific on that.
Lights are on inside, but she doesn't appear at the door as he gets out of the truck. He's so used to seeing her appear on the porch when she hears him arrive in Daisy Mae... it's odd not to see her magically summoned. Magically. He sighs and huffs out a light laugh, rolling his eyes at himself in the reflection of the driver's side window. She might be cooking, or finishing getting ready for the evening...
He glances down at his watch, the action almost involuntary. He's roughly on time. Ok. Maybe a little early. Stymied, he goes back to studying his reflection, giving himself a clueless shrug. Dawdle out on the front drive making mental notes or go on up to the house. Choosing the latter option, he can at least offer to help – or – and the thought makes him grin as soon as it pops into his head – maybe to distract.
Maybe he can pick her brain about the business, too. Weigh the financial decision behind investing in further properties and ... well, introduce the whole line of thinking that goes along with discussing the business with her. He shifts the bottle of wine from one hand to the other as he turns towards the old Johnson place. She hasn't actually asked about the history of the place where she's been staying. They include some information in the welcome packet, but he's expected more of her natural curiosity to come out in the form of questions. Maybe it's just that she's picking up on his hesitance to dive too deep into the past.
Another something to remedy.
He starts to head towards the side door but then hears the distinct sound of the porch door in motion. If he went up and knocked now she might not hear him. If she's going in and out through the back, he might as well save them both the trouble. He reroutes, cutting through the lawn to dodge around the side of the house.
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Lakeside
FanfictionA Tom Hiddleston AU Tom lives at the lake in the mountains where the memory of his parents is the strongest - the place where they went on their honeymoon, and took their children each summer, and would have lived out their retirement. His sister ke...
