Ghost of You

9

-Luke-

"Baaaaabbbbeeeee, are you ready yet?" Kennedy whined rolling onto her stomach. She had been napping on my bed while I was packing.

"Almost!" I responded tossing a pair of joggers into my duffle bag.

"Since you're taking forever, you'll pack some extra hoodies for me to wear right?" She chimed.

"That can be arranged," I smirked. The thought of Kennedy in one of my hoodies brought back memories of our intimate movie night. Taking it slow was all good, especially because of all the crazy ex-boyfriend drama that had been circling us lately. But as much as I told myself that, I knew I wanted her so badly. She'd gotten into the habit of teasing me regularly. A couple of days ago she left me a note saying that she was running late and how great it would be if I would do a load of laundry for her. When I got to the small pile of dirty clothes, I realized it was entirely lingerie. I mean it worked, the more time I spent with her the more urgency there was and the closer I wanted to get.

"You're my hero," she laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Oh am I?" I asked suddenly scooping her up off of the bed and spinning her around. She let out a little scream of surprise. Slowing to a stop, I planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Definitely." She whispered.

We drove for 2 hours, listening to The 1975 the whole time. Kennedy would dance to the upbeat songs and hold my hand for the deeper ones. Even just the drive was a step forward from what things were like at home. Both of us were a lot more at ease, knowing that we wouldn't have to deal with the likes of Will anytime soon. Kennedy's smiles got bigger and she seemed to really let loose. The stress just seemed to melt away the farther we got.

The cabin was perfectly nestled in the woods. The lake was crystal blue and quiet, as not a lot of people had built around the location. We unpacked the bags from the trunk of the car and made ourselves at home.

"This is so beautiful!" Kennedy squealed with excitement. "Look at these windows!"

The entire back wall had panels of glass that let the evening sun seep in. It really was beautiful.

"Race you to the lake?" I prompted with a smug look on my face.

"But I don't have my swimsuit on." Kennedy responded, eyebrows arching in confusion.

"Damn, guess you'll just have to make do." I said with a wink.

"Lucas Robert Hemmings!" She gaped.

"Are you not up for the challenge sweetheart?" I egged on.

"Nope, I was just distracting you so I could get a head start!" She screamed taking off down the hill towards the lake.

"Kennedy Rose Coleman!" I yelled in disbelief. A smile spread over my face as I chased after her.

I caught up with her on the dock as she had begun stripping her clothes off.

"Bet you wish you hadn't worn skinny jeans." She laughed as I struggled to get the tight denim off of my long legs. She was already in her bra and underwear by the time I was pulling off my T-shirt. She took a running start and catapulted off the dock. I joined her shortly after plummeting in the frigid water.

"Beat you!" She giggled as I found her wading in the water.

"Congratulations." I smiled back. Her hair was slicked back from the water and the sun light glimmered against her constellation like freckles.

"Does the winner get a kiss?" She asked getting closer until our bodies were touching. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I responded by picking her up. Her legs wrapped around my waist and I pressed my lips against hers. Her tongue met mine and she leaned in even closer. The kisses were deep and needy. I was holding her up with one hand and I let the other explore her body. Her breath hitched as I gripped her thighs. She trailed kisses down to my neck.

"Luke," She whispered suddenly stopping. "We have visitors."

Confused I slowly turned to see three deer grazing behind us. There was doe along with two small fawns like something out of Bambi. They saw me look and began to trot away.

"It's getting cold out here, huh?" I pointed out with a little shiver.

"Yeah I could go for a warm shower." Kennedy agreed. We climbed out and picked up our clothes from the dock. Kennedy still in only her bra and underwear walked back up to the lake house and turned back to catch me staring at her swaying hips. "Like the view?" She called back at me smirking.

"Couldn't be better." I replied with a wink.

-Kennedy-

After a nice hot shower I felt completely refreshed. Being at the lake with Luke was the best feeling; I made a mental note to thank Ashton for suggesting that we head out for the weekend. I dried my dripping hair with a towel as I walked into the bedroom. Luke was off making dinner so I had the room to myself. My fingertips brushed the soft white sheets of the king sized bed, and I gulped as I realized that Luke and I would be sleeping in the same bed tonight. I wanted it, more than anything, to feel his body heat radiate against my skin, to be held in his strong arms, and to know that it was me that he wanted out of all the girls out there.

I slipped on a navy blue satin nightgown with white lace trim around the deep v-neck and the bottom which only covered the tops of my thighs. I peeked at myself in the mirror and felt a little self conscious. Maybe the outfit was a little too provocative. I slipped on an oversized black knit cardigan to cover my thin spaghetti strap clad arms. I flipped my hair a few times to give it some body. Don't be nervous, it's Luke. But that was the problem, Luke meant the world to me. I had never felt so intensely about anything or anyone before I met him.

I took a deep breath and exited to the kitchen.

-Luke-

I practically dropped the plate I was holding at the sight of Kennedy in a slinky blue nightgown. Her cardigan had slipped off of one shoulder revealing her perfectly carved out collarbones. Her chocolate colored hair cascaded down her back in effortless perfection. She looked up at me shyly but I saw the hints of seduction in her eyes. She knew exactly what she was doing to me.

"Dinner is ready," I gulped averting my eyes. "You look... nice."

She smirked at my sudden loss of the ability to speak. She looked down at the table, "Luke this looks amazing! I didn't know you could cook!" She took a seat in the chair across from me.

"You can thank Liz for that, she figured I needed to know how to make at least one good meal." I laughed.

Kennedy smiled back, "It's perfect."

We had dinner together, laughing about our outdoorsy memories. Kennedy told me about the time that she accidentally sank a canoe in the middle of a lake and had to swim all the way back. I told her about how Ashton thought that tadpoles were baby turtles. She got a kick out of that. Then I read her Calum's poem about the turtle that was "smalla then a bug" and she laughed until her eyes started watering. She had such a nice laugh, it brought out the life in her eyes. They'd sparkle and her nose scrunched up along with her freckles. I took a mental picture of the moment. I wanted to always remember her with that cheeky smile spread across her face.

-Kennedy-

After dinner we decided to start a bonfire and make some s'mores. Luke brought his guitar outside and strummed quietly. It was the perfect moment- the crisp forest air, the sky dusted in stars, the ringing of notes out of his acoustic guitar. He looked up at me, his ocean blue eyes gleaming through the firelight. His hair was more curly than usual, courtesy of the lake water. He was perfectly unkempt.

"Luke?" I asked as his strumming ceased.

"Mhmm?" He replied, his eyes locked on mine.

"What are you thinking about right now?" I asked shyly.

"All the things I want to do to you, sweetheart."