Breathe

Chapter 36

"Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies." -Aristotle

His hand encompasses mine as he pulls me away from my car and into the forest that surrounds his house. The temperature seems to keep dropping the later it gets. Even though I'm bundled in clothing, I still feel cold.

"Where are we going?" I ask when I almost trip over something in the dark. Luke's using a small flashlight to lead the way, but it's not very bright or helpful.

"Patience baby," he says and kisses my cheek while we continue walking. Walking through the woods is eerie at night. It reminds me of the first night we met when he jumped out of the woods and scared me. A smile appears on my lips as I recall the memory. Who would've thought I'd end up here? So much has happened in the past two months and I'm beyond grateful.

He abruptly stops and points the flashlight up a tree. There's something really big stuck in it. What is that? The flashlight shines on ladders and he begins to climb up them. A tree house?

"Come up," he says when he reaches the top. I grab a hold of the ladder and put my foot on the first step. The narrow wooden steps seem old and I can't tell if they're safe or not. Although knowing Luke, he wouldn't let me up if it wasn't safe. I wonder how old this is.

I reach the top of the ladder and stand on the solid platform next to Luke. I can't make out his face in the dark, but I'm positive he's smiling. He reaches for the handle and opens the door to the tree house. I've never seen a tree house this extravagant. I thought they were supposed to be really simple.

I follow him inside and the lights flicker on after turning on the switch. The lighting is very dim. This tree house is much larger than I thought it would be. It's about the size of Luke's room, which is saying something since his room is way bigger than necessary. The entire structure is made out of wood, like a tree house should be. My eyes continuously scan the room in awe. There are two piles of blankets, taller than me, in the corner. I realize that my body temperature has already warmed up. It's warm in here, and there's light. How is there electricity in the middle of a forest? 

"Th-this is the earliest memory I have. My dad and I built it when I was young," he says and wraps an  arm around my waist. "It was my favorite place as a child. I used to love it so much that I would sleep in here. That's why there's a bed in the corner, heat, and light."

"It's incredible," I say and smile. It's good to know that he has some good memories with his father. I notice a string of lights that go hangs near the ceiling around the entire room, but they're not plugged in. I can easily tell that this is his tree house because the decorations reflect his personality. 

"The first night we met you told me how you always wanted one as a child, but you didn't have any big enough trees in your backyard." How does he remember that? I completely forgot, but now that he brings it up, I vaguely remember mentioning it to him.

"I can't believe you remember that," I say and he shrugs his shoulders.

"What can I say? You captivated me," he says and I blush. "You also told me that you loved playing board games with your parents." He points to a pile of games near the bed.

"Can we play?" I ask and he nods. We walk over and sit on the floor. Luke grabs two blankets and sits across from me. "Life or Scrabble?"

"Life," he says. We set up the game and it reminds me of my childhood. My parents and I used to have a "family" day every Sunday. We haven't had one in a while since Luke came into my life. I'm barely home anymore. The thought slightly saddens me. I wonder if my parents are upset with me because of it? But maybe they're happy to see me happy.