Hey guys, sorry for the long break, I stopped writing for a while. But I'm back and will be keeping up, so keep reading!
**************
I bound back down the stairs to see my parents and the Stratfords already mid conversation. It had been obvious how much they missed seeing each other. I headed back out to the car, helping grab some more stuff as we starting getting out all of the rest of the stuff for the cabin like the food, fishing equipment, and other odds and ends for up here.
The entire time I'm pulling out boxes, I find it almost impossible to not think about Luke. I figured seeing him would bring back memories, but all the ones that were flooding back were hitting me like a sledgehammer. I can remember back to when we were little, just 7 and 10 years, old sitting out on the dock fishing, typically ending in me squealing as I made Luke get whatever I just caught off the hook. Roasting marshmallows around the fire with our families, just sitting and relaxing.
Of course, these were the more "pretty" memories from when we would get along, which as we got older wasn't always the case and seemed to be less and less frequent. In our preteen years we would fight constantly, over who got to pick what we watched on TV on the rare nights we would turn it on. Who got the last ice cream bar from the fridge or whose turn it was to get pulled on the tube behind the boat. We fought like cats and dogs, or more accurately brothers and sisters since that's practically what we were.
I never even saw Luke as a boy to look at and think about it any other way then my friend until the summer I was 12 and he had just turned 15. He was reaching that age where he thought he was becoming a man, so he felt the need to prove how tough and strong he was, especially in front of me. I knew it was just Luke being annoying and I scoffed at him for it, but secretly I liked watching him show off, even when it was just for the sake of showing off. These kind of things lasted until the last summer we came here together. Things changed that year.
Typically though, I've tried not to think about that summer too much, especially being back here now. It made things way to complicated, especially for a trip that I wanted to be just about fun and relaxation. Of course, not thinking about any of these memories was almost impossible when every time I turned around with a box, I was bumping into Luke or he was trying to help unpack whatever I was working on. I knew he was just being friendly, but with all the thoughts whirling in my head, it was the last thing I needed.
Finally, I decided I just needed some space and headed upstairs. I threw off my sweaty clothes from the hot day and put on a swimsuit I'd just bought for the summer a few weeks ago. I wanted the best tan possible from this summer, so I'd ditched my typical full body swimsuit I normally wore while lifeguarding for a bikini. Grabbing my headphones and a towel, I walked down to the dock, laying out my towel and stretching out in the sun. It felt so great to just be able to relax, without a plan for the day. It was one of my favorite parts about the lake: the freedom.
After a few minutes of sun, I feel myself zone out in the comfort. A little while later I'm drawn out of my trance by a shadow blocking the rays above me. I squint up to see Luke standing above me in swim trunks and a tank top. As I slowly woke up from my nap, I noticed his muscled arms... arms that I had never seen on him before... arms that would feel so good wrapped around me... popping out of my daydream I sit up quickly, running a hand threw my hair with an embarrassed blush, which I'm sure looked like a wreck without even thinking about it. He smirks at me, like he can read my mind.
"Can I help you," I ask trying to sound confident as I lean back against my elbows.
"I was just coming to check on you out here. Your mom wanted me to remind you to wear sunscreen," he answers with teasing laughter in his voice.
I roll my eyes, thinking how typical it was of my mother to embarrass me without even realizing it.
"Well I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine I put some on before I came outside."
"Okay, well they are starting to make plans for dinner, I was thinking about going for a first run on the boat, wanna join?"
The first boat ride of the trip was always a tradition, it marked the beginning of vacation. The lodge provided us with an ancient pontoon boat, which we used for casual rides even though the Stratfords always brought up their power boat for tubing and skiing. I smile up at him holding my hand out.
"Sure why not," I answer quickly.
He reaches out a hand pulling me up quickly and easily. I still can't get over how much stronger he is now. Last thing my mother had told me, he'd been working the past few summers for a beer distributor, hauling crates of the stuff to and from the warehouses and stores. Obviously all the hard work had paid off. Not to say he was weak when he was younger, he just had become... so... manly, all broad shoulders and chiseled jaw. It was a weird idea to associate with my childhood friend and even weirder with the mental images running through my head. I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about it yet.
We start walking down to the edge of the dock and climb onto the pontoon as it slowly rolls with the waves of the lake. I lean over the edge untying the boat from the dock as Luke looks over his shoulder, pulling us out slowly backwards. I take a seat on the side near the steering wheel as he starts navigating us out to the lake.
"So how have you been?" He asks, looking at me for a second before looking back out at the water in front of him. " I feel like I'm sitting with a stranger out here" He teases.
I smile before answering, "I've been really great actually, I just graduated a couple months ago, and am getting ready to head off to school soon."
"College? Oh geez... you're making me feel so old right now."
"We aren't that far apart, you still have one more year of school." I answer a little defensively not liking how I sound like a kid when he talks about me.
"Yeah I know," he answers with a sigh "but that's exactly it, I feel like I just started college yesterday. One more year and I have to go out in the real world." He makes a dramatic shivering motion at "real world"
I laugh, seeing good old Luke hasn't changed. " Oh come on, with that year you can totally live it up. Do all the crazy things still left on your college check list."
He gives me a smile as a response, but I can tell this is something he's been thinking about a lot lately.
The thing that's always been true about Luke is he gets by on his charisma and people skills. He's never been stupid in school, but I know that he never really tried either. I remember being little kids and his mother trying to get him to do summer workbooks in order to help boost his grades for next year. Of course Luke would have no part of it, and the second Aunt Sue would turn around, he was off outside exploring or grabbing a fishing pole and sitting on the dock.
