Chapter 24

                                    

                                          
Chapter 24
                          
"What is it we are doing today?" he asked, trying to bring up his mood after that very delightful breakfast with my lovely mother and his goddess of a wife. A small smile on his face, he faced me, waiting for an answer as I sat on the couch. After breakfast was finished, Clare went to work in quite a hurry. Wonder why. He cleaned up the kitchen then came to find me. Luke, now sitting besides me, looked to me for an answer.
                          
"I want to go swimming!" I said with excitement when the idea instantly popped in my head. I felt a small blush come to my cheeks at how excited I sounded. But for me, it was exciting. I never really got to go swimming often - or just have fun in general. I was always home with Clare, obeying every damn command she gave me. When I did have free time with my friends and we went out, it wasn't to do much other than causing a little trouble (which quickly became old). 
                          
He smiled at that. "Really?"
                          
"Yeah. But I don't know where we could go swimming."
                          
"There's the public pool or beach."
                          
My excitement slightly fell. I really didn't want to be out in public. It was still a shock that I was home for this long with no recognition from anyone; nobody really bothered me yet or found me to harass me. Nobody even noticed the few times we were out in public. I didn't want to risk it again.
                          
Before I could refuse that or say never mind to that idea, he must have read my expression. Something in my face gave me away. Or he was just becoming an expert at reading me. "There is also this one place not many people know about. It's a small lake out in the woods; really deep and refreshing."
                          
I took in his words and grinned. "Out in the woods? Nobody knows about it? Ooh, Luke!" I squealed in a girlie voice. "Trying to get me as alone with you as you can?"
                          
He scoffed. "I've known about it my whole life. When I was a little boy, I would always go out there. It's cool; there is even a rope swing tied to the tree along a bank." He shrugged, showing it was just a suggestion and it was up to me. "You might like it."
                          
"Do you promise not to rape me out in the woods all alone?" I teased.
                          
He chuckled under his breath as he stood. "Get ready then; we leave in half an hour."
                          
***
                          
"Hasn't changed one bit," Luke sighed with a smile under his breath once we were standing on the bank, taking in the sight.
                          
It was beautiful here. We drove for about 15 minutes until he pulled his truck into a small gravel drive that snaked through nothing but woods until we reached the end. He parked there and awe walked for about twenty minutes through the thick and brightly lit woods. Then, the woods broke apart more and what was left was a grand sight of a nice and calming lake that looked quite private.
                          
Trees and brush were spaced out and even bordered the banks which were a few feet tall. It was nothing like a beach; no sand or shallow water. We stood on thin patches of grass before the water was there, dropping a few feet from where the banks were. Looking around, there was a huge tree bound to the earth on the bank, leaning out over the pretty clear water. Like he said, there was a rope that was tied to a high branch and hung low. It nearly grazed the water from where it just dangled above the liquid.
                          
Looking out over the lake... it was just so beautiful. The other side of the lake wasn't far at all but it would take a while to swim to it. Trees wrapped around the entire lake, not a sound hitting my ears besides that of the water lapping, the birds chirping, and the wind chiming through the summer leaves.
                          
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
                          
I nodded as I looked up to where he was standing next to me. "How does nobody know about this? It's such a nice place, you figure more people would come here."