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“I didn’t think we’d actually get to do this,” I admit as I turn to him.
He squeezes my hand as warmth spreads through me. “I love any excuse to get to spend time alone with you,” he says as he sets his feet on the pedals and starts pedaling. The boat immediately turns to the right far too quickly.
“I think you’re pedaling too hard,” I say.
“Oh shit, sorry,” he says as he slows his pedaling to keep up with me. Zacia sits on my lap with her paws on the side of the boat watching the world go by. She seems quite pleased even if she hates the life jacket, but she’s so used to the stuff she parades around in, she quickly forgets about it.
The body of water is large, stretching far out toward a batch of trees at the opposite end. After about twenty feet, my legs are all, “Hell nah,” and I decide that August is much more handsome when he does all of the work, so I stop pedaling.
“You’re so sexy,” I say, feeling like he might need some encouragement to not notice the lack of assistance on my end until we start turning in a circle. “Hold on… no… the paddleboats I’ve been in don’t work this way… no… generally onlyoneperson has to pedal. What is this, August?”
August starts laughing as he kicks up the speed to send us into a tighter circle, clearly enjoying himself. “Looks like you’re going to have to help.”
“Urgh… don’t do this to me,” I say as I grudgingly start pedaling again. I guess it’s worth the burn in my legs to get to enjoy the time with August who looks absolutely delighted. The water is a gorgeous blue and every now and then Zacia jerks and raises her paw, telling me she’s seen a fish that she believes needs to be smacked.
“It’s such a nice day,” I say.
“It really is. Say we get about halfway and eat lunch?”
“What’d you bring?” I ask. “And more importantly… did you make it?” This is the most dire of the questions and determines whether or not I’m looking forward to or dreading the idea of lunch.
While August is nearly perfect, his cooking is absolutely dreadful. I’ll still love him anyway, but every time I eat something he makes, my life span reduces significantly.
He grins at me as he shakes his head. “I did not. Valerie did, actually.”
“You know she poisoned mine, right? This is how she plans to off me… She just hopes if I fall over the boat and sink to the bottom that’ll be the end of all her worries and woes.”
August seems to consider it for a moment. “She did specifically write our names on them. And yours was a bit weird with a ‘For Landon XOXO heart, heart.’”
“Aw, she does love me.”
“Until death do you part,” August says.
“How sweet,” I say as the soft burning in my legs turns into a “my legs are going to fall off if I don’t stop” with a dash of “we are now stuck in the middle of this water for all eternity” and a sprinkling of “death, here I come.”
“I think this is more than halfway.”
“A little farther,” August urges.
“August, I feel like you’re confused. These legs are used for propping up on places while I read. Not physical activity.”
“A little farther,” he repeats and because he’s so damn pretty I just cave in and pedal to the middle. When he finally lets me stop, I slump over, absolutely defeated.
“I can see the bright light… August… the light has come for me. I will miss you, my love!”
He leans over me and grins down at me as he pushes my dark hair back. “You’re not dying.”
“Death seeketh me.”
“It doesn’t. I promise,” he says with a warm smile as he leans down and kisses me softly. “Did that revive you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe a second one will,” I say.
Still smiling, he leans down and kisses me again, this time parting his lips until I feel his tongue brush against me. I slide my fingers into his hair as his tongue tangles with mine. He sure knows how to thrust life back into me so that when he pulls back, I feel rejuvenated.
“Better?”
“Quite a bit, actually.”
