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I looked up to find Cadence kneeling with the camera aimed at the long dock that hovered over a massive lake. We were out in the middle of nowhere like we had been most of the day.
I was a city kid, born and raised, so this scene was new to me. My career had taken me all over the world to some of the most beautiful places anyone could ever imagine but at the moment nothing topped the view I’d had all day. Maybe it wasn’t necessarily where I was but more about who I was with.
Cadence.
Even now as she stood facing the lake with a camera dangling from her delicate fingers. She had two French braid tossed over her shoulders while dressed in light-washed short overalls that were too damn short but made her legs look nice, really long and beautiful.
I had been obsessing over what it would feel like to have them wrapped round my waist. I would have an argument for anything being a better visual than the one I had in this moment.
“Are you coming or not?”
I eased off the hood of her car and crossed the grassy field that took me to the entrance of the dock where she was standing, glancing at me over her shoulder. When she turned with sly grin on her face and lifted the camera to begin taking photos, I wasn’t triggered like I usually would be. She wasn’t them.
“You’re not planning on selling those, are you?”
“Depends. How much do you think I can get?” she teased, holding up the tiny screen where I squinted down as she scrolled through images of me nearing her.
I hardly recognized myself but I think that had more to do with how at peace I felt versus the physical changes that I was starting to grow used to seeing when I looked in the mirror.
“Not enough for you to waste your time.”
“Oh I don’t know. Not that you need that ego of yours to be any more inflated but these are pretty good. The camera likes you.”
I chuckled. “I’m more interested to know whether or not the owner likes me.”
“Jury’s still out. Come on, I want to get a couple shots from the end of the dock. It’s the best view.”
Side by side we made our way to the end of the dock and Cadence made me stand behind her while she took photos from where we stood out into the open grassy field and then the old abandoned barn near where we parked before we both sat on the edge allowing our feet to hang over the edge.
“It’s nice out here,” I said randomly, looking out over the lake enjoying the view of the houses that lined one side of it. They varied in size and style, showcasing different levels of wealth.
“It’s one of my favorite places. I remember coming out here with my mom when I was a kid. She used to get so mad at me because I’d run barefoot from the car and just jump in.”
“The fuck you do that for?”
“Because I was a kid and it was fun. You’ve never swam in a lake before?”
“Nah, there’s shit out there that I’m not trying to fuck with.”
“Like what?”
“Alligators, turtles, snakes and shit.”
She turned to me with a smirk on her face. “Are you telling me you’re scared to swim in a lake?”
“Nah, not scared, it just fucks with the natural order of things. If I stay out of their way they’ll stay out of mine. I’ll stick to swimming pools. That’s some country shit anyway.”
“It is not.”
“Yeah it is, just like you in these.” I tugged at the strap to her overalls. “But it works for you. You make country look good.”
“There’s nothing wrong with country.” She frowned at me and I nodded.
“I’m not saying there is. Only that it’s not my vibe. I’m a city kid. There’s something about the energy, the way it vibrates through you. I can honestly say I’ve never experienced a better high than that.”
“Well I love it here. It feels like solitude and sanity.”
I stared at her while she stared out over the lake. The way her posture was relaxed and her mood felt light settled into me allowing my own posture to relax.
