The Cabin by the Lake

Zac and I spent almost every day together for the next few months. My feelings started to grow more and more each day. He would take me to spots around Canada that were perfect for pictures, he even offered to be my model a few times. He would take my camera and take pictures of me too, and occasionally we got someone else to photograph us together. He made me feel happy, silly, loved, safe and all around good. I never wanted the summer to end, I wanted to stay in this little land of mine with Zac. We would stay up late and talk for hours. We took runs together and challenged who could do more sit ups or pushups; he always won. When his temper got the better of him, I gave him time and space. I talked about my brother to him, and he let me talk. My brother was the only family member I ever talked about to Zac, besides my grandmother.

One weekend, I invited Sarah and Casey to visit. I warned Zac that he better not come around; they would tear him apart. I waited by the lake, reading Dream and Little Dream by Giovanna Fletcher when a car honked on its way down the long drive way. I got up and ran over, Sarah’s hair was cut short and wavy while Casey’s hair was longer than last time I saw her and less frizzy. We did a group hug and freaked out for a few seconds. “You guys, your hair has changed so much!” They laughed, “how about you? You just look…different. But in a good way!” I smiled, “It’s all this Canadian air!” They followed me into the house, “it’s small, but we can manage!” They put their stuff in my bedroom, “this place is so cute! Grandma A had style.” I smiled, “The kitchen was repainted…it needed a little change.” I smiled thinking about Zac. “And all this booze?” Casey asked opening the fridge, “Just being prepared!” The girls laughed and I showed them the rest of the land, they were taken away with how beautiful it was. “You weren’t kidding Ems, this place is perfect.” Sarah said with awe in her eyes. “It’s my own slice of heaven out here.”

We spent the day catching up with one another. Sarah loved working with kids, and she and her boyfriend moved in with each other. Casey enjoyed the lawyer life, and she started dating someone in her office. She looked nervous talking about him. “Casey, come on. Tell us about him! Is he tall? Short? Gorgeous!” She smiled, “About my height, and very gorgeous.” I nudged her, “you don’t have to spill everything Case.” I know I didn’t want to talk about Zac…we weren’t anything but friends…who occasionally kiss…She sat up and put her red hair in a messy bun. “We started dating a few weeks into me joining. It just sort of happened, went out for drinks and next think I know…” Sarah was getting giddy, “what’s his name?” I couldn’t blame her, I was excited too. Casey had about the same amount of boyfriends I had, but she always ended them a few weeks into the relationship and always said ‘not my type’. She took a deep breath, “Amanda.” Sarah and I looked at each other, “Wait, isn’t that a girl’s name?” Sarah asked, but I knew exactly what Casey was telling us. “Guys…I’m dating a girl. I’m a lesbian.” Sarah and I looked at each other, and smiled. We tackled Casey and hugged her, “We don’t care who you like Case! As long as you’re happy!” I said, and Sarah added, “Now we know why no guy was ever your type!” We all laughed, “I’ll get wine to celebrate!” I ran into the house and checked my phone, Diesel misses you Zac sent, and I smiled. I couldn’t help but smile…should I tell my friends? I miss Diesel too, my friends would like him I sent back, grabbed glasses and went back out.

That night we put on The Notebook (a staple when you have a girls night), drank wine, and ate cheese and crackers. The sun was still up, but just about to set. “So, Ems…we’ve talked about our love lives…what’s new in yours?” before I could answer I heard a bark by the lake. We looked out the window and I smiled; Diesel. Zac was running after him, they were playing fetch. “Damn…who is that?” Sarah asked as we watched Zac run towards Diesel. I blushed, “That’s part of my complicated love life.” Both girls turned to me, “what?!” We laughed and watched Zac again. “We aren’t exactly a couple…just friends...” Sarah turned to me, “have you kissed?” I smiled, “once or twice…” Casey gave me a light shove, “have you two…” She winked at me and I laughed, “No we haven’t. We’ve been close though.” Sarah laughed, “Girl you have got to jump on that and tell me how it is!” Casey and I laughed, “Sarah, you have a boyfriend!” She smiled, “I know, but this will be one of the last few times I can make comments like that!” Casey and I looked at her confused and she smiled, “Eric proposed!” She flashed this big ring she took out of her pocket, “I had to wait for the right time to tell you guys in person!” We all squealed and hugged Sarah, “That is amazing!” I told her as Casey inspected the giant rock. “I can’t even think about that now, I need to see if this guy likes you Ems!” I blushed, “What, you want me to just walk over to him, have you guys observe it and then tell me if I’m doomed for life?” They smiled, and I smiled back, “I thought you’d never ask!”

They peeked out of the window as I put on my flip flops and walked towards Zac. Diesel ran up to me and I gave him a hug. Zac smiled as I walked closer to him. “How’s girls night?” I laughed, “Going pretty well, I found out one of my friends is a lesbian and the other is engaged.” He laughed, not expecting that answer. “What are they doing now?” I bit my lip, “Just watching the notebook, I told them I had to check on something.” He laughed, “What are they actually doing?” I blushed, “spying on us.” He glanced over at the window as the two girls disappeared, then reappeared when he looked away. “They’re just making sure you’re a good guy.” He put his arm around me, “Oh, really?” I nodded and he placed a soft kiss on my lips. My heart exploded. “Let them analyze that.” I didn’t know what to say. I said goodbye to Diesel and smiled at Zac. He grabbed my hand and pulled me close. He kissed me again, “What was that one for?” He smiled against my lips, “That one was for me.” He let me go, and all I could do was smile. “Will I see you tomorrow?” He smiled, “You bet.” I headed back towards the house in a daze…Sarah and Casey were sitting on the floor with their mouths open. “He definitely likes you!” “That second kiss! What was that about?” We gushed over Zac and I told them about our drunken night. Our little day trips, and my grandma’s letter about him. They loved him…and I think I was beginning to as well.

The next morning the girls followed me in Sarah’s car to a small diner I’ve been to a few times. After breakfasts the girls headed back to Massachusetts. I was sad to see them go, but I’m glad they were able to meet Zac. I walked to the post office to get the mail I neglected to get the day before. “Good Morning Ms. Emily.” I smiled at Ted, the post master. “I saw a fancy envelope go to your mailbox yesterday.” He said with a smile. I ran to my box and took out the miscellaneous papers and then the envelope…I opened it right there, “Dear Ms. Emily Walton…” I couldn’t believe what I was reading. “It is good news?” I smiled at Ted, “its great news!” I ran back to my car, I had to tell Zac about this.

Zac was already sitting in Grandpa’s chair when I got back to the small house. “Zac! I got the best news in my hands!” He walked over to me, grabbed my waist and kissed me hard. I didn’t question it, I wrapped my arms around him and enjoyed his lips on mine. “So, what’s this good news?” I took a second to pull myself together. “Okay, so I applied at this organization in Boston. It had been months, so I figured it was a no go. But I got a letter saying they think I’m too qualified to work for them…so they sent my portfolio to another organization and they want to give me a trial run! They want to see how I do in real time to see if I can capture the essence!” Zac smiled and hugged me, “that’s awesome!” I hugged him back, “I know! They said in the letter that it was between me and someone else, but they had a strong feeling they would end up choosing me!” I felt giddy and happy, like everything would be perfect. “I have some news too.” He brought us to the chairs and we sat down. “My job…I work in Philadelphia, you know? Well they called me to come down earlier than originally planned.” I smiled at him, not really understanding, “When do you leave? I have to leave for Boston tomorrow. I’m thinking of flying in instead of driving all 9 hours.” He smiled, “I have to leave tonight, and I’m not entirely sure when I’ll be back.” I didn’t like the sound of this, my smile faded. “Well that’s okay…if you’re in Philly and I end up in Boston, it’s only a 4 hour drive…we can still hang out?” He gave a small smile, “Emily, I’ve never been called in this early…there’s a chance I may not come back for the rest of the summer…or still be in Philly…”I knew what he was trying to say. “Zac…there’s a chance I may never see you again…isn’t there…” his eyes went sad, my heart sank and ripped to shreds. Like someone grabbed it out of my chest, put it in a blender and then fed it to piranhas. “When do you leave today?” My voice cracked as I tried to fight the tears. He took a second, “Later tonight…” I nodded, “so we still have time to hang out today, right?” He smiled, “Yes. There’s nothing I want to do more.” He followed me into the house, the one good man in my life…and I’m losing him.

We laid in my bed together, just holding each other. I wanted to soak in as much of him as I could. I knew other guys would have a hard time comparing to Zac. He is the perfect man. The exact type of person I would love to marry and spend all my days with. I pulled myself close into him, “this has been the best summer ever.” He smiled, “For me too.” I started to play with the button on his jeans, maybe I could make this a great last day. I kissed his neck and his arms tightened around me. I unbuttoned his pants and started to unzip them, but he stopped me. “Emily…” I looked up at him, “We can’t do this…” He fixed his pants and we sat up. “I can’t…I can’t do that to you…you’re not a one-time thing…” I looked down at my hands, feeling ashamed for my attempt. He lifted up my chin as I fought the tears back. “Text me okay? Tell me about the new job you will get. And I’ll keep you up to date on mine. Trust me Emily, I don’t want to leave…” I nodded, “I know…” I got off the bed, grabbed a picture out of my bag and wrote a note on the back. Say you'll remember me. Standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset babe. Red lips and rosy cheeks, say you'll see me again even if it's just in your wildest dreams. - T-Swift I handed the picture to Zac. “Even if we never see each other again, keep this and remember the best summer ever…and remember me.” Zac took the picture someone had taken of us with the sun setting in the background. He turned it over and smiled, “Taylor Swift…really?” I laughed, “She’s applicable to everyone’s life…I also added the year…so you can’t forget anything.” He walked over to me and pulled me into a tight hug, “I could never forget you Emily.” I took one long breath of his scent before he let me go. “I should probably head out.” I nodded, we shared one last kiss. It was passionate and sad all at the same time. I watched him walk into the woods until I couldn’t see him anymore. I just stood there…hoping he would come back…but as the day got later, he never came back.

Notes

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