ILY

ILY and This Lake

The usual 30-minute drive to Topaz’s home took Jethro a short 15 minutes. He tried not to beat any red lights but he drove as fast as he could to her place.

He tried not to sound too hurried when he parked the car outside Layton’s driveway. When he got out of the car he was almost running towards the door. Every second mattered. Why did he fall asleep last night? If he only waited longer he might have read the message and gone over to Topaz’s place as soon as he received the text message.

He knocked twice before someone opened the door. It was Michael.

“Can I help you?” Michael said and suddenly realized that he seemed to know him. “Oh, you are Jethro, right?” he said.

“Yeah, Is Topaz here?” He asked, trying to control himself from peeking inside the house.

“She is upstairs. I am about to leave. You can go up to see her. Auntie is not around. She won’t be back until later this afternoon.” He said before getting out of the door.

It felt weird. It was as if Michael was already expecting him. Maybe Topaz told her about their plans.

“Hey,” Jethro called out to Michael, who was already on the sidewalk. “I do not know.”

‘First room on the right after the stairs.” Michael replied without even waiting for him to complete his question.

He entered the house and closed the door behind him. He carefully headed to the stairs. It was a charming home, almost as big as their house. There was a small living room on the second floor with a television on it.

Jethro knocked on the door, the first one on the right, as Michael mentioned. “Topaz?” He said.

“Come in.” She answered softly.

“You texted me last night. I am so sorry I fell asleep.” Jethro said the moment he saw Topaz. She was sitting on her chair looking out the window when he entered.

Topaz turned to her. Her cheeks were all read. ‘Sorry, but it was supposed to be sent to Michael. Mom was about to leave early. She had a last-minute booking at the shop so he had to come back so I won’t be left alone.” She said sheepishly. “I tried to call you earlier to explain but your phone was off.

“Oh, my battery went dead. I forgot to charge it last night.” He said. Good thing he fell asleep. If not, he might have arrived awkwardly here last night.

“Sorry,” Topaz said.

“No, it’s fine. Looks like I came at perfect timing this time. Michael just left and your Mom doesn’t seem to be around.” He said, shrugging at the misunderstanding. It was still a win. He was with Topaz right now.

“Did you have your breakfast?” He asked Topaz.

“Just coffee. Michael is in a hurry. But there is food in the fridge,” She said.

“Anyway, did he really leave you here? How are you supposed to eat later?” Jethro suddenly realized.

“Well,” Topaz seemed awkward to answer his question but she still did. “I knew you were going to come, because of the message last night. So I told him not to worry about me since you would be coming over.” She managed to complete her sentence even with hesitation.

“And to think I overslept. Let’s get you breakfast. Better yet, let’s get outside. The sun is up, the weather is great. Let’s get you someplace nice.” Jethro did not know where the idea came from. He did not think about it earlier. But it sounded just perfect to say that moment.

“Really?” Topaz sounded excited.

“Yeah. But I am telling your Mom first.” He grabbed his phone.

“Hello, Mrs. Layton?”

“Yeah. I am at your place and I was wondering if I could take Topaz outside. Get some fresh air?

Topaz was patiently listening. She wanted to ask Jethro to turn the loudspeaker on but was too excited that she forgot about that phone feature.

“Yeah, I’ll bring her back just in time for dinner,” Jethro said. “Thanks, Mrs. Layton, we will see you later.

Her Mom agreed. Well, it was not a surprise. Her Mom liked Jethro a lot. Topaz thought. She had no issues when Jethro was staying overnight with her at the hospital. She wouldn’t make a fuss about going out in the light of day.

“How about you grab some change of clothes. You know, just in case we need them.”Jethro told Topaz?

“Why?” Topaz was curious. Why would she need a change of clothes?

“Just grab some. You’ll never know.” Jethro said.

Jethro carried Topaz’s backpack behind him and then lifted her with both hands from her wheelchair. She blushed a bit feeling the warmth of Jethro’s skin on hers.

He carefully brought her downstairs and placed her on the sofa before he took the wheelchair and carried it down below.

“I’ll just put this inside the car and then I’ll get you, OK? He said as he headed for the door.

Jethro quickie put her things at the back of the SUV. He checked if Clyde’s duffel bag was inside. It was. He could wear his clothes. There was also a mat and a blanket at the back of the car. Clyde was always ready for anything.

He went back inside the house to get Topaz. “Do you know where your Mom leave the keys?”

“Just lock up the front door. We’ll just turn on the security alarm.” Topaz told Jethro who was already carrying her.

“Alright then.” Jethro tried not to look as Topaz inputted the code on their alarm system.

“There, we have a minute to close the door or the alarm goes off.” Topaz told Jethro.

“Ready now?” He asked.

“I guess,” Topaz answered, smiling and blushing at the same time.

Jethro locked the door behind them and gently carried Topaz to the passenger seat. After securing her seatbelt, he went to the driver's seat and turned the music on.

‘We’ll just grab fast food on the way. Do you have anything in mind?” He asked.

“Anything, surprise me,” Topaz said.

They went to the nearest Starbucks to grab some coffee and pastries but also entered the drive-thru of the McDonalds when Topaz pointed in out on their way to their destination.

Topaz already started with her fries and was feeding Jethro as they drive to their destination. Jethro did not give clues where they were headed but Topaz would come anywhere with Jethro right now. It was far better than her bedroom window or in front of the television.

To her surprise, after an hour of driving, they arrived at Timothy Lake. The place was almost to themselves except for some locals who rent the boats and own some small shops there.

“I know it’s close to noon but surprise, we are having a picnic!” Jethro told Topaz.

Jethro carefully parked the SUV so that its tail would face the lake. He opened it and grab the mat and the blanket to place beneath the ground close to where the car was.

He then went back to get Topaz from the passenger seat and gently helped her seat on the blanket.

“You seemed ready for a picnic. Did you plan this? Topaz sounded impressed and happy.

“Clyde is the one always prepared. He has all this stuff tucked at the back of his car and yet he just stays all day inside his bedroom.” He said, sitting close to Topaz. “Would you believe there is a huge umbrella tucked there too? Do you want me to set it up?”

“No, the sun is just right. Besides, I haven’t been really out that much. It’s nice to enjoy the warmth of the sun and the air outside. This is really nice surprise from you. Thanks.” She patted his arm and then gently pulled her hands away.

“Wait, I’ll just grab our food so we could eat properly,” Jethro said. He had to move away a bit. He knew his cheeks were starting to feel flushed.

They silently ate their brunch as they talked about the places they have been around Portland. Jethro had no idea that Topaz loved the outdoors. He promised to bring her around the different parks in the area on their next trip.

After eating, Jethro thought about something. He just hoped that Topaz was up to it.

“Would you like to swim?” He said.

“Huh” Topaz was quite surprised. Is Jethro serious?

“You know how to swim right?” He asked Topaz.

“Yeah, but that was back when..”

“That’s all that matters.”Jethro interrupted her. “And I am a great swimmer too. Just trust me, this will be fun.

Jethro began removing his shirt and then his pants. He was wearing the black shorts that he wore when he slept last night. Of course, Topaz did not know that.

“Fine, as long as you don’t let me drown, OK?” Topaz agreed and began to remove her blouse. Jethro turned around and did not see that she was wearing a sports bra. She gently pulled her skirt too. Topaz was in black panties that passed as a bikini.

“Ready.” She said.

Now it was Jethro’s turn to feel awkward.

But he was the one who asked her to swim so he carried her with both hands. Topaz gently placed her arms around Jethro’s neck as he carried her.

For a second their eyes caught each other. Both of them could feel the heat on their cheeks and the tension between the two of them.