The Good Life

I woke up, I didn’t know what time it was, the last thing I remembered was, the lodge, and Joe. I tried lifting my eyelids to see where I was but they were so heavy, I moved my hand around trying to find the warm body that should have been next to me but it wasn’t there, I panicked and forced my eyes open to see darkness, I shot up and tightened my grip on the blankets around me, “JOE!” I tried to scream but my voice came out raspy, hoarse, and barely there. I began to cry, my sobs were louder than my voice and I heard running footsteps and then the lights flicked on, illuminating the our bedroom in the cabin and allowing me to see him, there he was, in a pair of sweatpants and shirtless, the sight of him made me cry even harder and I pushed my sore body from where I laid and stood on the bed and met him at the edge, no words were spoken, I just collapsed onto him and cried.
After a while I pulled back and attempted to wipe my face as I looked at his face to notice that tears were sliding down his cheeks from his eyes that were bloodshot and red and puffy, he was paler than usual and looked exhausted, he stared at me in the eyes, “Kay.” He said as he stroked my face, tucking hair behind my ear, “You scared the living shit out of me.” I laid my head on his shoulder, forcing hoarse words out of my sore throat, “I’m sorry I didn’t know what else to do, you had been gone for three hours and I couldn’t find my phone and the phone lines were dead and I just didn’t care, I just wanted you. So I ran.” He played with the ends of my hair as he answered me, “I tried to call and call but you weren’t answering, I figured you were sleeping, then I ran into you at the lodge and just the sight of you like that...I thought I was going to lose you,” he paused shaking his head, “I’ve never been so scared in my life, I haven’t slept since we got back here, I just—” I pulled back and looked at him, “How long has it been?” he tilted his head to the side, “Well, it happened Friday morning and it is now, one o’clock, Saturday.” He said looking over at the clock.

I nodded my head, “What happened to me?” He laid back on the bed and pulled my head into the nook under his chin, and he pulled the blanket over us, “Well, they called the medic they have on staff and he said that you passed out from exhaustion and that your body had pretty much shut down and that you’d be out for a while, he gave me some heat retaining blankets and told me to take you back here and um,” he gulped, “Uh, give you a um, bath to pretty much thaw you out and then put you to bed to recuperate.” I pulled back and looked at his face flushed red with embarrassment, “You had to give me a bath?” he nodded and I dropped my head into my hands thinking ‘Okay he gave me a bath…that means I was…naked, oh just wonderful, the first time he sees me fully naked I’m freakin’ incoherent, well that’s romantic’ I slowly let out a muffled, “Ugh, I’m so embarrassed.” He picked my head up out of my hands, “Kay, its okay, I’d do anything for you.” He always knew the right thing to say, “God, I love you.” I said as I settled my self on top of him and planted a slow, sweet kiss on his lips. “Let’s go to sleep.” He let out a yawn and nodded his head settling back under the covers, I laid in his arms for a while listening to his slow, deep breathing and then heard a low, “I love you so much Kayden, I don’t know what I would’ve done with myself if I would have lost you.” I squeezed him tighter to let him know I heard him and slowly fell back asleep to the steady rhythm of the only heart that beat for me and me only, his.

I woke up the next morning at 7:30, it was early, but i wasn't tired I'd slept for almost 48 hours, I looked over at Joe who was sprawled out in an awkward position as he slept, causing a smile to spread across my face. I kissed his forehead and slowly got up not only because of my sore body but because I didn’t want to wake him, he hadn’t slept at all and I knew he was exhausted. I walked into the kitchen stretching my arms above my head and letting out a yawn. I started the coffee pot and figured I’d make a big breakfast since it was our last day here, I made eggs, toast and pancakes and opened the can of fruit Joe had insisted we bought at Wal Mart but hadn’t touched it since we got here and set it on the table. It had been an hour so I set my coffee mug down next to the sink and washed my hands before I went to wake Joe. I was drying my hands when I heard his bare feet walking on the floor and turned to see him straining his eyes behind his glasses from the sunlight pouring in from the windows and running a hand through his hair, we said nothing he just walked to me and laid his head on my shoulder, slipping his arms around my waist, I smiled and wrapped and arm across his toned back and one around his neck playing with the back of his hair.

We stood there a while before I croaked out, “Hi.” My voice had gotten hoarser since yesterday. He breathed out a small laugh into my shoulder, “Ugh, I sound like a man.” I whined, he pulled back and set a hand on either side of me on the counter, trapping me in between his arms, “Actually,” he said bending over and bringing his mouth to my ear and planting a small kiss on it, “I think its extremely hot.” Then he slowly kissed down my neck to the hollow in between my collar bones slowly sucking on it making me lean my head backwards and tangle my hands into his hair and lowly moaning his name, this caused him to drag his nose up my neck and grabbing a hand at the back of my neck pushing my head up and meeting his ready lips, he slightly pushed me up against the counter and I tilted my head and softly bit his bottom lip, he answered my request by slipping his tongue into my mouth I pulled him closer to me and arched my back against the counter pushing into him, he let out a moan into my mouth and I detached my lips from his leaning my head back, he immediately began to kiss my neck as I caught my breath, he was doing wonders to the skin below my right ear when he quickly looked up at the table behind me and pushed himself away from me a bit, “You made breakfast?” I crossed my arms over my chest, “Way to ruin the moment Joe.” He looked at me with a sly grin, “Oh, I’m not done with you yet,” he said with a wink and a huge grin, “I’m just hungry.”

We ate and talked about how much we didn’t want to leave and how little we actually did when we were here but hey, that was kind of the point, to come and relax. We finished eating and I called my dad and Joe called his mom to tell them when we were leaving, we decided not to tell anyone about my little episode so they wouldn’t worry, we had also forgot to call them when we got here and both of us let our phones die, yeah, we got some grief for that. Joe hung up with his mom and watched me as I talked to my dad, I stood and walked to window covered wall and placed a hand on the cold glass as my dad continued to tell me about the new ‘exciting’ things going on at his office, I really didn’t want to leave this place. I felt Joe come and stand beside me, I leaned into him and told my dad I had to go. We said our goodbyes and ‘I love yous’ and hung up. Joe wrapped an arm around my shoulder, “I don’t want to leave.” I said looking up and meeting his eyes, “I love it here…with you.” He smiled and looked out the window, “Then lets come here, it can be our hiding spot, away from everyone.” I smiled, “I’d like that but, during vacation season we won’t have much luck in being able to stay here.” He shook his head, “Are you going to shower before we leave?” He asked.

“Yeah…”

“Alright then, I’m going to bring the keys back to the lodge and then I’ll come take a quick shower and we can leave.”

I looked at him with worried eyes, and said in a barely audible voice, “Please don’t leave me.”

“K, nothings going to happen to me, I promise, I’ll be back before you know it.”

I nodded and let out a sigh, “Okay, please be careful.” He kissed my forehead and grabbed our keys off the table by the door, “I love you.” He said as he turned around.

“I love you, too.” I said with a weak smile and turned to clear the dishes off the table and brought them to the sink to wash them. I finished washing all the dishes and went and grabbed the bag to put our snacks and groceries that we could take home, I dumped out the milk and packed the Gatorade and the 4 pack of Red Bull that we had left and set it by the door. I laid out some clothes for Joe and I for the ride home and picked up all of our other clothes laying around the room, shoving them into our suitcases and drug both of our suitcases to the door. I grabbed my pillows off the huge bed and was walking out the room when I saw the song I had written about Joe sitting on the table, I picked it up and read them over smiling to myself, I folded the paper and stuck it inside a pillowcase. I threw the pillows next to our suitcases by the door leaving only our bathroom stuff.

I took off the shirt and sweatpants off that I wore to bed and went and shoved them in my suitcase walking back to the bathroom I turned on the shower and took off my bra and underwear and wrapped a towel around my body and pulling myself onto the counter to wipe off the chipping nail polish from my toes. Just then I heard the door shut. “Joe?” I yelled through the open door. “Yeah, it’s me.” His voice was getting closer. He walked straight past the bathroom and into the closet. “Have you showered?” He yelled from the next room.

I hopped off the counter as he walked into the door frame wearing only his boxers, obviously thinking it was his turn to shower and looked at me confused, “Nope.” I said as I turned away from him and walking to the opaque door of the walk in shower and let the towel fall from my grasp as I walked in turning my head to look at him one last time, he was standing there wide eyed and his mouth gapped open a little. I let out a silent laugh as I shut the door. I was hoping he’d come join me but I wasn’t sure if I was being to forward. Then I began to worry, ‘Oh shit, he thinks I’m a whore, God, why can’t you control yourse—” I was distracted by the door opening and there he was, in all his glory.

He looked up at me with an unsure smile on his face, I bit my lip and nodded my head, motioning for him to come in, and he shut the door and took the two steps it took to get over to me. I tried not to stare but I couldn’t help but look him up and down, he was beautiful. He noticed me looking at him and blushed a deep shade of red, and averted his eyes towards the door. I put my hand on the side of his face and slightly pushed it so he would face me. He still wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Joe,” I said in a soft voice, why are you acting like this?” Then he looked at me, “I don’t know, I just want to make you happy.” I softened my expression, “Joe, you do make me happy, happier than I’ve ever been, and it’s because of you.” A smile grew on his face and he leaned forward and planted a kiss on the corner of my mouth. I backed up letting the water fully pour down on me and Joe took a few steps forward grabbing the shampoo bottle and squeezing some in his hands and running it through my hair, I smiled up at him as he began to wash it out. We switched places and I did his hair while standing on my tippy toes. He laughed as I tried to reach the top of his head, and when I went to go around him to get the back I slipped and he grabbed me around my waist, one of my arms was wrapped around his waist and the other was on the side of his neck, my thumb grazing his cheek. We stared at each other for a few moments before he gently pushed me to the back wall still staring at me, his eyes full of lust, I felt my back hit the wall and I grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his lips to mine. He deepened the kiss and I tightened my hold on him pulling him closer to me. We stood there each battling for domination over the other’s mouth when I felt him against my leg; I pulled back reluctantly and looked at him with questioning eyes, “Kay, as much as I want and as much as I know you want it, now isn’t the time or place.” He said stepping back.

I bowed my head feeling like a little kid who just got a smack on the hand for doing something she shouldn’t be doing. “Joe, I’m sorr—” He shook his head, “Kayden, don’t you dare.” He said. “I want this just as bad as you do, but you and I both know if it happens right now, it won’t be what we’ve been waiting for since we’ve been together,” he put his finger under my chin and pushed my face up to look at him, I smiled up at him, he looked at me as if saying ‘Am I right?’ I nodded, “You’re right.” I said and pecked his lips I. Love. You. I said pecking his lips in between each word. “I love you too.” He said, then turned back to wash all the soap off of him. I slipped out the door ad wrapped a towel around myself and walked into the bedroom drying myself off I got dressed and started blow drying my hair. I let it go wavy and was putting on my mascara when Joe walked out the shower door, I watched him get out through the mirror, trying very hard for it to look like I was preoccupied with my mascara but I wasn’t very good at hiding the fact I was staring at him, but who can blame me?

I just smiled to myself and put my mascara back into my makeup case and threw it into the bag for our bathroom stuff. I walked out the room and began loading our stuff in the car, Joe ran outside, “I got it babe, go back inside, it’s cold.” I nodded and started the car and turned on the heater and walked back into the cabin taking one last look around to make sure we didn’t forget anything. I stopped in front of the windows, “I’m going to miss this.” I whispered to myself. “Me too.” I heard from behind me, Joe walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind me; I leaned my head back and shut my eyes, “Back to the hustle bustle of Hollywood.” He sighed at my statement and grabbed my hand and spun me out and back to him and then dipped me, and pulled me back up to him as we swayed back and forth to no music. I laid my head on his chest and breathed him in. “I just want to stay here with you forever.” He whispered into my ear. I nodded my head into his chest, and let out a muffled, “Mmhmm.” He picked up his hand and looked at his watch, “It's almost noon. we should get going.” I pulled back and looked up at him with a pout he stooped down to my level and kissed me. He slowed his kisses to pecks and looked at me, “You’re more than I could ever ask for, you know that? I love you so much.” I rubbed my hands up and down his back, “You know what I ask myself every day?” He smiled that grin of his, “What?”

“How did I get so lucky? I came to this town with no expectations except to save up so money for whatever it is I decide to do with my life, and met you, you this bangin’ rock star who has completely and totally captured my heart and I don’t want it back.”

He smiled down at me and entrapped me in a bear hug.

Ok so, I know we were being so mushy but to me it felt like we were saying goodbye to a part of our relationship, we were officially over the awkward stage and were getting more serious about each other and moving on to bigger and better things together and this place, this vacation had made it all happen.

Joe kissed my forehead and walked to the door, I stood there for a minutes and he reached out his hand, “Come on babe, let’s go home.” I took one last look and grabbed his hand and we made our way to the car.

Back to Hollywood, oh joy.