7: Special Place

Aaron drove down to a gravel road and before I knew it, we were out in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by trees. I looked around nervously wondering why he brought me here when he said the place he wanted to bring me was special…. or is this the special place? It doesn’t seem so though.

As Aaron parked the car, I couldn’t help but ask "Why are we here?"

My mind was already giving me countless unreasonable answers as to why Aaron brought me here but I shrugged them off pushing the thoughts back, knowing that Aaron would never harm me, at least not when I’ve been nothing but nice to him.

As my mind chattered with thoughts, my gaze was pinned on Aaron. He might have thought I was scared because a small reassuring smile crept on his face and he said "Don’t overthink, I didn’t bring you out here to harm you."

"I wasn’t overthinking or even thinking that. I was just curious," I replied

"If you say so."

I continued "Anyways, where is this your favorite place?"

"Just a few more walks and we’ll be there. The road is kinda bad so that’s why I can’t drive there."

"Alright," I responded as we walked further. There was silence between us but the earthy sounds of birds chirping and frogs yelping were all over the place making it more pleasant to walk by.

As they kept walking, I felt Aaron stealing glances at me as if he wanted to speak to me but was just too nervous to say anything. I turned to him and asked, "Do you have something to tell me?"

"No."

"Then why do you keep stealing glances," I asked

"I was doing that thinking you’ll recognize the place but turns out you didn’t."

"Ohh." I said before turning my gaze around to look at the forest, I was unsure of it for a moment before my attention moved to the tall trees and I said "Wait, isn’t this where I was yesterday; the lakeside."

"Yes but have you been to the end side of the lake?" He asked. I shook my head saying "No” and he smirked "Don’t worry, I’ll take you here, it’s my favorite spot and I think you’re going to love it just right."

I gave him a nod and he walked us there. Aaron seemed to be excited to show me his favorite spot and I’m just wondering why he wants to. Walking for another minute, he stopped "We are here, and I need you to close your eyes first."

"Why?"

"Just trust me okay?"

"Okay." I nodded closing my eyes. Aaron held my hand and walked a few steps with me before he let go of my hand and said "You can open your eyes now."

I followed his advice, and the second I opened my eyes, I saw the bright, shiny stars twinkling in the moonlight, my mouth dropped open in amazement. I felt a wave of awe wash over me as I took in the vastness of the sky, each star shimmering like a jewel against the dark canvas.

When I looked down at the water, the reflection mirrored the beauty above, glowing so vividly that it felt almost magical. "Wow, it’s beautiful."

"It’s the most breathtaking part of the lake, but you know what makes it even more stunning?"

"What?" I eagerly asked

"Every time, at a different moment and from a unique angle, three shooting stars race across the sky. I’m no expert on Earth, but I can tell you, witnessing that is the most incredible experience ever."

I couldn’t help but smile. "How did I not know about this place? I come to the lakeside nearly every day, but I’ve never even thought to come to the beginning of the lake to see how it is."

"Well, now you’re here. I’ve got a mat so you can sit on it and wait for the shooting stars," He said.

I sat down, and he joined me. We both admired the beauty of the place, letting the deep earthy sounds envelop us. After a moment, Aaron asked, "Tell me about yourself, Bella."

"Umm…. I’m Bella." I said with a bit of laughter in my voice

He scoffed, "Let’s be real here."

"I am being real. I’m Bella, I love to swim and dance, and I hate cooking."

"You love to swim?" he asked, sounding shocked.

I nodded, "Yeah, I love swimming."

"Should we go for a swim? I mean, the lake could use two-night swimmers."

"Umm… no thank you."

"But you just said you love swimming."

"I do, but I can’t… I mean, the water seems cold," I replied.

"It’s not cold. Wait, let me prove it to you," he said, standing up and starting to take off his clothes.

"What are you doing?"

"I’m going in so you can see it’s not cold." Now he was just in his boxer briefs, the black material clinging to his body, and he looked really hot.

Aaron jumped into the water and swam for a moment before calling out, "The water is warm, Bella!" From my spot on the grass, I watched as droplets fell from his hair, and he pushed his soaked locks back, wiping his face with one hand.

"You sure?" I asked.

"Yes, I’m a hundred percent sure. You can come in now."

"Okay," I replied, standing up and pulling my shirt off over my head. When I glanced back at Aaron, I caught him staring at me, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide, slowly taking in my body. My stomach tightened into a knot as I realized he was checking me out.

Finally, in just my bra and undies, he said, "Come in." His voice was husky, and his gaze remained intensely fixed on me.

I jumped into the water, and just like he said, it was warm. I smiled and started swimming as Aaron swam toward me. I noticed he was trying to catch up, so I teased, "Catch me if you can!" With that, I swam further away, giggling as he raced after me, clearly a good swimmer just like I was.

When he finally got to me, he pulled me back and I found myself face-to-face with him. His face was wet, his hair was equally wet, and that only made him look more attractive.

Aaron’s eyes still on me, he said "I think I’m a better swimmer than you."

"That’s not true. I’m the best."

"Oh really," he said softly swimming closer to me making us just inches away from each other.

The smile on his face was infectious, drawing me in, and just as I was about to speak, he pulled me flush against him, our bodies fitting together perfectly. "Stay back," he whispered, his voice low and filled with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine.

I nodded and he smirked, his hands suddenly sliding down to my legs. He began to trail his fingers along my skin, moving slowly and deliberately, teasingly gliding between my thighs. A wave of warmth washed over me as his fingers danced along my thighs before moving even closer. The smirk on his face deepened as his hand shifted from my thighs to my waist, pulling me even tighter against him.

Our eyes locked, and in that moment, it felt like the world around us faded away and it was just Aaron and I. Without a second thought, he leaned in to kiss me, and I closed my eyes, ready to savor the sweetness of his lips. But when I felt nothing, I opened my eyes to see Aaron still smirking at me. "Turn around, there’s a shooting star."

In an instant, I turned around, not wanting to miss it. My breath caught in my throat as I gazed up at the sky, my eyes wide with awe. "Wow! I’ve never seen a shooting star before; it’s so beautiful," I breathed, captivated.

"Yes it is, it’s one of a million kinds of beauty." He replied

I nodded still looking at the sky while I felt his eyes on me as if I was more worth looking at than the beautiful sky. After a moment, Aaron finally spoke "I think we should leave now, I don’t want your parents worrying, wondering where you are." He said I agreed with him and we both swam back to the grass.

I put on my clothes and while he was wearing his, I couldn’t help but smile at him. In the water, I felt something between him and me. I don’t know what that feeling was but it was strong and I think I like it.