23 November 2012
“Maddie!” Ethan shouted, hearing her name echo into the woods.
“Yeah?” came a soft drawl behind his shoulder.
Ethan jumped at her voice as he turned around to face her.
“You scared the shit out of me!” he chastised her as he pulled her into his arms. Not caring that she was wet, he was felt the immediate relief at knowing she was safe again. “That wasn’t funny you know” he continued, the adrenaline still pumping through his body. Holding her tighter, he closed his eyes as he inhaled her unique scent of berries and honey.
“Ethan, sorry it was a joke. I’m fine and you’re now squeezing me to death” she mumbled from his shoulder. Putting her arms around him, she looked up at his face and placed kisses on his jaw.
“Come swim with me” she said with a smile on her lips to placate him.
“Just let me hold you for a few more minutes” he murmured against her lips as he kissed her softly. Maddie listened to his heartbeat as Ethan held her in his arms, feeling guilty for worrying him.
They stayed like that for a while; the sound of his heartbeat mixing in with the sounds of the river, the occasional trill of birds breaking the silence of the peaceful scenery.
“So what about that swim?” Ethan asked over her head, his hand stroking her lower back. Remembering she was only dressed in barely there underwear, Ethan stroked the top of her lacy boyshorts before pinching her ass.
“Yeah swim time, not payback time” Maddie joked as she pulled away from his arms and went back into the water.
Walking in behind her, Ethan tried to forget about his previous panic and enjoy the day. It had been a harmless prank, and she had definitely pulled one over him.
Maddison spent the next hour playing and splashing Ethan, hoping to erase the memory of what had happened earlier. The river had been quite gentle and while Ethan could tread the bottom, she had to hold onto him as swimming wasn’t her strongest ability. “Wanna get some pictures of the sunset?” Ethan asked as he held Maddie in his arms, her long legs wrapped around his waist. “Hmm yeah that’s a great idea” Maddie murmured as she leaned back to float on the water. Ethan groaned, the position was definitely one out of his fantasies and he knew it was definitely time to get dressed and remove temptation out of his face…and his crotch.
“Come on lazy, first one to get dressed doesn’t have to pack up” Ethan threw the challenge to her, hoping to distract his mind from amorous thoughts.
Maddison squealed as she let go of his hips, before kicking into a breast stroke to reach land before him. Ethan gave her a head start, knowing he could have won but he needed the extra few seconds to get his body into check. By the time he leisurely reached the blanket, Maddie was drying her hair with a towel. Picking up the spare towel from his bag, he dried his hair before shrugging on his jeans. He stayed shirtless as he bent down to pack up the picnic basket. Leaving two drinks and a sandwich out for Maddie, Ethan grabbed the blanket while Maddie sat in the sun, her auburn hair a darker shade than usual.
“I love watching you move” Maddie said, her blue eyes hidden under her sunglasses. “Yeah? Well right back at you babe” Ethan said in a drawl, trying to inflict his best cowboy accent. “Stick to what you know” Maddie said as she laughed, “Maine runs too deep in your soul for you to be anything but a soon to be city slicker” she continued, shaking her hair as a soft breeze came through.
Taking the basket and the blanket back to his car, Ethan put them in the boot before changing into his spare set of underwear and jeans. Pulling his shirt back on as he walked back to Maddie, he found her snapping away at nature. He was proud of her hobby, she had showed him her previous work after weeks of nagging and he knew she had talent. It was just a shame she couldn’t see that clearly for herself.
“Let’s go into the woods for a bit” Maddie said as she grabbed his hand, pulling him forward. As they walked into the woods, Maddie took photos of everything and nothing, while he couldn’t see what it was she saw, he knew it would be a unique photo. The sunlight streamed in through the tops of the trees, creating a unique colour blend of green and orange on the floor. The crunch of leaves echoed beneath their feet, with practically no sounds emitting from the woodland forest.
“The sun’s setting, we should get back” Ethan commented as the air around them got chillier.
“Oh not yet, I just wanna get to the edge of the cliff and see over the river. Thirsty more minutes, please?” Maddie begged, picking up the pace before he even responded.
“Well when you say it like that...”he muttered as caught up with her.
“I heard that” she threw over her shoulder, “I’ll make it up to you, promise” she continued, looking at him with a shy smile.
As they climbed up to the ridge, Ethan noticed a private property sign placed on a fence 100 yards away. Not wishing to get caught by the owners of the land, he pointed out the sign to Maddie.
“We’re nearly there, it’s only for a few minutes, promise!” she exclaimed, her breathing heavy as the incline became steeper. Ethan moved ahead and reached out to grab her hand, lending her some support when it came to navigating the sharp rocks imbedded into the cliff.
As they reached the top, Ethan drew a deep breath and looked over the edge. “Whoa we’re up high” he commented, pulling back as small stones fell to the floor. “Yeah but look at this view, its stunning” Maddie said, looking through the lens of her SLR and capturing the view. Ethan had to admit it was pretty amazing; the orange fire of the sun looked over the city and the countryside of Maine.
As he stepped back to view Maddie with the sunset, her hair set ablaze by the fireball, he had never felt more peaceful and in awe of nature’s beauty. Stepping behind her, he wrapped his arms around her and whispered “I love you” in her ear. She turned, giving him a quick kiss and a smile before continuing to take the photo.
And that’s when his world went black.
Righteous VII • Opuss № I