Blake
Chloe and I are settled in at the cabin. She is in complete awe of the place. I think if she could, she would stay here. This weekend will be good for her. I plan on making it a great weekend for her because she deserves it after everything she has been through.
“How about some iced coffee, and we can take it down my lake and sit there until lunchtime?” I suggest.
Chloe smiles brightly, “Yes, please, you make the best iced coffee.”
I head to the kitchen to make them. Chloe follows me through. I think she is still a little nervous about being somewhere new. I don’t mind her following me if it makes her feel more at ease. She hops up on the counter and watches me make them.
“Vanilla or caramel today?” I ask.
“Hmm, caramel, please.” She replies.
I make her caramel one, and I go for vanilla. I hand one of the cups to her, and she beams, taking a drink from the straw.
“Enough caramel in it?”
“Yes. Thank you. It is delicious.” She smiles.
I help her down from the counter, and we head outside. I rest my free hand on the small of her back.
“It is beautiful here,” she gushes.
“Yes, it is.”
I wasn’t looking at the view when I answered. I am looking at her. Thankfully, she doesn’t notice. I like her a lot and more than in a friendly way, but I would never tell her that. She isn’t ready for it, and I don’t want her to think she owes me in any way. I am fine with us being friends. I can push my feelings aside. It is the right thing.
We walk down the dock and sit on the edge of it, our feet dangling over it. Chloe rests her head on my shoulder.
“Thank you for bringing me here, Blake. It is peaceful, safe, and away from all the noise.” She whispers.
I kiss the top of her head, “You are welcome, angel.”
Chloe snuggles in closer to me when I do. I slip my free arm around her shoulder.
“Swimming tomorrow?” she asks.
“Whatever you want,” I answer.
Chloe smiles up at me and sits up straight to drink. We become silent. It is a comfortable one, though. I enjoy our moments of silence together. I know that may seem strange, but it is surprisingly relaxing.
“I think I want to swim now,” I announce, breaking the silence.
“I will wait until tomorrow if that is okay?” she whispers.
“Chloe, of course, it is okay.” I smile.
It breaks my heart whenever she feels she needs to ask my permission for things. I know it is an after-effect of the abuse she had suffered for years.
“Sorry, I sometimes forget I don’t need to ask you if it is okay for me to do things,” she sighs, seeming ashamed.
I rest my hand on her knee, “You don’t need to apologise. I understand why you do, and I hope soon you will realise you don’t need to do it anymore.” I reply softly.
Chloe nods and pushes her hair behind her ear. I jump to my feet and strip down to my boxers.
“Please be careful, Blake,” Chloe says.
“I will, beautiful. Promise.”
I dive into the water and come straight up to the surface because Chloe starts to panic. It is pretty cold, but it does feel good.
“How is it?” she asks.
“Cold, but nice. Are you sure you don’t want to come in?”
“Positive. Tomorrow, promise.” She replies.
I take a short swim, not wanting to travel too far in case Chloe becomes anxious. By the time I swim back to her, she is standing up.
“Chloe, are you okay?”
“Yes. I am considering coming in. It seems inviting.” She snickers.
“You should! You can put my tee on if you want, or we can head inside to get you something to wear.”
I should have probably gotten her a swimming costume before we came, but I wasn’t thinking at the time.
“No, it is okay. I can come in, in my underwear. Can you please turn around?”
I don’t hesitate and turn away from her. I keep my back to her. I hear a small splash on the water. The next thing I know, she is jumping on my back and giggling in my ear.
I laugh loudly and turn my head to look at her. Chloe has a massive smile on her lips, and her eyes are bright and filled with excitement. She jumps off after a moment, and I face her.
Chloe starts throwing the water at me, laughing the entire time.
“Hey!” I pout and do it back to her.
It doesn’t take long for us to get into a water fight like a pair of kids. It is nice to watch her laughing and having fun. It continued for the next ten minutes before we stopped.
Chloe swims over to me, grinning from ear to ear. She stops, slips her arms around my neck, and kisses my cheek.
“That was fun. I always have fun with you, Blake.”
“Good. I had fun too. I enjoy spending my time with you.”
I reach in and push the wet hair from her eyes. She closes her eyes and moves into my touch.
“You always make me feel safe, Blake.” She breathes out.
“I always want you to feel safe, Chloe. I promise no one will hurt you ever again.”
I mean every word. She opens her eyes to look at me. I hear her draw in a breath.
“Blake, I need to tell you something. But even once I tell you, I am not ready for things to change yet.”
I can hear the nervousness in her voice. I have no idea what she could possibly need to tell me.
“You can tell me anything, angel.”
Chloe doesn’t say anything at first. I didn’t push. She would tell me what she needed when she was ready.
“I need to ask something first, though, and I want you to be honest with me. Promise you will be honest?”
“I promise. I am always honest with you.” I smile.
“Are you attracted to me?”
She chews on her lips nervously as she waits for my answer.
“Yes.” I blurt out.
I promised to be truthful. I wait for her reaction. She becomes anxious, but then she smiles.
“Thank you for telling me the truth. Now, it is my turn. I like you, Blake. I have feelings for you. I am at my happiness around you. Even on a bad day, I know it will be okay because you are around. No one has ever made me feel safe before until you. I am still struggling with everything that happened. Still broken, and it will take time until I am ready for anything else, but I needed you to know.”
Chloe searches my eyes, trying to work out what my thoughts are. I didn’t expect her to say something like that.
“I like you too, Chloe. I didn’t want to tell you because I know you are vulnerable. I know you are still hurting and have been through a lot. I didn’t want to overstep.”
“Can you wait for me, Blake? If not, I would understand.”
I can hear the hopefulness in her tone.
“Yes, I can wait for you, angel. We go at her your pace.” I smile and plant a kiss on her forehead.
Chloe smiles sweetly, “Thank you. You are a good man, Blake.”
I bring her to my chest and hug her. She happily hugs back. I couldn’t stop smiling. It makes me happy she feels the same.
I will wait for as long as she needs. It has been a long time since I have felt these things for someone.