A MISUNDERSTANDING
Chapter Six
A Swim
Cal sat on the hill overlooking
the lake. Night had long since fallen, and the purple sky blended in with the
lake like a wet watercolor. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, trying
desperately to figure out what to do. Who do I love? I love them both. But I
love Rose more. But is this how I felt when Isabella and I were newlyweds? Love
isn’t supposed to be like this. Maybe I don’t belong with either of them. But I
do. And my heart, body, and soul know who. God, I wish they’d tell my brain
already.
Suddenly, he heard a splash. He
instantly stood up and walked towards the lake. He was knee-deep in water
before he spotted her. There’s an angel in my lake! he thought to
himself in amazement. Never had there been such a beautiful creature. In fact,
upon seeing her, an angel might actually have cried out in jealousy. His entire
being thrummed by being so near to this portrait of perfection. He wouldn’t
care a single bit if he died right then. His life was fulfilled.
Suddenly, the figure turned.
Rose screamed in surprise as she
saw Cal staring straight at her.
*****
Rose sat in her room. How long
have I been in here? Jeez, I really should have thought that I’ll be in my room
thing through. Her leg was cramping and the room felt stifling hot, so she
got up to open her window. Outside, the lake caught her eye and beckoned her
toward it.
Tentatively, she made her way out
of the house.
She sat near the lake, the calm,
peaceful waters lapping over her ankles. No wind stirred, and the heat pounded
against her skin. With a cautious look back towards the house, Rose ran into
the water. She let it envelop her body and carry her in its arms. She was so
happy, she didn’t realize until much later that she should have taken her dress
off first, because it was now soaked and completely see-through. Oh, well. I’ve
got bigger problems to deal with, anyway.
For once, the weight seemed
lifted off her shoulders as she floated in the lake. She sensed something wrong
and demurely turned her head to the side.
"Cal!" she screamed in
surprise as she saw him staring right at her.
*****
Rose queasily walked until she
was closer to Cal and the water barely reached her waist. How did she get
herself into these things, anyway? "Cal, I’m so sorry. It was so hot, and
I needed some fresh air, and..." She noticed him staring at her body. It
was then that she looked down and the shock of what she must look like to him
made her madly scramble to cover herself. In the wild attempt, she fell back
into the water. Sputtering, she desperately tried to stand back up on the
slippery ground.
Trying to suppress the laughter
bubbling up his throat, Cal also waded further into the water to help her up.
He held out his hand, but when he tried to pull her up she slipped and landed
on her bottom again. This time, he couldn’t help himself. He burst out
laughing. Unfortunately, this caused him to lose his balance and end up right
beside her. They both laughed until they clutched at their sides and had to wipe
away the tears from their eyes.
Finally, they each helped the
other up and walked back to the small strip of grassy beach. Out of the water,
they leaned against each other, all laughter gone. Their clothes were wet, and
Cal realized just how close their bodies were. Rose also realized it.
"Cal. It’s now or never. Me
or Isabella? If you pick me, I expect to be the only woman in your life for as
long as we both live. If you pick Isabella, we can’t see each other
again."
For the first time since seeing her
back in Pennsylvania, Cal gave Rose a long, passionate kiss. He whispered,
"I choose you."