Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 124135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 621(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 621(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
They tingled as he shut the door and got into the driver’s seat. He threaded his hand through mine. He never let go as he drove slowly out of my street and onto the country roads.
I stared out of the window, watching the world pass us by. I loved this world. I loved my life. I wasn’t sure many people thought that on a day-to-day basis. But it was often my most poignant thought.
I wanted to live. I wanted the possibilities that lay ahead. I wanted to see the countries I’d only ever dreamed of visiting. Cromwell squeezed my hand. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. I wanted to hear the music Cromwell would create. I wanted to be beside him, seeing his work come to life.
Cromwell took a right down a country road. The lake was this way. As his truck entered the parking area, I saw a small wooden boat, two oars ready at its side, waiting at the end of the wooden dock.
My blood warmed with affection. I turned to Cromwell. “A boat…”
Cromwell nodded, putting his hooded leather jacket on over his thick black sweater. He looked so handsome like this. “You said you like to be on the lake.” Half of me melted at the sweetness this gesture held. But the other stilled. Cromwell had said we would do this after my heart came. When I was better.
I wasn’t a fool. And nor was he.
The days kept passing. And with every fading minute, I grew weaker and weaker.
The heart may never come. Which meant that this ride would never come. My lip trembled as he looked at me, a sudden rush of fear taking me in its grip.
Cromwell quickly leaned in and pressed his forehead to mine. “I still believe you’ll get the heart, baby. I just wanted to give you this now. Get you out of the house. I’m not giving up.”
The tension in me drained away on hearing the sincerity in his voice. “Okay,” I whispered back. Cromwell kissed me again and got out of the truck. I was sure I’d never get sick of his kisses. When he opened my door and the cool breeze drifted through, I closed my eyes and just breathed. I could smell the green of the leaves. The freshness of the lake.
And of course I could smell Cromwell. His leather jacket. The musk of the cologne he wore and the faint smell of cigarette smoke.
“You ready?”
I smiled and nodded my head. Cromwell lifted me out of the truck and picked up my oxygen tank. As we walked slowly down the dock, I neglected looking at the lake for just a few minutes. Instead I stared at Cromwell. At his olive skin. At the stubble on his cheeks. At the blue of his eyes and the long, black lashes that framed their unique color.
Despite its weakness, in this moment my heart felt strong. And I was sure that if someone were to look into its depths, Cromwell was who they would see. Cromwell must have felt me looking as he peeked down at me. I wasn’t even embarrassed about it. “You’re so handsome…” I said, my voice swept away by the breeze.
Cromwell stopped dead. His eyes closed for a moment. Then he leaned down and kissed me again. Butterfly wings fluttered in my chest. When he pulled back, I slipped my hand from around his neck and placed it on his cheek. Telling him without words how I felt.
After all, love was beyond words.
Cromwell stepped into the boat. It rocked slightly as he lowered me onto the seat. I leaned back and took a deep breath. Cromwell laid a blanket around me then took the oars in his hands. “Do…do you know what you’re doing?” I asked.
His wide smile took away the small amount of breath I had in my lungs. “Just thought I’d wing it.” We pulled off onto the lake, and Cromwell quickly got the hang of using the oars. I smiled as we glided along the still water, the oars rippling the water around us. Cromwell met my eyes and winked. I couldn’t help but laugh. The sound came out as a wheeze, but even that didn’t stop me from cherishing the moment.
I decided I liked this side of Cromwell best. The one where he was free. Where he was funny, no walls guarding his heart. He looked off to the side of the lake, where the trees were thicker, as if they were cocooning us into a private world just for us. And I was struck. Struck that this boy from England, the prince of EDM, was here with me right now. The boy who was born with a melody in his heart and a symphony in his soul was on this, my favorite lake, rowing us along the water like it was the most natural thing in the world.