Read Online Depths of Lake by Keary Taylor - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Keary Taylor
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always make anyone smile.”
A small smile pulls on my own lips as he talks about the man that once held my heart. “Were you two really best friends?”
Still holding my eyes, Lake forms a tiny smile of his own and nods his head. “I never had a better friend than Cal. He didn’t care that I was closed off and didn’t always want to talk and tell stories about home. He’d just tell me to sit down and go off about his stupid high school stories, or his parents, or this girl at home who he always made sure we all knew was the most beautiful woman on the planet.” My face flushes at that. “Cal was just…easy to be around. And there aren’t that many people like that for me.”
I sniff, trying to pull back in the emotion that wants to escape me. I wrap my arms around Lake’s and hug myself tight to him. I lay my head on his shoulder and just sit there for a few minutes.
Lake isn’t Cal. But sitting there with him, it feels like Cal isn’t quite as far away.
“Thank you,” I say quietly. “I miss him. It’s nice hearing about him every once in a while.”
For just a moment, Lake leans his head down, resting his scruffy cheek on top of my head. “You’re welcome. I miss him too.”
And a comfortable silence settles on us for a good long while.
For the first time in a long time, I feel the hard knot in my chest loosen just a bit.
“I know this isn’t great timing and that you don’t really like or trust me that much, but I wanted to ask for a favor,” Lake says after a long stretch of quiet.
“What’s that?” I say, instead of countering the statement that I don’t like or trust him. I’m still not sure on that front.
“I told you how my sister and brother-in-law are part of this big company in Bellevue,” he says as I let him go and sit up. “I don’t really understand what it’s for, but the company is throwing them this big party and Sage invited all the family. Drake and Kaylee are getting a babysitter. Kale’s coming home from New York for a week. Sage is insisting the both of us bring dates.”
My insides stiffen up and it’s immediately obvious my discomfort is showing on the outside.
“You really don’t have to,” Lake rushes on. “I just literally don’t know anyone to bring, and I thought if you just showed up with me, that she’d get off my back about it. It wouldn’t really be like a real date. You’d just be doing me a huge favor.”
I bite my lower lip, staring at Trapper in the next stall over from Trooper.
The last time I went on a date was with Cal, and even then, when you’re engaged to someone, it’s hard to call it a date. No one has asked me out in years. And I’ve barely considered the possibility of men asking me out after Cal died.
“Sorry, forget I said anything,” Lake says, shaking his head and looking away from me. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“No,” I say , surprising myself when I place a hand on his arm, a comforting gesture. “It’s really okay. It’s just… I haven’t done anything…like that, not since Cal died.”
He looks back at me. His eyes are distant, but I swear I can see something swimming just under the surface there. “I know.”
He doesn’t say how he can know, and maybe that should bug me, him saying something like that. But it doesn’t. It’s actually kind of comforting. Like he understands how much Cal meant to me, and how much it crushed my soul when he jumped in front of that IED.
“But if you mean it, that it’s not really a date, I’ll go,” I say. My stomach is full of nerves and uncertainty, but the words come out clear and calm. “You’ve helped out a lot here, I owe you.”
He shakes his head, as if to once again argue that he’s still in my debt for what Cal did, but he doesn’t say it and for that I’m glad.
“Thanks,” he replies. “It’s, uh, it’s a
A small smile pulls on my own lips as he talks about the man that once held my heart. “Were you two really best friends?”
Still holding my eyes, Lake forms a tiny smile of his own and nods his head. “I never had a better friend than Cal. He didn’t care that I was closed off and didn’t always want to talk and tell stories about home. He’d just tell me to sit down and go off about his stupid high school stories, or his parents, or this girl at home who he always made sure we all knew was the most beautiful woman on the planet.” My face flushes at that. “Cal was just…easy to be around. And there aren’t that many people like that for me.”
I sniff, trying to pull back in the emotion that wants to escape me. I wrap my arms around Lake’s and hug myself tight to him. I lay my head on his shoulder and just sit there for a few minutes.
Lake isn’t Cal. But sitting there with him, it feels like Cal isn’t quite as far away.
“Thank you,” I say quietly. “I miss him. It’s nice hearing about him every once in a while.”
For just a moment, Lake leans his head down, resting his scruffy cheek on top of my head. “You’re welcome. I miss him too.”
And a comfortable silence settles on us for a good long while.
For the first time in a long time, I feel the hard knot in my chest loosen just a bit.
“I know this isn’t great timing and that you don’t really like or trust me that much, but I wanted to ask for a favor,” Lake says after a long stretch of quiet.
“What’s that?” I say, instead of countering the statement that I don’t like or trust him. I’m still not sure on that front.
“I told you how my sister and brother-in-law are part of this big company in Bellevue,” he says as I let him go and sit up. “I don’t really understand what it’s for, but the company is throwing them this big party and Sage invited all the family. Drake and Kaylee are getting a babysitter. Kale’s coming home from New York for a week. Sage is insisting the both of us bring dates.”
My insides stiffen up and it’s immediately obvious my discomfort is showing on the outside.
“You really don’t have to,” Lake rushes on. “I just literally don’t know anyone to bring, and I thought if you just showed up with me, that she’d get off my back about it. It wouldn’t really be like a real date. You’d just be doing me a huge favor.”
I bite my lower lip, staring at Trapper in the next stall over from Trooper.
The last time I went on a date was with Cal, and even then, when you’re engaged to someone, it’s hard to call it a date. No one has asked me out in years. And I’ve barely considered the possibility of men asking me out after Cal died.
“Sorry, forget I said anything,” Lake says, shaking his head and looking away from me. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“No,” I say , surprising myself when I place a hand on his arm, a comforting gesture. “It’s really okay. It’s just… I haven’t done anything…like that, not since Cal died.”
He looks back at me. His eyes are distant, but I swear I can see something swimming just under the surface there. “I know.”
He doesn’t say how he can know, and maybe that should bug me, him saying something like that. But it doesn’t. It’s actually kind of comforting. Like he understands how much Cal meant to me, and how much it crushed my soul when he jumped in front of that IED.
“But if you mean it, that it’s not really a date, I’ll go,” I say. My stomach is full of nerves and uncertainty, but the words come out clear and calm. “You’ve helped out a lot here, I owe you.”
He shakes his head, as if to once again argue that he’s still in my debt for what Cal did, but he doesn’t say it and for that I’m glad.
“Thanks,” he replies. “It’s, uh, it’s a
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