Here's the next chapter! Hope you all enjoy it! This is part 1 of the cabin storyline.
Bill is a man of his word. He was serious when he invited Sharon and Rusty to his cabin at Big Bear Lake.
At 2pm on Friday afternoon, Bill rings the doorbell to Sharon's apartment. Rusty opens the door and invites Bill in. "We'll be ready to leave in a couple of minutes. Sharon is just finishing up packing her bag. Thank you so much for inviting us, both of us."
"Of course, Rusty," Bill says, patting him on his shoulder. "I like Sharon a lot. We have been friends for so many years, and now I would like to be something more than friends. I would like to be a part of her life. And since you are an important part of her life, I would like to get to know you better as well. The lake is right outside my cabin. I thought the two of us could do some fishing. What do you think?" Bill smiles and Rusty can see in his eyes that he is completely sincere about what he just said.
"If you show me how to fish, I am sure up to it."
They both hear the door to Sharon's bedroom open and see Sharon coming out carrying her suitcase. Both men run up to Sharon saying at the same time, "Let me get that for you!" Bill and Rusty look at each other and start laughing whole-heartedly. Sharon looks at the two men, happy about how well they seem to get along already. They had met at the hospital several times, whenever Sharon went to a chemotherapy treatment, but they never exchanged many words, because every time he visited Sharon during her treatment, he read to her. Rusty didn't need to talk to Bill, he knew Bill was a great man from his regular visits and seeing how he cared for Sharon and the way he read to her.
Fifteen minutes later the bags are loaded into the trunk and everyone is seated in the car. Sharon is sitting in the front passenger seat and Rusty made himself comfortable in the back of the car. They get stuck in traffic on the CA-210 a couple times, but once they are on the CA-330 the drive is smooth and quick. It's a beautiful day! The sun is shining through the windshield onto Sharon's pale arms and face. She is closing her eyes, partly to protect them from the sun and partly to just relax and enjoy the sun warming her. The chemotherapy treatment and all the throwing up has left her body drained, as the recent fainting proved, so she was always cold, no matter how much hot tea she drank or how many layers of clothes she put on. The loss and lack of energy had turned her into a walking ice cube for the past couple of days. Luckily she is feeling better today, less cold. It is probably the excitement from spending a weekend with Bill and Rusty, away from everything, which makes her heart beat faster and body feel warmer. Rusty seems very excited as well. As soon as they got into the car, Bill and Rusty started talking about fishing and making S'mores. Sharon feels a little sad hearing that Rusty doesn't know what S'mores are. Every child should know what S'mores are!
At 5pm, they finally arrive at Bill's cabin. They get out of the car and Bill shows them around before they get their belongings. The cabin is beautiful, partly in the woods and partly in the clearing. It is a pine forest and Sharon takes in the smell. There is a fire-pit in front of the cabin which is only a couple of yards away from the water. There is also a little landing stage with a little fisher boat tied to it. The sun is just setting, so the clearing is flooded with an orange-red light and the lake is glistening in the evening sun. Sharon thinks that it looks kind of magical. Now they get their bags out of the car and bring them inside. Bill shows Rusty to his room first, "Here, Rusty, I thought you might like this room. It belonged to my son Zac." Sharon notices a sudden sadness in Bill's eyes. She knows why. Bill's son Zac was a pilot, just like his brother Lee is. Quite a few years ago, there was a tragic accident and Zac died in a plane crash. She puts her hand on Bill's arm, gently squeezing it. He looks at her and she gives him a reassuring smile. Bill smiles back at her and then takes a deep breath.
"I really do like it. It has a great view over the lake," Rusty says excitedly.
"Great, why don't you unpack and get comfortable. I will show Sharon to her room. She will be right next to you, in my son Lee's room."
"Alright, cool, yeah. Is there anything planned for later on?" Rusty asks.
"Well, I think we should all relax for a little bit and then we can cook dinner together. I figured you like pizza so I thought we could make that. I already prepared the dough this morning. I have plenty of veggies, meat and cheese so everyone can make their own pizza and choose their own toppings."
"That sounds like a great idea," Sharon exclaims. "I haven't made my own pizza in years, not since my kids were little."
"Let's see, it's 5:20 now. I suggest we meet in the kitchen at around 6:30?"
"Sure, I will be there," Rusty says. "See you two later then."
"But if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask or help yourself to a drink or whatever you need."
"Okay, thanks!"
Bill leads Sharon out of the room while Rusty starts unpacking. Sharon is captivated by the view from her window. She didn't believe it was possible, but it is even more beautiful than the view from Rusty's room.
"Well, this is it."
"It's so beautiful, and the view!"
"Do you need me to help you unpack?" Bill asks.
"No no, I should be fine. But thank you for offering." She smiles at him.
"Alright, my room is at the end of the hall, but I will be back in the living room shortly, in case you need anything. Try and get some rest when you are done unpacking."
"I will! I will see you later."
He looks at her and then gives her a kiss on the cheek before he heads out of the room and to his own to unpack his own belongings. Sharon looks after him, staring at the door when he has already closed it behind him and touches her cheek with her fingertips at the spot where Bill kissed her. She smiles to herself. She can feel butterflies in her stomach and her heartbeat rising. She actually blushes a little bit. It's been a very long time since she felt this way. She closes her eyes shortly, takes a deep breath and then begins to unpack her belongings. Once she is done she lies down on the bed and falls right asleep. The next thing she hears is a soft knock on her door. "Come in," Sharon says sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
"Sharon, are you alright? It's 6:45." Rusty asks concerned.
"Oh, Rusty, yes, I am fine. I am so sorry you were worrying. I fell asleep. I guess I was more exhausted than I thought." Sharon slowly gets up from her bed, puts on her UGGs, which she had placed next to her bed, and walks toward Rusty.
"It's okay. I am just glad you are fine."
Sharon gives him a hug. She senses that Rusty must have been really worried because his body feels really tense at first, but he quickly relaxes in her embrace and puts his arms around her as well. They remain like that for a little while until they hear another soft knock on Sharon's door.
"You two ready to make some pizza? I don't know about you, but I am starving," Bill teases.
Sharon and Rusty let go of one another and follow Bill into the kitchen. The two men have already prepared the toppings and rolled out the dough for each pizza. Now everyone just needs to add their favorite toppings. While the pizzas are baking in the oven, the three set the table.
Thirty minutes later, the pizzas are done. Everyone seems to be starved because they each finish half of their pizza before Sharon finally starts a conversation.
"Bill, what have you planned for us to do this weekend? Anything in particular?"
"Well, let's see. Tonight after dinner, I thought we could sit by the fire outside and make S'mores. Tomorrow morning, very early in the morning, I want to take Rusty fishing for our dinner. They have rainbow trout, big and small bass and catfish here. We will have to get up at 4am Rusty."
Hearing the early wake-up time, Rusty cringes. "Oh god, THAT early?"
"Yes," Bill replies laughing. "Very early in the morning is the best time of day to fish. Sharon can sleep in. We will be back inside and have breakfast ready around 9, I think. After breakfast, I would like to take Sharon out on the lake for a bit, so you, Rusty, can catch up on some sleep. For lunch, we will all have a picnic in the clearing. Then, in the afternoon, I thought it would be nice to play some games together. We have a great variety up here, in that cupboard over there," Bill points across the room. "Dinner will be the fish we catch, so we better catch something. We will grill it over the fire outside. After dinner we can watch some movies and enjoy some popcorn as dessert. How does that sound so far?"
"Wow," Rusty exclaims, "you really did plan this weekend thoroughly. Sounds like a lot of fun. But what if we don't catch any fish? Will we have to starve?" Everyone chuckles.
"No, of course not. If we should really be that unlucky tomorrow, we have plenty of other choices for dinner. Don't you worry, Rusty."
Bill turns to Sharon. "What do you think about the plans so far?"
Sharon puts her hand onto Bill's and squeezes it slightly. "I think that all sounds just lovely, Bill. You really put a lot of thought into this. I can't thank you enough for doing this for Rusty and me."
"It's my pleasure," Bills answers cheerfully.
When everyone is done eating, Rusty lets out a big breath. "Woah, I am stuffed. I am not sure I can eat anymore. Though, I really want to try those S'mores. I will just need a little break to digest this pizza first. It was delicious. The dough was amazing. Maybe you can teach me how to make the dough, some other time."
"I would be happy to."
Sharon, who only managed to eat half of her pizza, even though it was already smaller than Bill's and Rusty's, gets up and starts cleaning up the table. The men want to protest but Sharon stops them with a simple hand-movement, waving her fork around. "No, you stay seated. You two prepared the pizzas, now it is my turn to do something."
"Alright," Bill hesitantly agrees, "but take your time."
Sharon takes the plates, glasses and cutlery and puts them into the dishwasher. Then she takes the wooden boards on which they had placed their pizzas and rinses them off with a little luke-warm water and soap. Twenty minutes later, she is done.
"Are you ready for dessert?" Bill asks.
"Sure," Rusty replies, "I think there is some more room in my stomach now." They all chuckle.
"Well, here you go then." Bill hands him a box of Graham crackers, a bag of marshmallows and a couple Hershey chocolate bars.
Sharon takes some blankets and Bill is taking the drinks outside. They sit down in camping chairs and wait for the fire to burn properly. In the meantime, they prepare the crackers and chocolate, and put the marshmallows on the sticks Bill had prepared earlier and placed by the fireplace.
It doesn't take long and Rusty is enjoying his first ever S'more. "Oh man, those things are delicious. I may have a new favorite dessert." He eats five more and then admits, "I think I am in a food and sugar coma now, but those S'mores were surely worth it." Although he was busy eating S'more after S'more, he didn't fail to notice that Bill scooted over more closely to Sharon with his camping chair and that they were now sharing a blanket. Wanting to give Bill and Sharon finally some alone time, he pretends to yawn.
"Alright, I am done for today. I am off to bed, so I will be able to get up at 4am tomorrow." He walks over to Sharon, bends down, and gives her a kiss on the forehead and a little awkward hug, before patting Bill on his shoulder and thanking him once again for his hospitality.
Walking into the house he calls, "Goodnight you two. Enjoy the rest of your evening."
Since Sharon is getting cold again, they decide to go back inside as well. Bill picks up a book, their book, from the living room table and they both sit down on the couch. Sharon snuggles into Bill's side and he places a big blanket over them. She can feel those butterflies and her heartbeat increase again. She is sure she is blushing again as well, but glad that Bill can't see it, because he has already opened up the book and started reading from where they had left off the last time. Feeling this comfortable in Bill's embrace, it doesn't take long and Sharon completely relaxes and falls asleep. Bill notices and puts the book down next to him but doesn't move otherwise. He remains sitting like that, just enjoying Sharon snuggling into his side, taking in her scent. Now it doesn't take long and Bill falls asleep too, holding Sharon in his arms.
As always, reviews are appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it!