Anything Goes
Freefalling in mid-air and feeling the breeze rushing past her face, Lara was determined to beat the previous record of her assault course. It had been a surprising warm morning with the sun slowly rising upon the horizon, perfect for going through one's favourite exercise routines after a week of teaching. It was a while after settling into married life that Lara decided to hang up her dual pistols and wanted to pursue a different kind of adventure… A once in a lifetime opportunity that she decided to follow in her mentors' footsteps and wanted to pass on her love of history and archaeology to students who shared that very same fascination for them. In particular, she wanted to showcase those subjects in her own unique way.
The retired tomb raider managed to grab onto the ropes that were hanging from the ledge and began her ascent up to the top of the tower platform.
'30 seconds to go, almost there.' She quickly caught a glimpse of the time on her stopwatch. Lara sped up her pace climbing the obstacle that stood between her and a new course record. Until…
"Woah!" Lara's heart skipped a beat in that moment of panic as her grip slipped from the rope.
"Gotcha!" A male voice from above spoke and managed to catch the former tomb raider before she fell to the ground.
"Need a hand there, Milady?" Kurtis Trent had appeared out of nowhere and gave a smirk to his beloved wife.
"Ah welcome back stranger…. yes, pull me up please. I must say there is no need for that smug look though." Lara gave a cheeky wink at him as she was raised up to the platform.
"Ha-ha, it's nice to catch you by surprise. No pun intended of course."
"That's not funny, anyway thank you Kurtis." They embraced in each other's arms on top of the tower, and after the sweet moment of affection they heard the abrupt sound of Kurtis's stomach rumbling.
"No worries, how about we share any news we have over breakfast…I'm starving after that gruelling journey."
"Great idea, let's get something to eat."
Once cleaned and settled at the breakfast table, the couple began to tuck into the continental cuisine and Kurtis updated Lara on his current events. Ever since marrying Lara and wanting to find a hobby for himself just as his spouse did in teaching, Kurtis decided he wanted to discover more about his heritage and furthermore delve into the mysteries of the Lux Veritatis. This led him onto various expeditions around the world. Sometimes the couple would go together on this personal pilgrimage, unless if Lara had commitments at home or elsewhere then he would take various friends from his past or even a group of them would go on the rare occasion.
"…So yeah that's what happened, another wild goose chase to uncover this 15th century manuscript, and here I am." Kurtis carefully dropped the ancient parchment on the table as he signed off his recollection of recent news to Lara.
"Here you are indeed. So when shall we decipher this little treasure you've found?" Lara asked with a lot of enthusiasm in her voice. She certainly was ready for another conundrum of a puzzle to solve, just like the last challenge he brought back from his previous adventure.
"Well not for a while yet, besides it will be nice to take a break and spend time with you. Speaking of which what's new with you, apart from your new shorter hairstyle."
"Aha! I see you have noticed…what do you think?" Lara teasingly questioned him, as she twirled a strand of her hair with the tip of her finger.
"It's nice and it really suits you. Of course, one's husband must notice these little details, heh I'm not falling for that trap again!" He chuckled, remembering the time he had returned to the manor from a few trips ago, and he completely forgot to comment about some of the new decorations that took Lara a while to setup around the place. Kurtis certainly was in her bad books for a little while, and he vowed not to miss changes like that next time.
"Oh relax, I'm glad you like it. Thought I would go for something different for a change. What else is new…Oh yes, you've actually come back at the right time…"
"Interesting you should say that. I recall you mentioning on the phone that you were planning a little celebration for Winston, what you got in mind?"
"A theatrical evening, I have planned for our dear friend. I've brought tickets for all of us to a musical performance tonight, I'm sure he and his wife will love it. Speaking of that very person, here he is…"
Winston made his entrance with 3 porcelain mugs filled with delicious brew upon his usual signature tray. He gave them a tender smile as he approached the dining table.
"Good morning Winston!" The couple happily greeted in unison.
"Top of the morning to you both! This is a pleasant surprise to see you both… Kurtis, a warm welcome back home."
"Thank you, Winston. Please join us." Kurtis gestured to the chair next to him, and Winston took the seat after handing over the hot cups of tea to the duo.
"Help yourself to something to eat my friend…we have something to announce to you." Lara happily said. They could see that after Winston took a sip from his drink, he was having a moment to himself wondering what the news could be…
"Oh Lara, are you…" Winston almost gasped it out. Instantly the tomb raider could tell what Winston was about to guess and quickly shot down what he was about to say.
"Before you complete that sentence, no I am not expecting!" Lara jokingly dismissed that idea, and Winston went all red in the face at his incorrect assumption.
"Whoops my mistake! You have to admit though it was a good guess…"
"I suppose it was." Kurtis couldn't help laughing a bit to himself.
"Hey!" Lara quickly jabbed at her husband's arm in a playful manner.
"Ha-ha! Come on let's tell him, we don't want to keep poor Winston in suspense any longer." Kurtis suggested, and she nodded in agreement.
"Alright, you ready… we're treating you and Linda to a musical show at the theatre tonight and after that we'll dine out at a nice restaurant. You could say it would be like a double date." The archaeologist explained and Winston's facial features widened with joy.
"That sounds lovely, aww you shouldn't have…" He certainly was speechless at the kind gesture.
"Nonsense! You deserve a treat, and it would be nice to go out altogether."
"Thank you both so much, I'll ring Linda now to tell her the great news!"
Later that evening…
Kurtis had booked the taxis ready to take the two couples to their destination that night. Winston's wife, Linda had arrived earlier that day and greeted both Lara and Kurtis as if they were family which they both adored.
"Are you ready yet Lara?" Kurtis called from downstairs, as he, Winston and Linda were already dressed up and waiting in the hallway.
"Almost, just putting on the final finishing touches." Lara replied as she put the last earring in place, ready for tonight. 'This should be a wonderful evening.' She cheerfully thought to herself as she took one last glance at herself in the mirror before making her appearance.
"Wow Lara…You look absolutely stunning." Kurtis observed in awe as Lara made her way down the stairs.
"Thank you, you look very smart too Kurtis. Winston and Linda are looking lovely as well. Are we all ready to go?"
The taxi arrived outside the mansion and took them to the grand theatre. It was a popular event and the performances along with the classical music were on top form with high production values. At the end, the cast finished off the show with the rendition of the famous song 'Anything Goes'. After departing the auditorium, the two couples made their way over to the restaurant for an exquisite meal. As expected, all four had enjoyed each other's company that evening. They merrily got back to the house gone midnight and were all ready to go to bed in their two separate rooms, until the sound of the doorbell rang through the hall.
"Who on earth could that be this time of the night?" A confused Winston queried, as he went over to answer the sizable door.
"Good evening, you are out late…what business do you have at this untimely hour?" Winston charmingly asked the unknown visitor.
"Apologies for the poor timing as I've not long arrived from the airport, but I'm here to see the Lady of this manor…" The stranger answered, and at this point the rest joined Winston at the entrance to see who it was… Straight away the ex-tomb raider recognised the caller.
"Christian!?" Lara was taken aback by this sudden arrival.
"Lara! Gosh, it has been so long…It's good to finally see you again."
