Chapter Twenty-Eight

In time, Erik said it might be better that I didn't keep any kind of daily routine. Up until that point, I had actually started to develop one. I started feeling bad asking Clara to pick up my latte every morning from Ebeneezer's and instead started to make use of Erik's coffee pot. Well, not really a coffee pot. He likes French Press, so I had to learn how that worked. Before I went out on walks or places about town, I had to check it with Clara first and she would then have to make a few calls and decide if there were the "right kind" of people there. You know, it's funny. I feel like we have this idea of what a thug looks like, but they weren't who she was looking for. I found myself free to walk in the poorer areas of the Northeast during the day without issue. Sometimes Meg would join me, sometimes I would put on head phones, and others I'd see if Clara would want to talk, however, she was never more than a few steps behind me. She has this ability to make you forget she's there, but whenever I think I need her, she's never far.

Erik started to communicate with me more throughout the day. It was simple things, texts or maybe a call at lunch. Nothing too expected or anything habitual. He would always want to check in, typically ask about Clara, and often times before we would end the conversation there would be a pause from him, followed by a whispered word of released anxiety, and finally he would end the conversation. As time passed, I noticed he was more on edge. I didn't want to ask why. I always assumed it was the same issue. I wondered if we were safe at his home for always or not. Some nights he would stare out of the window and when I walked up closer to him he would brush me away as if he didn't want anyone to be able to see me inside.

July Forth came around. The year before I had gone out with the masses with Meg to watch the fireworks. We watched them all the way from the Lincoln Memorial. No one noticed me then. Now, I doubt I'd be able to get anywhere. I don't think it's a typical thing for the significant other of the Vice President to be as recognizable as me. I don't think it's typical for them to get Buzzfeed and gossip column articles written about them either. Ugh. Why me? Meg mentioned fireworks again this year and that she would be going with someone she had just met on Tinder. I could never be as spontaneous as her! I wouldn't even know how!

I ended up having to ask Erik if he would be needing to do anything for the Forth. He told me that it would be best for both of us to be far away from Washington that week. I feel like my reply was really silly in hindsight. "Just the two of us?" I asked.

The look he gave me. Wow. I feel like I don't even need half of his face to tell me just what he's thinking now that I've spent so much time with him. His shown face appeared so strange and disgusted. He asked, "Anyone else you would like to suggest? You've been staying with me every night, what difference will it make if you stay with me here or somewhere else?"

I felt…embarrassed. There I was, concerned about staying a night with him somewhere, when I had been doing that for about a month at that point. So I changed the subject instead and asked him where he thought would be a good idea. Pennsylvania, but at the time, he wouldn't say anymore. I wonder how often he has to follow blind orders the way he expects me to? …Probably never…

Before we left, Meg said it would be a good idea to shoot a short video of the two of us wishing the country a happy Forth Of July. She gave me a script this time. At first, I was really annoyed, but after thinking about it, I was pretty grateful even if Erik didn't follow his script. I still remember it actually:

It was supposed to be something like, "Wishing you and your loved ones a happy Forth Of July!" and Erik was supposed to say something about fireworks and barbecue alone, but while we were filming he added some new information. It was more like:

"Christine Gallagher here!"

"Soon to be Underwood." Erik teased lightheartedly. Ugh. Why is he so good at acting like that? Damn politician liars. Needless to say, his improvising messed up my lines and I looked away, embarrassed.

"We wanted to wish you a happy Forth Of July, didn't we, Christine?"

"Yes, happy Forth Of July!" I said stupidly.

"And while we hope you and your family enjoy the best barbecue and fireworks this great nation can make, we'll be enjoying some of our country's more natural wonders by visiting its state parks."

"Really?" I asked honestly.

"I thought you would like to get out of the city for a while?"

I smiled genuinely, "I would. That would be nice."

Our eyes met and he whispered, "Good."

Breaking that contact, he looked back at the camera and got back to the script, "From our new family to yours" - this was where I joined in - "Happy Independence Day!"

Well, that video was a viral hit. I got a lot of tweets. Lots of hearts and XOXO stuff. I think there was a special hashtag on that too…um…something like #adorableforth or something. Then other people started posting videos with the same hashtag. Each video seem to have its own surprise in it. One had a woman announcing her pregnancy! I mean, I guess it was kind of sweet how everyone started to wish everyone else a happy holiday. I remember Meg clapping at the end of filming and basically swooning and said that it would be a hit. And it was. Funny though, immediately after, Erik stood up and nearly ran out of the room. Did I insult him or something? Looking back on the video, I just thought I looked bashful and stupid. He looked in love, but that's because he's a good actor, or liar…I don't know.

I found out we would be spending the week at Cherry Springs State Park. What's really neat is that they have little domes that can be rented out. We road past a group of them with people already set up in them, but in time we were far away from everything else. On special request, the motorcade of the Vice President first switched out their cars to less conspicuous ones, then sectioned off at different places on the dirt road until it was just us in a SUV with a jeep behind us. The woods were immense and seemed to stretch on forever and it was just beginning to get dark by the time the cars stopped and Erik informed me that we would be going on foot from there.

It didn't take long for for us to reach the rangers post where the remaining secret service, including Clara and Darius, would be spending their nights. We were given a walk-talkie and were told that there was a small cabin not more than a quarter of a mile up the trail. The rangers post was visible when the lanterns were on outside, but it was otherwise very secluded.

The cabin itself was very small, but very quaint and woodsy. It was made out of logs and matched very well with the forrest around it. I expect that from far away, one would need to be looking for it to see it without lights on. Inside, the interior was the same as the outside - logs held weather tight by clay. There was a studio set up with a humble kitchen, sofa, table, real fire place and what looked to be a new wall to divide the area from the bedroom. In the bedroom was a tiny area with a toilet and shower. The place reminded me of what one would expect from an off grid tiny home. Erik told me that the water was all collected from rain, the electrical wiring was all solar, and the toilet didn't have water, instead, it was an incinerator run by the solar panels. No waste is left after that.

"This used to be all studio style," He remarked as he touched the thin wall diving the living space from the bedroom, "But I had a wall put in."

I questioned why he would have a wall put in when we could have easily stayed somewhere else to save the trouble.

"It's a gift, Christine." He said quietly. I remember looking up, confused, "This is a safe home. If anything ever happens to me, this is where you will be taken. It used to belong to the park and was left in disrepair. In the last month I took undisclosed measures to have it livable again. It's yours now."

"I…" I stuttered, "I don't know what to say. You've given me so much."

He waved my comment off and mentioned something about there being pre-made food being kept cold in a nearby root cellar. In no time, we were sitting on logs in front of a fire outside as the dishes warmed. I wish I could say it was so rustic, but with the humble renovations of the house and the quality of food, it was nothing compared to hard living or camping I had ever heard of. After I changed into some lighter outerwear and he deserted his coat and tie, we stayed outside talking about nothing I remember now. It was pleasant enough, really, but even all of this was not the reason he had given me such a secluded gift.

Once the sun was behind the trees and the fire was the only light around, I started to get just cold enough to want to go in for a light jacket. Before I could, Erik stopped me and requested I follow him. I wasn't keen on leaving the safety of the house. The sounds of the summer night were switching from day to dark and it was so very dark. We made our way through the trees for a short time until the brush parted over a small field where the moon could shine into freely and without shadow.

"Go," he said softly. Confused, I walked towards the clearing until I was in the center. I looked around and saw nothing in front of me and when I looked back at him he laughed. "Poor Christine. Always looking down or just forward enough, but never looking up." I cocked my head and he raised his hand a little dramatically to the sky.

Oh. Oh the stars. Oh my, how can I ever describe the universes I could see from that clearing in that dark night? So many colors, and stars, and planets. I thought I had somehow seen them all when the power was off in D.C., but they were nothing like this. Nothing in comparison to the worlds and wonders I could see before me in that clearing.

When Erik finally approached me, I was so absorbed in what was beheld in my vision that once he was beside me, I nearly jumped straight off my feet.

"Do you like it here?" he whispered.

"How could I not?" I managed to reply.

"You may come here as often as you can. As I said, it is safe."

I turned to him, so very grateful for this getaway when I had felt so closed up in Washington, and replied, "Thank you. Thank you, so much."

There was one of those moments, like the night before he left in March, where we stood looking at each other for so long. As I looked up at him, the stars behind him seem to dazzle and glow. It was like not even being on earth anymore. We were not touching or anything, but we were so close. There was an energy that seemed to pass between us and I wanted to shiver, but couldn't move. Sometimes I feel like when I look into his eyes I can see something behind them that I can't understand, but it's enough to make me want to keep looking at them. I wonder sometimes if he thinks the same thing about me with the way he stares back.

What can being so close to someone like Erik mean? The last time I was so close to a man was with Raoul and he was always really good at letting me know exactly what he wanted. The first time we had kissed it had been sudden, but once our lips had touched, he was slow…but I knew he was interested in me. I never even really got a chance to be nervous with him. We would laugh so much too…when things were good, they were really good…But Erik, though? How would anyone ever know what he was really thinking? Did he want me to say something else? To shrink away instead of standing there like an idiot? I…I don't know.

Erik said my name and in doing so, my eyes fell to his lips as if trying to figure out how sound had escaped there. He seemed to get closer and I recalled his breath being mine for a small time. My eyes were fixed on his lips. For the most part, his lips appeared almost normal. I recalled there being swelling on his scared side, but it was not seen behind the mask. Why would I care anyway? No…I cared because he was so close and my eyes had fallen. My chin was already tilted from having been looking at him from our prior conversation and his was pointed down to me.

I know what feeling frozen is like. We stood there for sometime, simply in each others' space. Then I looked up to his eyes and saw a new complexity there, something more like pain. I called out his name, not sure if I was concerned or curious, and he stepped backwards and cleared his throat. He asked me if I wanted to stay out longer and I decided I did not. With that, he walked away quickly and I had to jog to keep up from being left in the clearing on my own.

We spent a week at Cherry Springs. During the days we would walk to different cliff sides and brooks. Occasionally, we would see people, but the secret service requested we keep our distance in order to keep the location of our hideout a secure. My hair was up in a baseball cap most days and he wore a nude colored mask. From afar, I can't imagine anyone would think twice of us. It was a chance to be somewhat normal again. That was the best part of all.

In the afternoons, Erik would often spend time at the nearest ranger post to check up on the outside world. He had to radio into a phone system in New York, then be transferred from there. I spent that time reading or napping. I was surprised at how tired the morning hikes would make me. I wondered if Erik ever felt the same or if he even slept at all in the evenings after I shut the bedroom door. Sometimes I would find Clara to visit with. She truly has been the best person to be stuck with. I can't imagine being stuck with someone like Etsy! Ugh!

The nights were the best. Erik and I would heat and eat our pre-made suppers over the fire. Apparently they came from all different places, but they were always very tasty. Once the sun had gone, he would put out the fire and we would walk to the clearing. I took to lying down in the grass and losing myself in the universe before me. At first, he would join me in the grass, but after only an hour of that he would return with a blanket from the log cabin. It was large enough for me to share it and I did. Our conversations drifted to the stars and he would tell me of the constellations and their stories. Sometimes the subject would drift to Greek philosophy and history. I would listen. When he talked of such things, it was nice to listen to.

The last evening we were there, it had been overcast and the rangers had told us there would be rain. Still I wanted to see the stars one more time and Erik did not fight me on it even as the wind began to pick up and the clouds were rolling in over the hills. Realizing that my life in the bubble of the capital would begin anew the following day, I started to feel nervous. Erik said he had not heard of any more threats, but it didn't matter to me. I wanted to stay under those stars for as long as I could. There was something about that peaceful existence with Erik where I weren't household names and faces, where we didn't have to worry about the government and whatever threats were out there. It was nice…I didn't want to go.

Light drops started to hit my face and Erik was trying to coerce me back to the cabin. I looked back to him and it was hard to see him without the moon and the stars so I said into the darkness, "I don't want to go." Suddenly tears were coming down my face and I wanted to feel foolish but couldn't. That week I felt such things I had not felt since Dad was alive and I was more whole. I half smiled into the darkness and said brokenly, "I think…I think I'm happy."

How pathetic must a person be to not know if they're truly happy or not? I'm not sure, but that's how I felt and I know he ought to know. The wind rushed in and I felt rain coming from behind me. It was surprisingly cold and I shivered. I felt him take my hand lightly, the hand with his ring on it, and I don't know if it was more him or me, but before I would blink any more tears back, my arms were around him and my head rested against his chest.

He didn't immediately respond as fully as I was, but it was not too long before his arms came around my back to hold me closer, his head falling to rest over mine. My breath was scattered and the rain was falling faster, but I was so worried that if we left things for the way they were that the feeling would disappear. For a moment, I thought he would pull away, but when I refused to let go, he held me even tighter as if to shield me from the rain.

It was the clap of thunder that pulled him away. He took my left hand with him and we darted through the woods, jumping over brush, and landing in newly made puddles. Tearing the door of the cabin open, he tugged me inside and without bothering to turn on a lantern, I was in his arms again, just as I had been in the field. Rain began to pour onto the metal roof creating such a commotion that I couldn't hear anything else, not even my breathing or the pounding of heart.

As quickly as the storm had come, it had blown past and we were left standing there, soaking wet, in the doorway. My breathing had calmed and I could finally take note of the air that chilled my wet clothes. My thoughts began to return to the reality of the situation, that I was standing there in an off the grid cabin, completely drenched and in the arms of Erik Underwood…who is also my fiancé so it shouldn't have been so weird, but, but, no that was not okay! That was not what we did! This was a business agreement and that was all! Why was he holding me so tight? And…and why was I doing the same?

I tensed and backed away from him as if he had shocked me. Words fell out of my mouth and he appeared just as stunned. He told me he would build a fire for our clothes and I nodded before running back to the bedroom to catch my breath. Tearing off my clothes I began to look through my suitcase to find something to wear other than my night clothes. I guess you could say I hadn't been expecting to be exploring so much nature the entire week and had already dirtied up all my clothes. I had a nice dress that I was going to wear back into Washington the following day, but it was too nice to put on in the state I was in. I could hear Erik building the fire on the other side of the wall and the idea of warmth was very alluring. But how could I face him in an old pair of drawstring running shorts and a camisole?

Building up my courage out of need of being warm and dry again, I tapped on the door and asked very timidly if he could spare a light jacket or shirt for me. The question seemed to baffle him, but he did so without comment and slipped a button up shirt through the small crack in the door that I had created. It must have been the shirt he had been planning to wear the next day and I felt guilty for taking it. It had no smell to it, no wrinkles, and was a very thin but sturdy cotton made for hot summers.

My shivers finally brought me out of the bedroom where I found Erik on the sofa looking at the fire. Before sitting down I placed my soggy clothes next to his over a metal rod near the flames. I stood there awkwardly before admitting I felt bad for asking for his clothes, but all of mine were dirty and I was cold. His reply was moving a pillow from the sofa so I could have room to sit down beside him.

Eventually, after a long time of us not looking to each other and instead to the hungry flames, he spoke lowly, "Did I misunderstand you in the clearing?"

I looked to him, startled and asked what he meant.

"You ran from me as if I had hurt you once the rain stopped…Did I misunderstand your…your…"

He couldn't seem to describe our physical embrace and I didn't want him to either. I answered quickly, "No."

"Oh," he said to himself.

"I was being honest…when I said that I was happy." I admitted. "I kind of like it when things can just be simple…with us I mean…Is that…is that okay?"

"Yes, okay."

I started to fumble with my words, "I can give you your shirt back. I'm sorry, I was just cold and I don't want to ruin it. But I'm warm enough now so I can go-"

"Don't." He reached out for my wrist before I could get up. He cleared his throat and continued, "Don't worry about the shirt. If you want to stay, then stay."

"Thanks," I mumbled.

He hadn't let go of my wrist and I wasn't sure if I wanted him to. We were like statues on that sofa, not wanting to move to quickly or say the wrong thing.

"I think I'm happy too," he said into the flames, so quietly I thought I had made it up. Noticing he still had my wrist in his hand, he let it go and replaced his hands in his lap. "You have been so kind to me this week," he added, "I am not accustomed to having someone displaying such kindness to me."

"I think it's because I've really enjoyed being out here….You've been kind to me too."

"Then…I will ask a final courtesy of you this week. Stay out here with me a bit longer? I do not look forward to leaving here either."

"I guess I can, that's fine."

There was not so much more to say that night. Erik got up to check on the status of the clothes every so often. It didn't take long for me to curl up on my side of the sofa. At some point, he had stretched his arm around the back of the piece of furniture. I did not see him draw closer, but once I had my eyes heavy and closed for sometime, I thought I felt light, shy, relaxing tugs on the tips of my hair. It made me sigh in my near sleep and unwind just a bit more.

When my head fell closer to his shoulder he did not shrug it off. Instead, he stayed very still and continued to run fingers through my drying hair. He was humming something too. I wasn't sure what the tune was. His voice was so soft, so lulling and nice. Part of me fought to stay awake just to keep hearing it, but sleep overtook me in no time at all.

I guess I should also note that I woke up in the bed, a light sheet placed over me. For the life of me, I can't remember walking there myself. I can only conclude he carried me.

So yeah, this is one of my favorite chapters :) I hope you liked it too. Fun fact: Cherry Springs has some of the best start gazing in the Northeast USA. I haven't been myself, but I know they do rent out domes that people can spend the night in to watch the stars. I'd like to do that one day :)

Thanks for the love and support last week via reviews & favs. This week was better. Alas, the stress of the small business owner never really ends.