Point of Retreat

face.
     
    I just sigh. She’s impossible to control. “You’re cleaning up tonight,” I say to her. “You too,” I say to Eddie. “Gavin, let’s go watch some football like real men while the women do their job.”
     
    Gavin scoots his glass toward Eddie. “Refill this glass, woman. I’m watching some football.”
     
    While Eddie and Lake are cleaning the kitchen, I take the opportunity to ask Gavin for a favor. Lake and I haven’t had any alone time in weeks due to always having the boys. I really need alone time with her.
     
    “Do you think you and Eddie could take Kel and Caulder to a movie tomorrow night?”
     
    He doesn’t answer right away, which makes me feel guilty for even asking. Maybe they had plans already.
     
    “It depends,” he finally responds. “Do we have to take Kiersten, too?”
     
    I laugh. “That’s up to your girl. She’s her new best friend,” I say.
     
    Gavin rolls his eyes at the thought. “It’s fine, we had plans to watch a movie anyway. What time? How long do you want us to keep them?”
     
    “Doesn’t matter. We aren’t going anywhere. I just need a couple of hours alone with Lake. There’s something I need to give her.”
     
    “Oh… I see,” he says. “Just text me when you’re through ‘giving it to her,’ and we’ll bring the boys home.”
     
    I shake my head at his assumption and laugh. I like Gavin. What I hate, however, is the fact that everything that happens between me and Lake, and he and Eddie…we all seem to know about. That’s the drawback of dating best friends…there are no secrets.
     
    “Let’s go, Babe.” Eddie says as she pulls Gavin up off the couch. “Thanks for supper, Will. Joel wants you guys to come over next weekend. He said he’d make tamales.”
     
    I don’t turn down tamales. “We’re there,” I say.
     
    After Eddie and Gavin leave, Lake comes to the living room and sits on the couch, curling her legs up under her as she snuggles against me. I put my arm around her and pull her closer.
     
    “I’m bummed,” she says. “I was hoping we’d at least get the same days this semester. We never get any alone time with all these butterflying kids running around.”
     
    You would think with us living across the street from each other that we would have all the time in the world together. That’s not the case. Last semester she went to school Monday, Wednesday and Friday and I went all five days. Weekends we spent a lot of time doing homework, but mostly stayed busy with Kel and Caulder’s sports. When Julia passed away in September, that put even more on Lake’s plate. It’s been an adjustment, to say the least. The only place we seem to be lacking is actually getting quality alone time. It’s kind of awkward if the boys are at one house to just go to the other house to be alone. They almost always seem to follow us whenever we do.
     
    “We’ll get through it,” I say. “We always do.”
     
    She pulls my face toward hers and kisses me. I’ve been kissing her every day for over a year, and it somehow still gets better every time.
     
    “I better go,” she finally says. “I have to get up early and go to the college to finish registration. I also need to make sure Kel’s not outside making out with Kiersten.”
     
    We laugh about it now, but in a matter of years it’ll be our reality. We won’t even be twenty-five and we’ll be raising teenagers. It’s a scary thought.
     
    “Hold on, before you leave…what are your plans tomorrow night?”
     
    She rolls her eyes. “What kind of question is that? You’re my plan. You’re always my only plan.”
     
    “Good. Eddie and Gavin are taking the boys. Meet me at seven?”
     
    She perks up and smiles. “Are you asking me out on a real, live date?”
     
    I nod my head.
     
    “Well, you suck at it, you know. You always have. Sometimes girls like to be asked and not told .”
     
    She’s trying to play hard to get, which is pointless. I’ve already got her…but I play her game anyway. I kneel down on the floor in front of her and look into her eyes. “Lake, will you do me the honor of accompanying me on a date tomorrow night? ”
     
    She leans back into the couch and looks away. “I don’t know, I’m sort of busy,” she says. “I’ll check my schedule and let you know.” She tries to look put out, but a smile breaks out on her face. She leans forward and hugs me, but I lose my balance and we end up in the floor. I roll her