CHAPTER 5 #5
Amanda’s eyes widened, a rich, playful smirk touching the corners of her lips as she leaned her elbow against her knee. “Well... that’s incredibly noble of you, Doctor. But surely... surely a man of your stature has had his share of one-night stands, right? I mean, you’re human. You have needs.”
I popped another slice of pineapple into my mouth, chewing slowly to buy myself a microsecond of performance-calibration.
“Yeah... a few, over the years. But if I’m being completely honest, Amanda...
I’m really not that type of guy. I don't find any real satisfaction in empty, mechanical interactions. I need a connection. I need depth. I need to know that the person I’m with is willing to explore the darkest corners of the room with me. ”
Amanda let out a loud, beautiful laugh, her hand reaching out to playfully swat my shoulder. “Okay, Chad! Listen to you, mister romantic philosopher! You’re putting all the normal guys to absolute shame right now.”
I joined in her laughter, the sound rich, harmonious, and entirely natural as it echoed through the secluded willow grove. We continued to eat, sharing the berries and the wine, the conversation flowing between us with an incredible, fluid ease that made the passage of time completely irrelevant.
And as the afternoon began to ripen, the sun shifting its angle to cast long, violet shadows across the red-and-white checkered cloth, a sudden, unusual thought crystallized in my mind.
I was actually enjoying her company. From a purely conversational standpoint, her absolute vulnerability was refreshing, a beautiful contrast to the guarded, terrified performance she gave in my office.
I decided to stall her death for a bit.
There was no rush. The lake wasn't going anywhere. The willow trees were completely silent, the isolation absolute. I wanted to prolong the beauty of the afternoon, to let the flavor of her happiness reach its absolute peak before I performed the final extraction.
***
I stood up from the checkered cloth, extending my massive right hand down toward her once more.
“Come on,” I said softly, my blue eyes holding her gaze with an intense, unyielding warmth.
“Let’s take a walk by the edge of the water before the sun drops behind the ridge.
The shoreline is beautiful this time of day. ”
Amanda looked up at me, her face glowing with a sweet, childlike happiness that made her look ten years younger than the broken woman who had walked into my office three weeks ago.
She reached up, her small, soft hand vanishing into the massive circumference of my palm as I easily lifted her to her feet.
She didn't let go of my hand once she was standing. She kept her fingers laced securely through mine, her steps small and rhythmic as we stepped off the red-and-white cloth and onto the damp, green turf of the shoreline.
The air near the water’s edge was significantly cooler, carrying the fresh, clean scent of lake silt and wet stones.
The tiny ripples of the lake clinked softly against the pebbles at our feet, a beautiful, liquid music that seemed to sync perfectly with the slow tempo of our stride.
The willow branches hung down around us like long, green curtains of silk, filtering the amber sunlight into a private, golden tunnel that belonged entirely to us.
“Joshua,” Amanda whispered after we had walked a hundred yards in the silence, her head leaning lightly against my right bicep as we moved.
“Yes, Amanda?”
“Thank you,” she said, her voice thick with a sudden, heartfelt emotion that carried a heavy layer of psychological truth.
“Thank you for saving me. I know I’ve been a complete disaster in your office...
but being out here with you today... I feel like the spell is finally broken.
I feel like I’m finally coming back to life. ”
I stopped walking, turning my massive body around to face her fully under the shadow of a giant willow tree. The amber light caught the wet, glistening tracks of a single tear that had escaped her eye, tracing the line of her cheek before hanging like a diamond on her chin.
I reached out with my left hand, my long, blunt fingers gently catching the tear before it could drop, my thumb brushing against the soft skin of her jawline with a tenderness that felt completely real, completely sweet even to the dark machinery of my own mind.
“The light belongs to you, Amanda,” I whispered, my voice a low, hypnotic rumble that completely filled the quiet space between our faces. “You just needed someone to help you find the switch.”
She let out a soft, trembling sigh, her hands coming up to rest against my chest, her dark eyes staring up into my blue ones with an absolute, unadulterated adoration that made the world around us completely vanish.
We stood there hand in hand by the edge of the silent water, our silhouettes framed against the brilliant, burning gold of the mountain sunset, sharing a perfect, romantic moment of absolute stillness before the shadows of the evening claimed the hills.