after lunch, karl and jess took claire and luke on a proper tour of the cabin, revisiting the place with all four of them. they were touched by feeling as they visited the old rooms and hallways they once occupied as kids. it was extremely nostalgic for all of them.
the tour ended on the back porch. the porch wrapped around from the front of the cabin to the back, which overlooked the woods. it was lined with red adirondack chairs, slightly dull in colour after years of withstanding harsh weather. just to the right of the back door was the hot tub, and ahead of that was a set of three steps that led to a fire pit, then on to the woods.
"it's all just like i remember." claire said, mostly to herself. she glanced over at luke, and they shared a smile. she was glad to see that luke was enjoying this as much as she was.
they settled into the chairs on the porch and looked out into the crowded woods; the deep greens growing and thriving, bursting with life. claire was itching to explore them again. she missed the cabin itself, but she longed to return to the woods as well.
"have you guys been yet?" luke asked gesturing to the trees just ahead.
"not yet." karl answered. "we thought we'd wait for you guys."
"we should go before it gets too dark." claire suggested. technically they could go whenever they wanted, but when they were kids, 'before it gets dark' was always the rule.
"wanna go now?" jess asked. "i've been wanting to so bad since we got here."
"let's do it." luke said, jumping up. claire knew he'd be upset with her if she said anything, but it was instinct to tell him to be careful. instead, she reached out swiftly and squeezed his hand, her way of telling him to be cautious. he turned and gave her a small smile, acknowledging what she was trying to say.
they walked down the steps together and entered through the first bunch of trees.
"it was crazy how much of the day we used to spend out here." jess remembered. "we used to play for hours."
claire pictured all the games they used to play as she looked around the familiar foliage. the smell of upturned soil and fresh air brought these memories even closer, like she could just close her eyes and she'd be a kid again.
"i know. it was the best." karl said.
before claire had the chance to agree, she heard her phone ding from her pocket.
"hey, no phones, claire. you're ruining the mood." luke half-teased.
claire felt bad, she really had ruined the mood. but with a quick glance, she realized it was her mother who had texted.
"i'm sorry, guys. it's my mom. she wanted me to text her when we got here safe, but i completely forgot. one sec."
she opened the message.
mom
did you guys make it safe?
yes, we did.
sorry i forgot to text.
that's okay. i hope you're having fun!
is luke okay?
yeah, he's good.
"tell her i say hi!" jess said.
jess says hi by the way.
hi jess!
say hi to karl for me as well.
"mom says hi to both of you." claire said, turning her volume off and slipping her phone back into her pocket.
when the families stopped seeing each other, it was more than just friends being separated. it felt like family being separated. anne and mark jacobs, karl's parents, were like her aunt and uncle. she was close with them, spending countless nights at their house. she wondered if after all this, maybe she'd get to see them again, too.
they continued talking and walking as they wound their way through the trees and fallen logs.
"hey, wasn't the log just over that way?" claire asked, recognizing where they were.
"wait, i think you're right!" jess said, getting excited.
"huh?" karl said. "i'm sure it was the other way . . ."
"no, i don't think so." claire said.
"what do you think, luke?" karl asked.
"i was like, 8. i don't remember!"
they turned left, claire's way, and walked for a minute.
that's when they saw it in the distance.
"there it is!" jess exclaimed, running ahead.
"wow, you were right, claire." karl said.
"no offence, but your memory sucks, karl." claire joked. she paused, waiting to see karl's reaction. were they at the point where they could joke like this?
apparently they were, because karl didn't seem hurt at all. instead, he laughed. "i make one mistake. brutal." he knocked shoulders with her to show he was joking as well. it made claire's stomach flip a little.
they caught up to luke and jess, who were already checking out the log.
"this is bringing back so many memories." jess said. "this was sick."
"yeah, but remember how scared we all were?" karl reminded her.
"and for what? you guys have no faith in me."
they laughed, even though each of them knew the opposite was true.
"we didn't want you to die, that's all." karl said.
"well, aren't you sweet. come on, let's look around some more."
they spent the next 20 minutes wandering through the woods, reminded of all the fun they once had out here. by the time they made it back to the cabin, it was getting dark and they were all hungry.
they quickly took account of everyone's cooking skills: luke could make toast and grilled cheese, and jess wasn't much better. claire could cook a fair amount, seeing as she was usually the one making dinner for her and luke. and finally karl, who was surprisingly good as well, had skills similar to claire's. it looked like they'd be the designated chefs of this trip.
karl and claire began the meal while luke and jess sat at the table, waiting patiently while cracking jokes. karl and claire found a rhythm in their cooking, working together to make something that was actually edible. they joked and laughed the whole time, having fun together.
when they were finished, they plated up some food for each of their siblings.
"dinner is served." karl said, putting on his best french accent.
"wow, you guys are actually pretty good." luke said, gratefully taking the plate.
"we know." karl said, winking at claire.
they ate supper together, feeling happy that they were friends again. they told funny stories about their lives, making jokes like they used to. it couldn't have been more perfect.
after getting everything cleaned up, they decided on an early night; the exciting day had left them all pretty tired.
the first day of their week together was already coming to an end.
they said goodnight to one another, then karl and luke headed up to their room, while jess and claire went to their individual spaces.
once claire shut the door behind her, a happy grin found its way onto her face.
she couldn't believe she was really here.
it was the happiest she'd felt in a long time.
YOU ARE READING
autumn |KARL JACOBS X FEMALE OC|
Fanfiction"she realized something with a sudden clarity as she lay there. claire was falling for karl all over again." in which: claire had known karl jacobs and his family for as long as she could remember. they saw each other all the time, but it was at the...
