Incarnate

Beautiful Place

After lunch, they got in the car where he put a blindfold around her eyes to keep their next destination a secret. It was so exciting she could barely contain herself. The drive seemed quite long, and she wondered if they were even still in the same state. When she thought that she would fall asleep from the steady hum of the car and the darkness the blindfold provided, the car stopped. She felt his hands behind her head, removing the blindfold.

"I hope that it was not too long of a trip. It is just that this place only exists in one place in the whole world, and it is truly my favorite. I wanted to share it with you. I hope you like it as much as I do." When he removed the blindfold, she waited a minute for her eyes to adjust to the sun's brightness. What she saw stunned her into silence. She now looked at a large park full of walking paths covered by trees like a tunnel, wrought-iron benches along the sides. The center of the park held the most beautiful waterfall rock formation she had ever seen. Between the water and the sounds of birds, it imitated a spa CD. The grass grew really bright green and beckoned for her to sit on it and have a picnic. This place was well taken care of. The bushes that were decoratively placed throughout the park were very nicely trimmed into squares. She saw no rotten foliage on the ground and found that strange as fall started. She also could see no dirt anywhere; just either grass or smooth concrete. She could picture herself rollerblading or walking here every day for hours on end. It seemed impossible that she had never heard of this place before.

With the beauty and peace, it seemed like someone must have known about it. She turned around to see the view behind her . . . to get a feel of where she might be. She saw nothing for miles, almost as if this place sprung up out of nowhere. It sat all alone out in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. She turned to Gage; the look on her face must have been shocking because his response was immediate.

"Are you okay? Do you not like it? I was sure—"

"I do. I really do love it. I just could not believe that I never heard of this place. Its beauty is so unlike anything I have ever seen that surely someone must know of its existence."

"Very few people know of its existence. The few that do take care of this place for us and are under contract that maintains its secrecy. As long as they keep that contract they themselves are allowed here at any time."

"You own this?" She gaped astounded.

"Yes, my brother and I do."

"It is so magical here. Thank you so much for bringing me here."

Renée fell silent as she looked around at the scenery. Something rang so familiar about this place to her. She knows she surely has never been here before . . . but something scratched at the back of her brain, like she had seen this place in a dream once. She and Gage walked over to a bench and sat listening to the birds sing and feeling the cool breeze graze over them. Renée never wanted to leave this place. She could picture having a small cottage in the middle of all this. It would be something private and away from the rest of the world and away from all the drama of real life.

She felt so serene that she did not realized how much time passed. "Are you ready to go? It is getting late. I imagine you are getting hungry."

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot. I am sorry. Time just seemed to pass so fast. I was so enjoying myself."

"Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Of course, you need never ask permission to ask me anything."

"Right, how silly of me. Why is it that you speak so differently than those around you?"

"You know I could ask the same of you. I do not like to talk with an abundance of slang. It is tiresome and so many words are mixed up with so many different meanings. It is completely pointless to keep up with."

"I speak as I do because I was raised to do so. It is imprinted into my very being."

"How traditional of your parents to do that. I wish mine would do the same. There are times I believe I should have been born in a much earlier time." A flash of something crossed his eyes but disappeared before she had a chance to really grasp it.

"How long have you felt this way?"

"For as long as I can remember. Do not get me wrong. I rather love the Internet and my music and fast cars. But as far as society goes, I wish I were born in a much simpler time."

"I can completely understand. Times were so much different a hundred years ago." He seemed to have been remembering something.

"Well, how about we head on out then? Where would you like to go eat?"

"Actually if you do not mind, I would love to go to Chili's. I have a large craving of some triple fajitas."

"Steak, shrimp, and chicken fajitas sounds good. I will have to make you some of mine soon. Chili's just does not have big enough tortillas."

"That sounds great. I kind of wonder what this place looks like at night. It must be wonderful."

"I will have to show you sometime. There are lights hidden in the trees to make them light up. It really is a magical place at night."

They were walking back to the car. It seemed even shorter walking back. Renée could not help but feel a little grievance about leaving. She never experienced a place so peaceful. It was almost like another world.

The drive and queue at Chili's passed quickly. They arrived just before the dinner rush, adding to this perfect date. She pinched herself several times to make sure that she was not dreaming. The surreal possibility that everything would go so well—when normally for her it went so badly—made her doubt her consciousness. They were seated, thankfully this time, by a male. Gage pulled out the seat for her then sat across from her at the small table for two. The noise in the restaurant was just beginning to rise above a dull roar. All kinds of street signs adorned the walls as well as duplicate paintings. The atmosphere felt toasty, but not so much that it was uncomfortable.

"So tell me, is Castiel a decent guy? I mean do I have any reason to worry about Jackie tonight?"

"He is decent, not innocent, but not a bad guy either. Meaning he does understand the word no. So you should not have anything to worry about. Although, from what I have seen of Jackie, I would say she can hold her own." Renée smiled and nodded in agreement. The waiter came and took their order soon after they were seated. Dinner remained pleasant with light conversation. By the time they left, Renée felt worn down. The day, though long and exciting, wore on her. Gage drove her to Jackie's empty house. She expected as much. Good thing she owned a spare key to their house. She stopped at the door preparing to tell Gage good night. When she turned around, he stood so close she could smell mints on his breath. He leaned in close, allowing her to decide the rest of the way. She leaned in and brushed her lips across his. They were so warm and soft. His bottom lip looked fuller than the top, making it perfect to kiss. He kissed her so gently; almost as if to make sure she wouldn't object. Renée felt warmth spread from her lips throughout her body. She could feel him pressed against her. His firm, warm body could not get close enough for her. She wrapped her hands around his neck pulling him in as much as she could to kiss him more eagerly. Gage pulled her hands from behind his neck and pulled his face from hers. He smiled drunkenly but did not detach himself from her completely.

"I think I better get going. I will call you tomorrow though. Good night." He leaned in for one last small kiss and walked back to his car. He left her shivering from the lack of his body heat. Unsure of what to do, she just watched him drive away. She floated on air, but at the same time came crashing to the ground. She must watched after him for at least ten minutes, staring after his car. Once she finally got a hold of herself again, she unlocked the door and walked back to Jackie's room. She took out her pajamas and headed to the bathroom to take a hot bubble bath. Jackie kept so many fizz balls, bubble bath, and bath salts it was hard to decide which to use. She finally settled on a gardenia-scented set. It reminded her a little of the garden that Gage had taken her to. She just laid soaking for a while letting the jets beat on her body. She would have fallen asleep in the bath if it were not for Jackie coming home yelling her name when she walked into the door.

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