The Cabin

Please PM interest. In your mesaage, please include a character biography and a sample first post. My character biography, my writing style and what I look for in a co-writer can be found in the link in my signature below.
--------------------------------------------------------------
It had been over a year since the twists of fate and one tired truck driver had taken his wife from him. It had been a very difficult year. My friends had tried unsuccessfully to fix Adrian up any number of times with a wide variety of ladies. He just wasn't interested. Even at the young age of twenty-six, the idea of starting over seemed unbearbale to him. He was still in good shape; still working out every day, just for the routine if nothing else. And he was considered to be good looking by the women who knew he was single again. But somehow the idea of dating again was daunting to say the least.

Adrian still loved his fishing and camping. That was the one joy he could count on. Give him a lake and a pole and he could finally lose himself from that ever nagging emptiness that followed every step he made every day. He loved pitting his mind against the fish's instincts; trying to coax an unseen advisory into biting an artificial object that he was trying to make look real. To Adrian, that was relaxation. But work was also crazy busy and in a lot of ways he was starting to let work take over all his free time. If nothing else, it was a good excuse to avoid the blind dates his friends tried to fix him up with.

When his friend Joe and his wife Angie suggested that he spend several days at their cabin in Colorado, he argued that he really didn't have the time. Finally, after weeks of nagging by Angie, he gave in and agreed to go relax at their cabin. They insisted they had everything set and he could enjoy the solitude and fishing with nothing to worry about. No phones, no computers, just Mother Nature and me. He had to admit that Angie made it sound awfully inviting. She had more than once insisted that it was so secluded she often went whole days without getting dressed, just enjoying the sun as she lay out sunning naked on the dock while Joe fished. He had to admit that the thought of her naked may have played into his being talked into going.

The day finally arrived when Joe would fly his up to the small airport near the cabin and a friend he knew up there would drive him to the cabin. All he had to do was take his pole, a change of clothes (if he even wanted one this time of year Angie teased) and enjoy himself for a while. Angie loaded his gear onto the plane and gave him a huge hug before heading off with a big grin on her face.

Heather stands at 5 feet, four inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. She has long blonde, wavy hair, and green eyes. Her figure shows that she’s always been an athlete, and she takes pride in looking good. With fair skin that tans quickly, and freckles dotting her cheeks and nose, she never really has a problem finding men when she wants them. She also has a tattoo in the center of her upper back of a willow tree.
“Are you kidding me?” Heather said into the phone. “We go every year! You guys can’t bail on me!”

“Sorry babe,” the woman on the other end said. “I’m sorry. But I gotta go, Sean’s calling me. Go on your own, Heath. Take some books. You shouldn’t miss the vacation just because of us.” And she hung up.

Heather slumped down onto her bed and slammed her phone into the soft duvet. “Are you fucking kidding?” she grumbled. For six years, ever since they were freshmen in college, she, Marcie and Sean has all gone to her parents’ cabin the same time every year. And when Marcie and Sean got together, things hadn’t changed. But now that Marcie was pregnant, they were bailing. It wasn’t like she was that far along. Five months didn’t mean she couldn’t travel. She lay back on her bed and stared at the ceiling wondering if once the baby came, they’d never go with her again.

In the back of her head she could hear her father objecting to the thought of her going alone. “What if something were to happen to you? No one would know! There are about 5 cabins on that whole lake and they’re usually not in use when you want to go up. Even if they were, it’s not the place for a pretty girl like you to be by yourself.”

“Too bad, dad,” she whispered. Her dad was gone, and she no longer has to listen to his unreasonable worrying. She shot her mom a quick text explaining that Sean and Marcie weren’t going but she still might and to call them if she needed anything while Heather was away.

Heather looked at the clock. If she were to go, she’d have to leave soon. She didn’t know what to do. She could go stir crazy in such an isolated area or she could have the time of her life. But she needed that vacation. She stood up, brushed her blonde hair behind her ear, and grabbed her suitcase. Most of what she needed was already at the cabin, but some essentials always had to be taken. It was gonna take nearly all day, but she’d get to the cabin before nightfall. She threw her suitcase in the back of her car and got in the driver’s seat. She pouted for a while before she finally turned the key in the ignition and headed off to her own personal heaven.

The plane touched down in Denver, some 50 miles from the cabin resort. Adrian hired a car, and began his journey north. Soon, he was leaving the hustle and bustle of the city behind, winding his way through tree tunnels. The car climbed the never-ending hill to the entrance of the resort.

The resort itself was simple enough. Inside the main gate was a cluster of buildings housing a reception, a small convenience store and a fish tackle shop. Adrian's cabin was at the far end of the lake, but he could not have passed more than five houses between the main entrance and his cabin. The isolation would do Adrian the world of good.

He pulled up outside the cabin and got out. He walked around to the back of the cabin, which gave a spectacular view across the lake. It was early evening, and the sun was beginning to set.

“This is weird by myself,” Heather mumbled to herself as she passed the tackle shop. “But god, that lake is gorgeous.” Her car pulled up to her cabin, fourth down, and she got out. When she was younger and her family had come up, she’d always looked out the window as they drove by the other cabins, looking for anyone who might be around. But she never saw anyone. She’d given up hoping for company a long time ago, and it didn’t occur to her that there was a possibility she wasn’t as alone as she thought.

She didn’t bother to unload her car yet. She knew exactly what she wanted to do. She went around back and slipped her shoes off as she looked at the sun setting over the lake. She took a deep breath and inhaled the fresh air, a crispness she couldn’t find in the city, and looked up at the moon. No clouds. Good.

As the sun dipped lower, Heather pulled her shirt off. She was glad she’d worn her swimsuit underneath her clothes. A night swim was just what she needed. She shimmied out of her shorts and walked over to the dock. Dipping a foot in the water, she smiled. Perfect. The sun brightened the lake, but not for long. Soon it would be only moonlight. She stood at the end of the dock for a moment, her hair moving in the faint breeze, before diving off the edge and slipping almost seamlessly into the water.

After a few moments of enjoying the sunset, he returned to his car and fetched his two bags from the boot. He unlocked the cabin, went upstairs and put the bags on the floor of the bedroom. He looked around the room, and smiled. Before his wife's death, himself and Joe had traded steamy stories of their bedroom tales. The steamiest of Joe's tales happened in this cabin, in this very room.

He shook his head and began to unpack. But no sooner than he had opened the bag, packing seemed pointless. Sitting on top of his change of clothes, was two bottles of his favourite beer, along with a note from Angie.

"Enjoy these even if you can't enjoy yourself x".

He afforded himself a small chuckle, the first since Kate's passing. He took the beers and brought them down to the deck at the back of the cabin. He dropped into the hammock, and popped the first bottle open. He took a big swig and sighed. For the first time in a long while, he felt somewhat content. The evening air was crisp, the light low. There was very little sound, only birds chirping and the slight rustle of leaves.

But then, he heard a splash, very faint. He looked up to see a head bobbing just above the surface. A woman, going by the long, blonde hair shimmering in the evening sun.

'Guess I'm not as alone as I thought I was', he thought, turning back to his beer.

Heather curled into a ball once she’d sunk far enough into the water. She straightened up and shot back up to the surface. She took a look around after her head came up. God, how she’d missed this. She didn’t swim much back home. She wasn’t a huge fan of pools, and living in the city didn’t offer her very many other options. And there weren’t many trees like these either.

She dipped back under, twirling and flipping, remembering her days as a child in this water. The sun had disappeared by the time she swam back to the dock. The moonlight was still bright enough for her to see, though. She hauled herself up and lay on her back, staring up at the cloudless sky. It had been a while since she’d seen stars like this. The night breeze caused her to stand, though. Out of the water and still dripping, she shivered slightly as the cool air hit her skin. She wrung out her hair before braiding it and letting it drape over her shoulder. She grabbed her jean shorts and pulled them on and then her tank top followed. It clung to the moisture on her body and made the light fabric somewhat translucent.

And then she started back to her cabin, stopping suddenly when she realized she wasn’t alone. She froze, unsure of how to react. Again, her dad’s warnings played in the back of her head, this time with more credence. But she pushed the thought out of her mind. The likelihood of anything happening to her was small. And she did have her knife, which she always carried with her, in her back pocket. Now the question in her head was whether to introduce herself of not. It was entirely possible this man might not want anything to do with her. But it appeared they were going to be neighbors for a bit. Worth a shot, she decided.

She walked in his direction, not getting too close to him, and staying on her property in case he did in fact want nothing to do with her.

“Hi,” she said, making sure she was loud enough for him to hear her. “I’m Heather. Looks like we’re neighbors.”

Some time later, he heard the water being disturbed again. He looked up to see the woman pulling herself from the lake. The full moon gave enough light for Adrian to see her, and what a sight.

For months, Adrian had not been able to look at another woman objectively. The thought was too hard, too painful. Yet all of a sudden, the male part of his brain kicked in. The strikingly beautiful woman in front of him, almost naked it seemed, struck a chord deep inside him, awakening his senses. She woke another part of his body too. Blood rushed southwards, and in no time, he was standing at full attention. Luckily, he was still in the hammock. He watched her dress and plait her hair. Then, she stopped.

'Fuck, she have sensed me starting. Idiot', he thought.

He turned away, but still sensing her pressure.

Hi.

He looked up. There she was, only a few feet from him. What could only have been a few moments felt like an eternity as he took in her beauty.

I'm Heather.

"A-Adrian. Nice to meet you."

Christ, he sounded like such a fool! Pulling himself together, but staying seated due to his compromising position,

"Good to hear that there will be someone else beside me and the ducks out here.

Is that your cabin, or are you renting?"

Heather frowned when he stuttered her name. She figured she'd startled him, which was not her intention. But he seemed to get over it quickly. She looked him over as he talked, as was her habit. He had an attractive face from what she could see, but she couldn't tell much else in the dark, especially not with him seated. She looked back at the cabin.

"It's mine. Well, my family's, anyway," she told him. "What about that one?" She nodded her head in the direction of his cabin. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone in it before... Then again, I haven't really seen many people in any of these cabins."

She reached down to wring out her now soaked shirt. A lot of good putting it on had done her. Her skin still prickled slightly at each breeze that hit her, and the fabric clung to her so tightly it might as well have not even been there.

"It's my friend's cabin. You might know them, Joe and Angela Wright. It's my first time up here. They suggested I use it for some R&R, and I'm glad I came."

Adrian couldn't help but be a little wary of Heather. It was a defense mechanism he had naturally developed in the last year. But she seemed pretty nice, and he didn't want to scare off all human contact for the next two weeks.

"Do you come up here often? I can definitely see myself coming back. It's so peaceful up here, so different to home".

Heather shook her head. "No, sorry, I don't. There really aren't generally people here when I come up."

She shifted her weight from one leg to the other at his question. She looked down at the ground for a moment. She still wasn't over her friends bailing on her. Then she looked back up and put her smile back on.

"I come up here every year," she responded. "It's absolutely beautiful. And really, I feel like this is where I belong. Fishing, hiking, swimming... It feels so natural to me." She giggled and shook her head. "My dad used to call me a wood nymph," she told him.

She remembered the first time he'd called her that. At six years old, she'd run off, skipping and laughing, and disappeared in the woods. Her parents freaked. But she came back soon after with edible berries. Her da decided she was a wood nymph. He told her that they were spirits who were found in woods loved to dance and sing. They were as free as they could be, and did pretty much whatever they wanted. Of course, he hadn't told them that they were also rather sexual beings who didn't care for the chaste ways of other women.

"I guess he wasn't too far off," she said with a mischievous smile. "It's a good thing I noticed you," she added. "I usually take my night swims naked. That would have been awkward!"