The lake ^^^
Cove's POV
"Feeling any better baby?"
I slowly opened my eyes to see River hovering over me. He gently took his hand and placed a finger under my chin and lifted it up.
I nodded before tiredly closing my eyes and rolling over. Not even 5 seconds later, River pulled me back under him.
"River, let me sleep," I groaned. He chuckled and gently tucked me back under the covers before also getting under and pulling me against him.
I snuggled into his warm body and fell back asleep almost instantly.
I woke up again a few hours later, feeling way more refreshed and awake. I patted around the bed but found it completely empty.
"River?" I called out. Nothing. I sighed and stood up. Only then did I realize I went to sleep in the same clothes that I was wearing yesterday.
I shook my head at myself and quickly went to the closet, pulling out a simple pink shirt with black leggings since I don't plan on going anywhere today.
After taking a super quick shower and changing, I headed downstairs. The smell of bacon and waffles hit me the second I walked in to the kitchen.
There, River is standing with his back turned surrounded by milk, a carton of eggs, flour, vanilla extract a couple of other ingredients.
I smiled and walked up to him, wrapping my arms around his hard torso from behind.
"Oh good morning baby, why don't you sit down, I'm almost ready." I nodded against his back before pulling away and sitting on a stool.
"What time is it?" I blurted out.
"9:30. I tried to wake you up at 6 after your parents left, but you wouldn't get up."
"What can I say, I need my beauty rest, even if it lasts almost 14 hours," I giggled.
"Well it worked really well because you look absolutely beautiful," he replied as he turned around holding two plates piled up with delicious looking food.
A light blush crept up my face and I covered my cheeks with my hands to hide it. River smirked and set the plates and a bowl covered with some napkins down in front of me.
I waited for him to sit down before I uncovered the bowl to reveal cut up strawberries in condensed milk.
I smiled at River as a silent thank you, then drowned my waffles in the strawberries.
"Woah, leave some for me," River laughed.
"Don't worry, I did." I gave him an innocent smile while handing him the now quarter full bowl.
He scowled but accepted it anyways. I giggled at him and took a bite, having to bite back a moan at how good it is.
"River, this is delicious!"
"I'm glad you like it."
"Where'd you learn to cook like this?" I asked. There's no way this is self taught, some one had to teach him.
"My mom taught me how to cook when I was younger. This was one of my favorite things to make but It's been years since I've made it."
I smiled at his confession and gave his leg a light squeeze. It seems like his parents might be a sore spot for him, so I'm glad that he opened up to me.
"Well guess what?" I blurted out.
"What?" He gave me a soft smile, silently telling me to go on.
"I'm really really good at making grilled cheese, maybe I can make it for lunch," I said.
"Sure baby, that would be great."
I clapped my hands together and leaned back in my chair.
"But, you'd have to make them to go, I want to take you somewhere."
"That's okay, where are we going?"
"Somewhere special, you'll really like it it's beautiful," he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer.
"Can we have a picnic then?" I asked.
"Sure, that would be perfect," he answered. I smiled and jumped down from the stool since I'm now done with my breakfast.
"Let's get ready then, well I'm already ready but you're not. Do you even have any other clothes here?" I rambled.
"I don't have any other pants but I still have that t-shirt that you were going to wash," he said.
"Oh yeah! I washed it, let me go get it." I ran upstairs and grabbed his shirt from my closet, the brought it back down to him.
"Actually, you're going to want and jacket baby, it'll be cold. Why don't you get that while I change," he said.
I nodded and ran all the way back up to my room. I grabbed a tie-dye pink and white sweater to go with my shirt before going back downstairs.
When I got to the kitchen, River had already changed.
"We have time to watch a show before we make the food," he informed me.
I nodded and said okay, then we both laid down on the couch. I put my arms around Rivers stomach and laid my head on his chest. He circled his arms my waist and laid his head on top of mine.
"What do you want to watch, it's your choice," I told River since I chose last time.
"We can just watch another episode of Grey's anatomy," he replied. I blushed when I remembered the events that took place last time we watched it.
(Okay random a/n but I always cringe so hard when I write scenes like that because I can't stop thinking about that one Tiktok where the dom was like "Give me your phone. Don't you sass me." Does anyone else know what I'm talking about? Okay I'll leave now)
I nodded slowly and he turned on the same episode that we watched yesterday. That's good because I don't remember anything that happened.
The episode finished quickly and we both stood up.
"Let's make the food, then we can go," River said.
I nodded and we walked into the kitchen. I headed straight to the fridge to grab the cheese while River picked out some snacks from the pantry.
After grabbing 4 slices of bread, I put them on a pan and spread cheese all over them. I put the pan on the stove and let them cook while River packed everything up in a white bag.
"I think that's good," River said, looking over my shoulder at the cheesy bread with small burn marks.
"No, it still needs another minute or two, trust the process." He shrugged and went back to what he's doing.
Just like I said, a little over a minute later I turned the stove off and packed the melting grilled cheeses up in ziplock bags.
River took them from me and put them in the bag along with some chips, fresh fruit, the rest of my chocolate box from yesterday, and a small tub of ice cream. I hope it doesn't melt; although, melted ice cream is really good.
There's a few things at the very bottom, but I can't quite make out what they are. It might just be the picnic blanket.
"Okay, just grab something to drink and we can go," River instructed. I nodded and got myself a coke and River some water since that all he ever seems to drink.
After putting the drinks in the bag, River grabbed it and I slipped on my sweater. Before I knew it, we were in the car and on our way to the special place.
"So, where are we going?" I asked.
"You'll see," River answered, putting his hand on my thigh. I put my hand on top of his and smiled.
About 25 minutes later, we pulled into a dirt road. We drove up it for about 3 minutes before River finally parked in a small parking lot with only 2 spaces. We're the only ones here right now.
We got out and started walking up a small trail.
"This will be about a 15 minute walk," River said.
"That's okay, I like walking," I mumbled. River smiled and attached our hands, pulling me closer to him.
We went silent, listening only to the sounds around us. The birds chirping, the slight rustle of trees caused by the wind, the crunching sound our feet make every time we step on a fallen leaf. It's perfect.
Just when I though that things couldn't get any better, we walked through some trees and arrived to the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen.
It's a lake, not to big but not too small. The water is a beautiful greenish color, but somehow it's still completely clear and see-through.
Clear water runs down the rocks surrounding the lake. The trees are tall with lots of green leafs, and the encage the entire area, making it just River and I alone.
At the side of the lake sits a beautiful white flower covered wooden boat with two white chairs inside and a round table with a white table cloth and flowers on it.
"River, this is beautiful!" I gasped after a few seconds in stunned silence.
"I'm so glad you like it baby," he replied, pulling me into a hug. Instead of hugging him back, I tilted my head up and pressed my lips against his.
One of his hands immediately went to support the back of my neck, while the other snaked around my waist and pulled me closer.
My arms went around his neck and slumped down to his back. When I finally pulled away, he didn't let me go completely.
"Yesterday was our 1 month anniversary. I completely forgot about it until it was too late, plus you weren't even feeling good. So this morning I planed all of this out."
"Thank you River, this is so beautiful. I love it so much, it's really special. How did you plan all of this on such short notice?"
"I have my ways babygirl." He winked and dropped his arms, freeing my body. I giggled and grabbed his hand, walking towards the boat.
Once I got there though, I hesitated. Its a little far away from where we're standing, and don't want to fall in.
River noticed my inner battle and wrapped his arms around my waist securely from behind.
"Don't worry baby, I got you. I won't let you fall," he assured me as he lifted me up and safely placed me on the boat. He made sure that I was balanced before climbing in himself, bringing the bag with him.
He then pulled my chair back and let me sit down before sitting in his own. I thanked him for the gesture, and he nodded. Then, we started to unpack all of the food and put it on the plates.
When all the food was out, I tried to look and see what the thing at the bottom is since it's obviously not a picnic blanket, but River quickly stopped me and put the bag behind him.
"It's a surprise for after we eat," he informed after I gave him a confused look. I shrugged it off and started eating.
"You're right baby, this grilled cheese is the best grilled cheese I've ever had," River praised one he took a bite out of it.
"What can I say, I'm amazing." I dramatically flipped my hair with a smug look on my face. River laughed and shook his head at my antics.
After finishing my grilled cheese, I moved on to the watermelon and pineapple, then to my bag of tortilla chips with salsa. The only thing left now is ice cream and chocolate.
River grabbed two plastic spoons and handed me one. We opened the chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and dug right in.
It's a small container so we finished the half melted ice cream in less then a minute.
"River, I think you ate 90% of it," I whined.
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. All I can say is that that was good as hell."
I scoffed playfully and grabbed the box of chocolate. There's still 10 left in the pack of 12.
I took a couple for myself and handed River a few. He shoved them all in his mouth at once, making me give him a disapproving glare.
"Sorry," he mumbled, his mouth still half full with chocolate. I narrowed my eyes at him, silently scolding him. He just chuckled and shook his head.
"Ugh, why doesn't anyone ever take my warnings seriously," I groaned. River laughed out loud at that, making me even more frustrated.
I would give him an even harder and meaner glare, but that's already been deemed useless.
"It's because you're just too adorable, especially when you do that. You look like a little kitten," he laughed.
"I am not a kitten! I'm a lion, or a bear," I growled to help get my point across. If possible, River laughed even harder. I'm a little scared that he'll stop breathing any second now.
"B-baby you're so cute. That wasn't intimidating at all, that was the most precious thing I've ever seen, or heard."
I huffed and crossed my arms. Just because he's a scary, tall, strong, muscular man, doesn't mean I'm not scary or intimidating.
I'm terrifying if I do say so myself, sometimes I even scare myself when I look in the mirror. Okay maybe that was a lie, the only thing scaring me is my terrible bed head and clogged pores.
"Baby I was just kidding, you're very scary," River apologized once he realized I wouldn't talk to him unless he said sorry.
"Mhmm, that what I though mister." A victorious smile took over my face as I stood up and walked over to River.
I leaned down so that I'm more at his height. "Can I see what's in the bag now?" I ask, unintentionally fanning my breath over his face.
He gulped, making his Adam's apple bob up and down. Before I knew what was happening, I was placed on River's lap with my legs on either side of his waist.
I'm surprised that the boat isn't tipping over with all the added weight on one side. I'm sure that if either of us weighed even an ounce more, we'd land head first in the freezing cold water.
"Well, I'm assuming that since we're out right now, your wearing a tampon. So I brought bathing suits so we can swim," his voice got a little bit deeper and his hand tightly gripped onto my waist.
I squealed and jumped up from his lap, quickly grabbing the bag and pulling the remainders out. River is right, I am wearing a tampon. That's a little embarrassing for him to know, but whatever.
I handed River his grey trunks with black strings before unfolding my swim suit and holding it out in front of me.
I forgot that I bought this a few months ago for a trip that I went on. It's the perfect shade of pink and it fits my body like a glove.
"I grabbed it while you were asleep. It was a hard choice because you have lots of swimsuits, but I thought you'd like this one the best," River said.
"I do, I really like this one. It's very pretty," I answered. That was very thoughtful of him. I'm happy he chose a not so revealing one because I don't think I'd be comfortable wearing a really revealing one around him.
It's not that I don't trust him, I just don't have the best body and I don't want him to think I'm ugly. This is kinda weird, I've never been self conscious before.
Okay enough of the depressing thoughts, let's think about how in the next few minutes, I'm going to see River's bare torso.
I've only been around him shirtless once, but that doesn't even count because we were asleep.
"I'm going to go change over there, just call me when you're done putting that on," River said, pointing to some trees.
I nodded and waited for him to disappear behind the trees before climbing of the boat and undressing on the land beside it.
The cold wind immediately hit my skin, making a shiver run through my whole body. I quickly slipped on my swimsuit, it still fits amazingly. I hear loud shuffling where River is, so he must be trying to hurry too.
"I'm done," I called and River emerged from the trees looking sexy as hell. His toned six pack is practically shinning in the sun, each individual ab pokes out of his skin perfectly.
Wait, since when have I thought things like this!? No, bad Cove. Like I said yesterday, it's the extra hormones making me like this!
His mouth twitched up into a smirk when he caught me staring, although he also stared right back at me. We're both staring at each other, not moving an inch.
"I'm getting cold, we should go in." I was the first to break the silence. He slowly nodded, not looking away from my stomach and chest as he approached me.
I grabbed his hand and pulled him the rest of the way once he got close enough.
"Don't worry, the water is warm," he whispered as I dipped my toes in. He's right, the water is just right. I walked forwards until my legs were completely in, then stopped.
River though, he jumped straight in, spraying me with water in the process. I laughed and covered my face, weakly attempting to shield myself from the flying water.
"River!" I scolded when his head popped up from the water. He played innocent and shrugged, giving me a questioning look.
I shook my head at him and started to move towards him. I got to where water reaches just below my hips before nearly slipping at the sudden drop.
A short scream came out of my mouth as I flailed my arms around, trying to catch my balance. The dirt only goes for a few feet, then there's a huge drop with water that goes who knows how far.
River immediately came to my aid and put his strong hands on my hips to keep me steady. My breath hitched at our close proximity.
No matter how long we're together, I don't think I'll ever get used to the feeling of his hands on my body.
"I-I don't want to go any farther," I said when River slowly tried to pull me in.
"It's okay, it's not as deep as it looks. It's safe, I've swam here several times," River encouraged me.
"I don't really know how to swim." I shook my head and tried to pull away from his grasp. I've maybe taken 3 swimming lessons my whole life, but that's about it.
"It's okay, I won't let you fall in. You don't even have to put your head under, trust me," River assured me. I reluctantly took a small step forwards, clinging on to his shoulders for support.
"That's it, you got it. Okay... stop here, there's the drop." I dug my feet into the dirt as soon as he said that, making him chuckle at my weariness.
"Okay, I'll swim back and you just hold onto me," he instructed. I nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck and legs around his back securely as he started to move forwards, taking me with him.
I held my breath when the ground disappeared beneath me. River made sure to hold on to me tightly as he swam further and further from the edge.
"See, that wasn't too bad was it?" I nodded and released my legs from River, letting them move freely. I still keep my arms around River's shoulders though, just in case.
River didn't seem to mind and he let me push myself out of my comfort zone instead of doing it himself.
That's one thing I absolutely love about River, he doesn't force me to do anything. He lets me go at my own pace, and he gives me as much time as I need.
I paddled around with River making sure that I don't go to deep or drown. Sometimes I would purposely splash River to get back a him, and he'd pretend to mad but laugh a second later.
Soon enough, I was able to completely let go of him. He still keep one hand on my stomach though, but I don't mind at all.
"Um, what do I do now?" I totally just forgot everything I've ever learned about swimming. Do I move my arms, legs, or both?
"You lean forward a bit and kick your feet while using your arms to steer," he explained, bitting the inside of his check to hold back laughter.
"Don't laugh at me!" I pouted. That's all it took for River to burst out laughing, even holding his stomach because he's just that dramatic. This is the second time he's laughed at me today.
"It's n-not funny, I n-!" I cut myself off by also bursting into laughter. We laughed for a good 3 minutes before finally calming down.
"Sorry for laughing at you."
"You better be." I started to swim away from him with a smile on my face. It only took me a few seconds to realize that he's no longer holding onto me and I'm swimming on my own.
"You're doing so good baby! Keep going!" Am I really? Or is he just saying that to make me feel better? I stopped moving to look back at a River.
That was a huge mistake.
I suddenly felt like I was falling and I lost all control. What happened? I tried to move my arms again, but it didn't help. No no no, I'm going to sink. I'm going to go under.
I started to panic and immediately lost all momentum I had gained previously.
My arms started to flail around, creating splashes everywhere.
"River!" I cried out when my splashing made it so that I could no longer see anything. I don't even know what direction he's in anymore.
"Baby, just stay still. Stop moving your arms." I heard River's voice coming from behind me.
I tried to follow his instructions and I stopped moving my arms, but as soon as I did I started to sink.
I froze. I can no longer do anything. I can't move, I can't yell. I can't do anything to save myself.
When my head went under the water, I really started to panic.
I tried to start moving my arms again, but at this point it's too late to do anything. I'm a goner.
What is this? Like the fifth time I'm going to die. First the was Hector's car, then Hector himself, then the shooter. Okay this isn't the fifth time, it's the fourth. Does that make it any better though?
Just when I gave up on trying to save myself, two strong arms pulled me up from the water.
I gasped for air and clung to the body holding me like it's the only thing keeping me alive. Technically, it is.
"I'm so sorry, I let you go. I'm sorry, I'm sorry baby. It's okay, just take deep breaths."
I put my head against River's chest and breathed in and out. In and out. In and out.
"There you go, that's better. Okay now I'm going to swim to the shore so we can go home, just keep holding on to me.
I smooshed my self against River's body as he swam us to shore. After what felt like an eternity, he stood up on his two feet, bringing me with him.
"R-River."
"It's okay baby, just close your eyes." He pushed my head onto his shoulder. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his wet skin against my ear.
"I'm sorry that happened. I never wanted to hurt you, I though you were going to be able to do it on your own."
"It's okay River, it's okay. I just want you to hold me."
"I am, and I'm never going to let you go." I smiled even though he can't see me and let him dry me off. I trust him completely, and that's a lot to say coming from me.
Even after I almost drowned, my thoughts stayed on River and how
I think I'm falling for him.
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