Just as the lake is calm, so am I.

With just me and Clara in the boat, and the trees and the mountains framing the picturesque view, I am more relaxed than I've been in a very long while. In fact, I am happy. So happy, I'm just floating along with my happiness on this little boat. 

"Um, you're going to attach the bait to my hook, right?" Clara dubiously asks, her face screwing up with such repulsion at the sight of me sliding some maggots onto my own hook.

Shaking my head with a big smirk, I cockily say. "Nope, you're on your own, baby." Just as I confidently slide a few more wrigglers onto my curved and sharp metal barb.

I'm half expecting Clara to start pleading and begging with me to bait up for her, but she surprisingly doesn't. Being the resilient beauty that I know she is, she somehow forces herself to overcome her huge dislike of maggots, and starts baiting them up. One at a shaky time, I watch my girl do her brave thing. And it's while I watch her, that I start smiling to myself. How can one person make me so happy? It's something that I just start wondering to only myself. It's not a question that actually needs some deep and definitive answer, because it is just what it is...Clara is the one person who makes me happy. I keep smiling and keep on watching her, enjoying all that she is and grateful for all that she brings to my life. Then, my girl shows off her full and loaded hook to me, gorgeously grinning from ear to ear with smug satisfaction. Nodding at her whilst winking her way as I carefully cast out with relaxed and happy ease. As I place my fishing reel into the boat rod holder, I'm excited to know that in just a few seconds, I will be touching her. Holding out my hand to Clara, I coax her to stand with me in the boat. Although there's a little hesitation in her teal eyes, her fingers eagerly curl around mine as she slowly eases herself up. Not used to the boat, her off-balance causes it to shakily rock. "I've got ya." I gently assure my girl, coaxing her body not to react to the sudden swaying motion of the boat. "I want you to carefully turn around and then slowly pick up your rod. Keep your movements really slow and steady." My hands are now lowly and securely sat on her hips, confidently keeping them in place.

Nervously, Clara begins to turn, needing to keep her one hand on me, just for a little more assurance. "I think this might be a good time to tell you that I was the girl who once completely took out two boys I was friends with during a bike ride...balance really isn't my thing." Her voice slightly trembles with her joke.

Standing myself right behind her, I whisper into the side of Clara's soft neck. "Just use those sexy hips of yours to keep yourself steady." My fingers slowly squeeze into her denim, wanting her to feel how responsive they are to just the simplest touch of her.

"You think my hips are sexy?" There's a low and sassy edge to her voice, a tone that starts paving the way to our pathway of long-burning desires.

Brushing my cheek against hers, I smile. "Very."

The boat is no longer swaying but the flirtation is certainly flowing. "My hips are quite partial to yours, too." Clara amorously tells me as her hips become things of complete control and steadiness.

Impressed and aroused, I hold her back firmly against my chest as I show my girl how to cast out her line across the tranquil lake. Together, our bodies fluidly move. Together, they seamlessly become one as the fishing line glides back and forth through the air before sinking into the reflective dark depths of the water. "Thank you." Clara affectionately says, sneaking a sweet little sideways glance at me.

Fixing my own genteel stare upon her, I thoughtfully smile before answering. "My pleasure." Then reluctantly peel that genteel stare away from my girl, so I can safely slip her fishing rod into the holder.

From behind me, I soon hear Clara ask. "So what now?" Now sounding almost enthusiastic.

Sitting myself down onto the small seat in the boat, I pull on Clara's hand. "We wait." Is all I say, as I start wrapping a warm blanket around us both to keep the chill of the morning at bay.

Huddling in really close against me, Clara adorably says. "This is so lovely." Then she takes my hand into hers, smiling as our fingers seem to just effortlessly fit.

Even though she's now staring out at the alluring lake, I find myself staring at only her. Everything about my girl is a gravitational pull—her touch, her smile, her teal eyes, her accent—damn, I can't get enough of any of them!

Needing to bring her hand slowly up to my lips, I lightly then kiss the back of it as I quietly start talking to her. "I adore how British you are." Is what I so affably begin with. And I really do adore her Britishness. I simply adore everything about this girl. Kissing the back of her hand is no longer enough, so I affectionately start kissing each one of her padded fingertips. "I'm so glad you're here." What I'm now saying is said with such open hearted honesty and gratefulness.

I really am glad that Clara is here.

Unbelievably thankful that she is here.

I'm so glad, and so thankful, I can't quite get my head around it.

Clara is now looking at me, with both a warm smile and some thoughtful apprehension. "How is your sister really doing, Rhys?"

Usually, I shut down at the mere mention of my sister, but with Clara, I feel calm enough to eventually answer. Looking away from her, I choose to stare out at the contented water. "She's as good as she can be, I suppose. They keep me up to date with her progress."

"Have you been to see her?" Clara asks.

My head lowers with an awkward shake of my head. "No, I can't." I know it sounds kind of pathetic when I say it out loud, admitting that I can't find it within myself to go and see my own sister, but I have my reasons, and feel ready to share those reasons with the one person who seems to sedate all of those reasons. "I'm so angry with her, Clara. If I were to see Maci, she would see my anger and disappointment...and that would just hold her back in her recovery." Gripping tighter to my girls hand, I awkwardly continue. "I can't tell you how many rehabs I have paid for her to go into. We have tried so many different types of therapies and counselling, none of it works. I just feel like I have all this fame and money, but I can't make Maci better with any of it." I am never usually so open about my sister. I always get so clogged up with many negative emotions whenever I do talk about her, so it's always just easier to not to. But it's different now. Now, I'm with Clara, I feel stronger. Stronger to face my emotions over Maci. Stronger to fight against the suffocating resentment that I feel for her. Glancing down at Clara's loving fingers, the loving fingers that are still wound around my own, I soon sadly open up some more. "You wanna know something else?" I quietly ask Clara, needing her to now look into my truthful eyes. When she does, she nods at the same time as she gives me one of her strengthening smiles; willing me to go on.

So I do. I truthfully and gloomily do.

"I just know that she will leave this rehab and go and get high all over again. I don't think she'll ever be free of drugs." Again, Clara urges me to go on, this time squeezing my hand with affectionate persuasion. I am telling my girl things that I can't ever say to my mother, things that I should be saying to my mother. So from the beginning, I embark on telling Clara more about myself and Maci. "We used to be so close. I used to look up to her so much. We even used to sing a lot together. Mace actually has a really great voice." I briefly smile, remembering those moments with a long ago feeling rolling around inside of me. "But when mom met Don, everything changed. Mace rebelled against them being together. It had only been the three of us for quite some time, because our father chose to leave us all behind. Don isn't exactly the fatherly type, if you know what I mean. He tolerated us and we tolerated him for Mom's sake. I had my music as an outlet, Mace had her useless group of friends. They all got in with some older guys who took drugs. We all thought that Mace was just going through a rebellious phase, but it quickly became more than that. Even back then, I couldn't understand what she was doing. Even then, I was angry and disappointed with her. As my music began to take off, the more we grew apart. I had become resentful of her. Maci was resentful of me. Our lives couldn't be more different now. I don't even feel like she's my sister anymore. She hasn't been that person for a very long time. So I've learnt to live without her. I only pay for her rehabs because it keeps mom happy, it makes her feel like she's doing something about Maci's problems. But that's exactly the thing, Clara...they are Maci's problems."

After listening to all that I've just truthfully said, Clara cuddles my arm sympathetically tight. "Maybe Maci isn't ready to face her problems? Maybe she just doesn't want to?"

My girl is being just as honest to me, as I have been with her. Kissing her head, then looking deep into her tender spheres, I smile. "You are the only person who has had the balls to actually say that to me, Clara. We all have been thinking the exact same thing, but no one has had the guts to say it out loud." With pride, I hold my girl even closer against me, wanting her beside me as I keep on opening up. "Addiction strips away every moral layer that a person possesses. Every single time Maci gets high, the more of my sister I lose. Once the drugs have a hold of someone, it becomes a battle to get that person back, but only if they want to come back. And that's the saddest part of it all, I don't believe that Maci wants to come back." Sighing, I feel better for talking about my sister, better for releasing a little of what I've been carrying around with me for so damn long.

Without a word, Clara takes my face between her gentle hands and kisses me with a mouth that's expressing how sorry she is for all that my sister has put me through. Her lips move slow and sumptuously soft against mine, trying to kiss away all of the woes that have blighted my life for such a long time. So I lift her deep into my lap, kissing her now with a demanding and ardent urgency. While my fingers passionately immerse themselves in Clara's hair, I know that I need to be with her—I need to be inside of her.

Sliding us both off the small seat of the boat, I carefully lie my girl down onto the bottom boards, kissing her the whole entire time.

Unified by a new and deeper understanding, both of our mouths can't seem to get enough of one another. They plumply entwine, getting completely lost in the moment. This is no longer just a kiss, this is lippy foreplay. Now lying on top of Clara, I know that my need for her is now in total control of me; carnal control of me. Interrupting our feverish coming together of untamed mouths, I lightly brush my lips provocatively against hers. "I want to sleep with you. As in, no polka dot onesie, no closing our eyes and actually sleeping...I mean, I want to sleep with you. Right here. Right now." Again, my lips tease hers. Cushioning my words in a sedate and daring way as Clara's eyes stare deeply into mine. Those dilated orbs are silently seducing me. I love how Clara is looking back at me like she's a huntress about to devour her delicious prey. That look alone, causes erotic little shivers of quiet excitement to veil my skin with goosebumps, just as her fingers sink into the back of my hair and her body arches itself against me. I think she's just as ready as I am, but I want to quickly make sure. "Are you sure you want this?"

"I want this." She softly whispers, smiling as her fingers yearningly trace my face.

Aroused and excited, I am smiling and kissing her neck, playfully nuzzling every velvety inch of it. "Are you ready to rock this boat, Clara Thorn?" I ask, now erotically biting her ear lobe before needing to look my girl right in the horny eye.

Smirking back at me, Clara is too playful and perfect for words. "I am absolutely ready to rock this cute little boat, Rhys Ryan." She eagerly tells me, confidently smirking some more as she impatiently pulls me down against her.

This is where I get to make physical and emotional love to my girl.

I'm currently thinking of myself as a living and breathing song. By being deeply inside of Clara, she will soon understand every single one of my respiring lyrics.