the many fire access tracks in the area. Ruts and uneven gravel paved our way, and huge fir trees bordered the tiny path. I had to drive slowly, and it took a good twenty minutes of rough driving before we reached our destination. The place was so remote I could see why Clary thought it would be a good place to dump a body. The hard trek was worth it though.
I slowed the truck when we reached the end of the track. There weren’t a lot of people who knew about this spot, but I was relieved to find there were no other cars in sight. The dirt road meant that not many people bothered to come out here, and I’d only ever seen the odd person when I’d been here before.
Clary was curious as she looked out the window to see where we’d stopped. “What is this place?” she asked, turning back to me. “Aside from a place to dump bodies, that is.”
I grinned in response. “My grandpa used to bring me here to swim in the summer,” I said. “There’s a lake a short walk from here, and people sometimes use the area for hiking.”
“Do you think it’s okay that we’re here?” She sounded nervous, and knowing Clary, it was because we were doing something that didn’t quite fit the lockdown rules.
“We’re allowed to leave the house to exercise,” I replied. “And we’ll be swimming. Besides, the whole idea of locking us down was to prevent people from transmitting the virus. Do you see anyone else around?”
“Well, no,” she replied. “I just feel like we’re doing something wrong being here.”
“I promise we’re not going to be anywhere close to another person. But if we do run into other people, we can just turn around and go home.”
Clary frowned, but the crease in her brow slowly faded and she nodded, a look of resolve entering her eyes. “Okay, let’s do it.”
“There we go.” I smiled at her.
Once we were out of the truck, I took Clary’s hand and led her between the trees toward the lake. Her eyes grew wide as the water appeared through the low-hanging branches, and a smile graced her lips as we reached the shore.
“Aiden, this place is beautiful.” Clary didn’t look at me as she spoke. Instead, her eyes remained on the vast lake before us. Huge trees lined the perimeter, and the water was a green-blue color that was incredibly vibrant. There were plenty of other lakes surrounding our town, but most people went to the ones just off the highway. This was harder to get to, but I still preferred it.
“I can’t believe I’ve never been here before,” she said.
“Not many people in town have,” I replied. “It’s kind of Harford’s best kept secret.”
“And you’re sharing it with me?”
“I wouldn’t want to share it with anyone else.”
The smile on Clary’s face brightened at my words. I loved seeing that smile more than anything, and ever since her parents got home, I’d been seeing it more often.
“So, do you want to swim?” I asked.
“Sure.”
We approached the edge of the lake and stripped down to our swimwear. Clary was wearing a black one-piece suit. It seemed sexier than the bikinis most girls in our class loved to wear. It reached up high, showing off her long legs, and the way it clung to her curves made my throat turn dry.
“My eyes are up here, Aiden,” Clary said.
I was totally busted for gawking at her in her swimwear, but could she blame me? She was my girlfriend, and she took my breath away.
I grinned and winked at her before turning to race into the water. As my feet touched the lake, I sucked in a sharp breath. The water was freezing, but I kept charging deeper, refusing to let the chill settling into my skin stop me. As soon as the water got deep enough, I dived in. The cold water was a shock to my system, and I came to the surface gasping. As I turned to the shore, I found Clary hesitating at the edge of the water.
“What are you waiting for?” I called.
“It looks cold!”
“It’s a little cold at first, but it’s nice once you get in.”
“Are you sure?”
“Would I lie to you?”
“Yes, you would!”
I just had; it was freezing. I chuckled under my breath. “Just get in already. Don’t make me come get you!”
My threat seemed to propel Clary into action, and she slowly started to make her way into the