Moving Forward

Distractions (23)

If Max was honest, he knew he wasn't a proactive person. As an aspect of nature, he'd be a lake - placid and stagnant without any outside forces. That was probably why he was approached by people like Marie-Ann, like Lara - people who couldn't walk in a straight line without something happening as a result. Whirlwinds. A pair of beautiful whirlwinds that liked to push him about because they knew he'd let them. Max grimaced, as sat at the coffee table. He resolved to never let them meet.

In the back garden, Blake was video-chatting with Max's sisters, so staying inside and pretending he didn't exist was in Max's best interest for now. His sisters wouldn't be offended. They knew what he was like. They knew he loved them and would give them a call to check in eventually.

A fast, insistent knock at the front door had Max leaving his still-too-hot cup of tea at the table to answer it. Of course, he didn't move fast enough, so the person knocked again. Louder.

"Alright, alright," he muttered.

The moment he opened the door a sliver, a blonde hurricane pushed through. Lara grinned at him, seeming incredibly pleased with herself, meaning Max was on his guard in an instant. Knowing Lara, anything that she was pleased about was definitely something that Max did not want to do. Dressed in just joggers and a t-shirt, Lara looked like she was going for a run, but Max doubted that was what she had in mind.

"We, my broody friend, are going to the lake." She announced.

"Ok...?" Max raised a brow. "Why?"

She cocked a hip, huffing. "Do I need a reason to drag you out of your house?"

Max shrugged.

Blake's footsteps announced his entrance. "Who's this?" He asked, a bright smile on his face.

"This is Lara," Max shrugged.

Lara smiled, looking a little lost.

"My dad, Blake." Max told her, giving a vague hand gesture towards his father.

"Oh! Well damn, no wonder Max is so dang hot."

Max rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah."

She laughed. "Have you met Kyle, Mr Waters?"

"Blake is fine." He answered. "And yes I have. He seemed... bossy. Territorial. Just a mention of Luke had the boy growling."

Lara blinked. "Seriously?"

"I'd be disappointed if he wasn't." Blake grunted. "Max is just like his parents. Needs someone with fight in 'em."

"Yeah but Kyle was growly?" Lara repeated. "I don't believe it. He's too nice a guy to be growly."

Max snorted, turning to head for the stairs. "He's not that nice." He wanted to say, but didn't. Maybe that was a little rude. Kyle was lovely. But at the same time, Max knew that not all of Kyle's smiles were real. But telling Lara his reasoning felt like a betrayal to Kyle, so Max kept his mouth shut on the subject.

"The lake?" He prompted instead, standing on the first step.

"Huh? Oh, right. Wear your swimming trunks. And bring a change of clothes." Lara ordered, hands on hips and practically staring him down. Though, when she turned to his dad, she visibly brightened. "Would you like to come, Blake?"

"Oh, no thanks. Water isn't really my thing." Most lion shifters were in agreement that bathing was the most they could tolerate when it came to being in water. Max knew that even his step-moms rarely took more than ten minutes in the shower.

Max was a jaguar shifter, though, and had no issue with water, so he did as he was told, and returned to Lara in the living room wearing a white shirt and navy blue trunks, a rucksack with a towel and trousers inside it hanging off his left shoulder.

"We good?" Max asked.

Lara was already bouncing out of the door, mhm-ing her assent along with a thumbs up.

The lake wasn't exactly what Max had imagined, but he hadn't spent much time around lakes in general anyway, so his opinion probably didn't hold much value when it came the appearance of lakes. Max snorted at his thoughts, looking around and helping Lara to unpack her car. The lake itself was huge. A person could almost be forgiven for thinking that they were looking at the ocean, if not for the fact that the other side was visible - just barely - and the entire lake was surrounded by trees, with barely any space between them and the water. The road to the lake itself was a difficult drive. There was no concrete, but dirt tracks that appeared to be driven regularly.

Lara was grinning as she lay out her supplies. Max took his time in making his way over to her, but it wasn't out of reluctance. More just the fact that he wanted to breathe in the air without the distraction. The lake was unlike any other place he'd been.

It smelled different. Felt different. Felt... new. Made Max feel new. In a way. Whatever it was, Max knew that being here was good for him. His body relaxed and his nerves calmed. And he kind of wanted to roll around in the grass, but he wouldn't. Maybe in his jaguar form, but not as a human.

They weren't the only ones to have decided that they wanted to come here. A few other cars dotted the edge of the forest, and kids were jumping in an out of the water with boundless energy. Some groups had picnic baskets, others were just floating around in the water, paying no attention to the children.

Max turned to Lara, who had laid out a picnic blanket on the grass.

"You're lucky I'm amazing," she said with a grin, "because I have brought you food."

Max mirrored her grin and sat down, letting himself just be in the moment, feeling the warmth of the sun sink into his bare skin, breathing in the fresh air that washed over him on a breeze. The food Lara brought with her was nothing to complain about, and, once full, Max rested his eyes. Just for minute. Just a moment. He dosed off.