American History 1988
Chapter 89 - 84 The Thing That Was Stolen

Chapter 89: Chapter 84 The Thing That Was Stolen

Cleveland State University operates under a traditional semester system, and its summer break is not much different from what Dean remembered from his past life. It generally starts from the end of June until mid-September.

During the over two months of vacation, students could find a summer internship, take summer credits, or even work a part-time job.

As a teacher at the heart of the school’s activities, Miranda hadn’t yet taken her break. She needed to finish processing the last few student activity applications before going on vacation.

However, this didn’t prevent Dean from coming to her office every other day to talk about life, discuss dreams, especially after Ophelia had left.

"Dean, hasn’t Price’s list been busy recently? You’ve had the time to come over every day this week?" After seeing off the last student, Miranda saw Dean waiting outside her door and predictably raised an eyebrow.

"You should ask yourself, Miranda. You’re always so charming, I simply can’t extricate myself~" Look at this perfect figure, and those irresistible black stockings.

Dean honestly approached her and then gave her a breathlessly intimate greeting.

"Hey~ this is a school." Miranda skillfully caught his hands as they began to wander.

"Alright, then let’s change the place." Dean turned his head to look out of the window, where the western setting sun told him it was evening. Far away, the surface of Lake Erie gleamed with sparkling white light under the sunset.

"If I remember correctly, today is your last working day, right?" Dean, who had already calculated the time, had everything arranged.

"Hmm~" Miranda had just finished the last bit of work in her hands, and from now on, she was officially on vacation.

"Good!" Dean snapped his fingers contentedly, "Let’s go on a vacation together now!"

"Vacation? Now?" Miranda looked at him blankly, "It’s already evening, and we haven’t prepared anything~"

This was too sudden for her; Dean hadn’t discussed it with her at all. If they were going on a vacation, the destination was one issue, and how to explain it to her father Mather and the others was another issue.

"Relax, Miranda, I’m not planning to elope with you." Seeing her bewildered expression, Dean knew she had misunderstood. "We’ll vacation right here, in Cleveland."

Following Dean’s gaze, Miranda looked out the window. Beyond a cluster of high-rise buildings, there were crowds of people by the blue lake, wearing various swimsuits and frolicking by the water’s edge.

"Lake Erie?" Miranda turned to Dean, somewhat surprised.

"Exactly, right there." Dean nodded proudly, "You know, Miranda, despite having been in Cleveland for so long, I still haven’t gone boating on Lake Erie. I have a feeling that today is a good opportunity."

"So, it’s happening now?" Miranda was a bit eager, especially after seeing the various swimsuits by the lake. Her good figure was meant to be showcased now, wasn’t it?

"Let’s go, Miranda, while it’s still light out, we might be able to take a trip across to Canada." Dean took Miranda’s hand and started jogging down the stairs.

He knew Miranda had strict parents, and if they returned too late, Mr. Mather would probably be unhappy.

So, seizing the limited time... ahem~ in short, time was precious, and Dean didn’t want to waste this great opportunity.

It was actually quite close from the school to the lakeside, a ten-minute drive was all it took for Dean and Miranda to arrive at their destination. Miranda had wanted to buy a couple of swimsuits, but Dean told her there was no need, as he had prepared everything.

Amidst the secretive planning, after they both got out of the car, Miranda discovered they were at a dock.

"Dean?" Miranda covered her mouth, uncertainly looking ahead.

"Hmm~" This was the moment Dean was waiting for, "The Sunbird yacht, 75 feet long, can accommodate 15 guests. It has a luxurious private cabin, as well as a fully-equipped deck.

Miranda, you must have seen it in Cleveland’s newspapers, it’s quite the local darling. But tonight, the Sunbird is exclusively ours."

"Oh~ my God, Dean, is this real?" Miranda was ecstatically incredulous at the sight before her, Dean hadn’t hinted a thing to her.

"Let’s go, my dear. As I said, today will be a wonderful day." Dean took Miranda’s hand and led her onto the yacht.

This was a purchase that cost over two thousand US dollars, rented through Morgan Tailer’s connections. The Sunbird yacht was too popular, and waiting in line could take forever.

Two thousand US dollars for three hours, Dean swore this was the most money he had ever spent on a woman.

But for the black stockings, it was worth it! Long live black stockings!

"Dean, just the two of us, are you sure you know how to operate this boat?" The Sunbird was luxurious and comfortable, but Miranda wasn’t sure if Dean could navigate it away from the dock.

Faced with her skepticism, Dean’s actions proved everything. With the buzzing of the engine starting up, the Sunbird slowly headed into the waters of Lake Erie.

"Miranda, never mind the yacht, I could fly a plane too!" Dean wasn’t boasting; he really was capable of doing so.

As one of the traditional agricultural states, Ohio has vast farms. In high school, Dean often flew planes spraying pesticides while zipping around above his classmates’ farms.

Yachting was a skill taught by dear old Dad Peter, who used to make daily trips to the docks in Cleveland. In his spare time, he learned to operate various types of boats, so during family vacations, it was natural for Dean to also pick up this skill.

"Dean, you are really impressive!" Miranda leaned on the deck railing, cheering and waving her hands loudly toward the cockpit.

Although only named a lake, once you’re on it, you’ll find Lake Erie is no different from the sea. It’s too vast; Dean drove for a while yet could not see the edge.

The Sunbird had left the Cleveland coastline far behind, and from the boat, Dean could only make out the outline of the city lights on the horizon.

The boat came to a stop in the middle of the lake, and Dean joined Miranda on the deck where she was enjoying the breeze. "Dear, do you like it?"

"Mmm~" Comfortably squinting her eyes amid the evening wind, Miranda surrendered herself to nature in that moment.

"Let’s have a drink," Dean said, opening the champagne he had prepared in advance.

"Wow~ so this was all planned in advance, huh?" Miranda laughed as she took the glass.

"It was all worth it," Dean toasted with her, and with the sunset as their backdrop and the lake breeze as their pillow, they emptied their glasses in one go.

Perhaps due to the effects of the alcohol, or maybe it was simply the irresistible charm of the person beside her. The two on the deck were quickly drawn to each other, their figures almost obscured by the wind.

When passion peaked, Dean carried Miranda straight into the yacht’s cabin.

The heated atmosphere freed all inhibitions. "Wait, Miranda, don’t move the stockings! I like the feeling of having them over my shoulders!"

"Dean, you are such a jerk!"

...

When they emerged again, Miranda had changed into a white and blue swimsuit, while Dean was only in a pair of floral trunks.

"Need to rest a little more?" Dean asked with concern, worried she might stumble and fall into the water.

"Dean, you tricked me~" Miranda frowned as she sat down on a deck chair.

"What?" Dean shrugged innocently as he helped her lie down.

"It wasn’t as wonderful as I thought. It even hurt," lamented Miranda, regretting that she had taken his sweet nothings seriously.

"Hey~ have you ever heard the saying, ’No pain, no gain?’" Dean protested pitifully. "At the end, you were clearly enjoying it."

Lucky for Dean, he had had the foresight to set the boat in the heart of the lake; otherwise, Miranda’s cries would surely have attracted the attention of the patrols along the shore.

"Shut up, Dean! It’s time to take me home now." Miranda couldn’t bear to hear the rest. Her thighs were still so sore that she could barely move them.

"OK~ The Sunbird is about to return to its nest!" Dean saluted and then stepped into the cockpit, steering the boat towards Cleveland.

By the time they returned to the dock, the sky was filled with stars, replacing the red swirl of sunset they had left behind.

Out of consideration for Miranda’s condition, Dean forewent dinner, and they drove directly to Tremont in the west end, not stopping until he had seen her into her building. Then Dean prepared to head back, reassured.

"Miranda, it may be selfish of me to say, but I need to tell you, I had an incomparable night. The scenery on Lake Erie was more beautiful than I imagined. I think I’ll remember it for the rest of my life, I swear!"

"OK, though this vacation had its ups and downs, overall, I’d give it a good review," said Miranda demurely as they said their final goodbyes.

"I knew it, Miranda, we’re on the same wavelength!" Dean said, moving to step closer again.

But Miranda raised a hand to stop him. "That’s enough for today, Dean, I need to go home and rest well tonight. Oh, and considering you’ve been quite attentive this week, I’ll overlook those rumors about you and the girl from the music academy."

"Uh..." Dean, who had wanted to kiss her goodbye, abruptly stopped in his tracks. "Miranda, don’t let rumors blind you. You should understand how I feel about you; you’re the girl who moves me the most in all of America."

Ophelia had already returned to Europe, and Susie was just a business partner. See, Dean wasn’t lying at all!

"Alright, to make me believe you, I’ll have to see how you behave in the future." As an American, Miranda was clearly more open to these matters. She didn’t care about Dean’s past; she cared more about what he would do now.

"Of course," Dean winked suggestively. "We have much more fun to look forward to."

"Hey~" Miranda wanted to scold him, but he had already hopped into the car and waved goodbye.

Helplessly nodding at him as a farewell, Miranda also hobbled towards the building. When she opened her home’s door, she tried to regulate her breathing, making sure she appeared as usual.

"Mom and Dad, I’m back," Miranda said as she switched to slippers, planning to head up to her room.

"Why are you back so late today?" Mather glanced at his daughter curiously.

"It’s the last day, so I wanted to finish up everything I had on hand," Miranda explained nonchalantly with a shrug.

"Miranda, do you need me to prepare some food for you?" Mrs. Mather came over thoughtfully.

"Oh no, I’ll just rest for a bit, then I’ll come down and join you," she replied, needing a shower to wash away all traces of the day and change her clothes.

Watching Miranda shiver as she climbed the stairs, Mr. and Mrs. Mather sensed that something was amiss.

"Did she come back alone today?" Mather turned and asked his wife.

Mrs. Mather shrugged. "I don’t know, but I have a feeling that our most precious thing is about to be stolen."

As Miranda labored up the stairs, she fiercely cursed Dean internally. The man was like a bull in a china shop; she felt her body was almost falling apart.