Anna finally crested the small rise and her gaze instantly fell upon the tall tree that sat near the middle of the hill. The tree was a giant that reached high up towards the night sky, as if it was attempting to catch the moon in its leafy boughs. The moonlight caused the tree to cast a long, dark shadow along the ground, covering half the grassy hilltop in an inky darkness while leaving the other half open to bathe in the silvery light. The leaves shimmered and waved under the full moon.
The tree was a formidable sight and probably would have had a haunted look to anyone else, but it only brought Anna joy and good memories. Anna had loved to climb the giant when she was younger. She would scale every branch, and swing from limb to limb like a nimble monkey.
Sometimes she would even pack her little blue knapsack with food and pull herself up to one of the highest branches to eat her lunch. Anna's mother was always afraid she was going to fall and break something, but that never stopped her.
In retrospect, Anna realized that she should have been more careful, and she knew she could have gotten seriously hurt many times climbing her favorite tree. But she had never fallen, slipped or even gotten so much as a splinter from the tree in all her years of climbing. The tree seemed to protect her; it cradled her when she played in its leafy branches as a child. Now as a young woman of 18 it would always surround her with peace and comfort whenever she would come to sit and relax at the base of its thick trunk.
And tonight, Anna had come to do just that. She had even brought along a small picnic basket full of various baked goodies she had made.
With a happy sigh, Anna slowly crossed the grassy, moonlit ground towards the big tree. The slight breeze caused the short grasses to sway gently from side to side while the bottom of her ankle-length skirt skimmed the very tops of tiny, white daisies that glowed like stars under the full moon.
Anna came within a few yards of the tree, then abruptly stilled. She had been in tune with the great tree since she was a young child and tonight there was a different feeling in the air. It wasn't a bad feeling, just different.
Anna slowly edged around the broad trunk, looking for the cause of the disturbance. She could clearly see the east side of the tree bathed in silver moonlight, but a shadow blanketed the other side.
Dark and light, yin and yang, Anna mused, as she eyed the dark side of the tree with caution, unsure of what might be hiding there in the shadows. She peered at the dark side of the tree for a second, and then, after seeing nothing, crept closer.
She was just a few feet from the tree and in mid-step when a voice broke through the darkness.
"Hello."
Startled, Anna dropped her picnic basket and took a sudden step back. She caught a quick glimpse of someone leaning against the tree, just before her foot jammed against a rock, and she tumbled backwards. Her eyes involuntarily slammed shut as she braced herself, expecting to hit the cold, hard ground. Instead, she found her back pressed against someone's warm, solid chest. Strong arms gently wrapped around her torso, steadying her. She immediately knew the person holding her was the cause of the strange feeling she had sensed earlier.
A sudden, deep panic welled up inside her from being confined in a stranger's arms, and her body tensed, ready to fight its way free. But then Anna felt a hint of breath on her neck, and a concerned voice whispered in her ear, "Are you ok? I didn't mean to frighten you."
The voice was deep and soothing like the stars on a moonless night, and combined with the warm breath on her neck, it was almost enough to make her melt on the spot.
Anna mentally shook her head. Now was NOT the time to become a damsel in distress, swooning over any guy that caught her when she tripped and fell. No doubt, the guy that held her had a nice voice, but she still had no clue as to who he was. He might be an ax murderer for all she knew. But surely an ax murderer wouldnt have such a worried, soothing voice, would he? Anna told herself that he wouldn't.
As if sensing her distress, the arms holding Anna slowly released her, and the lean chest that had been pressed against her back moved away. She should have been thrilled to be free of his embrace, but she missed the warmth of it almost immediately.
Anna turned around to face the man who caught her, and her gaze fell upon the most attractive guy she had ever seen. The moon cast its light upon perfectly features with a mouth that matched the voice shed heard earlier; totally melt worthy and kissable. It was slightly tipped up at the corners in a small, warm smile that looked like it was a permanent fixture on his face. The smile enhanced his fine features and added a soft glow to eyes so blue that sapphires would be jealous. His hair was darker than the shadows and looked oh so silky smooth in the moonlight. Anna longed to run her fingers through it just to see for herself.
He looked slightly dangerous dressed in a deep blue shirt, black leather jacket, and dark jeans that showed off long, lean legs, but his smile was gentle as he looked at her with concern and curiosity. He looked vaguely familiar, but Anna had no idea where she could have seen him before.
Anna finally found her voice, "I guess I should thank you for catching me."
His smile widened a little, "No thanks are needed as I believe I was the one who scared you in the first place. I am very sorry about that, are you ok?"
"I think I am," Anna said as she glanced down to inspect herself for damage. Her shirt had a few wrinkles in it from where his arms had held her, but she found herself reluctant to smooth them away. Other than the wrinkles, everything checked out fineat least until she stepped forward to retrieve her picnic basket. She whimpered as a sudden pain whipped up her ankle. The mystery guy was once again by her side. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, and she leaned on him for support. Despite the pain, Anna once again found herself enjoying the warmth and contact.
"Whats wrong?" he asked, sounding worried once again.
"My ankle hurts, I must have twisted it when I tripped," Anna answered, grimacing a little at the pain in her leg.
"You should probably sit down. Here, let me help you," he offered.
With the his help Anna made it to the base of the tree and managed to sit down against its wide, moonlit trunk, her unhurt leg tucked close to her body while her other leg stretched out in front of her. He crouched down near her injured foot. "May I take a look at your ankle?" he asked. Anna still didn't know a thing about him other than that he was exceptionally handsome, but he had been nothing but kind to her so she swallowed her apprehension and nodded.
He slowly folded her skirt back so that it rested on the middle of her calf, and then carefully ran his fingertips over her ankle, making Anna extremely thankful that she had shaved her legs just that morning.
Her ankle was slightly swollen and tender but Anna was too focused on his touch to pay any heed to the pain. His fingers were gentle, but firm, as they ran over her smooth, creamy skin, lightly massaging it. His dark hair hung down, blocking his face and wonderfully blue eyes from her view as he concentrated on her leg. Anna fought back the urge to reach out and stroke his silky looking hair, but just barely.
All too quickly his fingers disappeared from her ankle and he rocked back onto his heels. "Feel better now?" he inquired. Truthfully, Anna felt like she would have melted into the ground if he had continued massaging her ankle much longer; it had felt so good, but she would bite her tongue off before she told him that, so she slowly rotated her ankle and found that, much to her surprise, it no longer hurt. She smiled, "Yes, it feels much better. Thank you."
"I'm just glad I could help, being as I was the one who caused you to hurt yourself in the first place." He stood up, walked over to where Anna had dropped her picnic basket and picked it up. He brought the basket back and set it down next to her.
"Well you did a great job; it doesnt hurt even a little bit now." Anna said as she folded her skirt back down, covering her now pain-free ankle. "Where did you learn to do that?"
He stretched out on the grass, lying on his side so he could face Anna. Once again she got the oddest feeling that she knew him from somewhere. "My mom used to be a masseuse, and I learned it from her," he told her.
"She taught you well," Anna said.
"Thank you," he said, rolling onto his back so he could look up at the night sky.
A relaxed silence fell over them as wind whispered through the branches above and a cloud passed in front of the moon, darkening the night. Anna glanced over at her handsome companion, who was lying on the grass a few feet from her, looking up at the stars and realized that she didn't even know his name, or why he was here. It wasn't like this place was close to any houses, in fact the nearest house happened to be Annas and it was nearly 2 miles away. That was why this was her favorite spot. Sure, it might be a little bit of a walk, but it was quiet and almost no one else ever bothered to come out and visit the area, especially at night. It also helped that she had very few neighbors to begin with. That train of thought brought up bittersweet memories, but she shook them away, not wanting to spoil the moment.
She continued to watch him as he lay on his back, his slow, even breathing making his lean, warm chest rise and fall in a steady rhythm. Still watching him, she thought of what to ask him first. She was very curious as to how he had come to be here, but she also wanted to know his name.
He spoke before she could decide what question to ask. "I am sorry about before, frightening you, I mean. I thought you saw me, but I guess from your reaction that you didn't," he paused, but continued before she could reply, "You looked beautiful, standing there in the moonlight. I thought you looked like Little Red Riding Hood, with your golden blond hair and long skirt, carrying that cute, little picnic basket. All you need is a red cloak and you would be set."
Anna felt a thrill of delight run through her when he said that. He'd called her beautiful! It wasn't very often that a guy complemented her or her outfit, much less a remarkably attractive guy with warm eyes and a soothing voice. She hadn't thought that she might resemble someone from a fairy tale when she dressed up for the night. But now that she thought about it, Anna could see that she might bear a resemblance to the title character from a story her mother used to tell her when she was a small child. Then she remembered another character from the story and asked, "Well, if I am Little Red Riding Hood, does that make you the Big Bad Wolf?"
He turned to her and grinned his best wolfish grin, showing off a set of perfectly white, straight teeth. Oh yes, he certainly could be the Big Bad Wolf with a grin like that!
"I could be, but the way you eyed me earlier had me feeling that I was about to be lunchor a midnight stack," he said, his tone teasing and slightly flirtatious.
Anna decided it might be fun to tease him back a little, even though she really did think he would make a very delicious midnight snack, so she smiled coyly and said, "A midnight snack, huh? I think I have something much tastier than you."
He raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?" he said, his voice telling Anna that he knew exactly what she was doing but still wanted to play along.
"Yep," She said, pulling the basket towards her. She opened it and fished around inside for a few seconds before removing two items wrapped in lavender cloth. She handed one to her playful and flirty acquaintance and kept the other for herself.
"Whats this?" he asked as he sat up, examining the object in the moonlight. She grinned, "It's a midnight snack, one thats much tastier than you." She unwrapped the cloth, took a bite of the chocolate chip cookie that it contained, and let out a small 'mmmmmm' of pleasure.
"That good, huh?" he said, eyeing the baked treat, skeptical that a single cookie could be good enough to elicit that response. She took another bite and nodded.
Still doubtful about the tastiness of the sweet, chocolaty item in his hand, he unwrapped the cloth package she had given him a minute ago and took a bite. He chewed it slowly before confessing with mock reluctance, "Ok, I admit it, this is the best cookie I have ever tasted. Where did you learn to make cookies that taste this good?"
"Who said I made it?"
"Well, I just assumed that only a beautiful young woman such as yourself could make something that tastes so good," he said, once again flirting with her.
She laughed; a warm, carefree sound. "Flattery won't make up for not believing me about the cookie."
He grinned sheepishly, "I tried."
"You did, I have to give you that at least. And to answer your first question, a neighbor of mine taught me how to bake." Anna tried to smile, but the memory was still enveloped by a deep sadness.
"Whats wrong?"
Anna looked up to see sapphire eyes trained on her. "Nothing, it's nothing." she lied.
"Don't lie, it certainly is something. You don't go from laughing to having a morose look on your face over nothing."
She got the feeling that he wouldn't drop the subject, so she sighed sadly and said, "My neighbor, the one that taught me how to bakeshe died a few months ago." Anna felt tears start to fill her eyes and she ducked her head but continued talking, unable to stop herself. "She used to baby sit me when I was a little girl, and she would always bake cookies for me when I would go over to her house. When I got old enough, she would let me help her in the kitchen, and she taught me to bake just about everything." Anna finally stopped her reminiscence and quickly felt embarrassed. Why had she just told all that to a perfect stranger? One whose name she didn't even know.
She heard a slight rustle of grass and a leather covered arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her into a warm embrace. "I miss her so much," she sobbed against his chest. She wasnt used to being so close to someone but she enjoyed the feeling of being comforted all the same.
His voice was soft and sincere when he spoke, "I know how you feel. My grandma died a few months ago. I miss her very much too." He paused, "I wasn't as close to her as you were to your neighbor, being as the last time I saw her I was seven. She and my parents had some sort of falling out a little while after that, so they never brought me to see her again. That's why I was really surprised when I found out she left me her house in her will."
Anna was slightly consoled by the fact that someone else knew what she was going through, knew how she felt. But it was the last thing he said that sparked a cloudy memory and got her wondering about something. She'd stopped crying sometime during his story, and she detached herself from him and leaned back against the tree, her shoulder still touching his before speaking, "What was your grandmas name?"
What he said didn't totally surprise her, "Her name was Margaret Stockton. Why do you ask?"
Anna found herself able to smile again, if only a little bit. She now knew where she had seen this guy before. A picture of him at the age of seven had sat on her neighbor's, Margaret Stockton's, mantle for as long as she remembered. How could she have forgotten that adorable kid with bright, soulful blue eyes and unruly black hair? If only she could remember his name...
"It seems your grandma and my neighbor were one and the same; I remember seeing your picture on her mantle."
He looked truly shocked by the news, "Really?" He was silent for a minute and then smiled, "Guess you knew her a lot better then I did. I'm glad to hear that she was such a wonderful person. My parents never really talked about her." He though about something for a second, "I guess this means we're neighbors now."
Her smile widened at the thought, "Yeah, I guess it does."
A sense of peace descended over them once again, and Anna moved closer to her new neighbor. She rested her head on his shoulder and he leaned his head against hers. They stayed like that for awhile until another question popped up in Annas head. She tried to ignore it but it simply wouldnt go away. Anna pulled away so she could look at him, "May I ask you something?"
He nodded, "Of course, ask away,"
"Why are you out here in the middle of the night?"
He chuckled softly, "Ive been wanting to ask you the very same thing all night, but I will answer your question first. I am sure this is going to sound childish, but to tell you the truth I came out here because the moon and stars simply looked so gorgeous tonight." He glanced up at the sky, "The stars are so bright here. I used to live in the city and you can't see the stars there at night, too much light pollution. I never really liked the city even though I grew up in it. That's why I moved here right after I found out that my grandma left me her house. My parents weren't too happy about it, but I am twenty years old and can make my own decisions." He nudged her with his elbow, "Your turn, why are you out here?"
"Well, first of all I don't think your reason for being out here is childish, I always come out here on the full moon; it's quiet and peaceful. You are the only other person I have seen here in years."
"I apologize if I disturbed your peace and quiet tonight," he said with sincerity.
Anna shook head, "No, I am glad you were here tonight. At first I just thought you were a roguish bad boy, but you're actually really sweet and nice and fun to talk to."
His grin was one of amusement, "Roguish, huh? I kinda like that; it makes me sound like a bandit from the old west." His voice was back to teasing. "You'd better watch out, or I could kidnap you or something, being the rogue that I am."
"Oh stop it," Anna laughed, whacking him lightly on the chest. He captured her hand in his and pulled her too him. She ended up on his lap, his face a mere inch from hers. His piercing blue eyes gazed into her soft gray ones. "You have such pretty eyes," he whispered, "They are like clouds illuminated in the moonlight, stunning and mysterious, with little flecks of silver."
Anna felt a pleasurable heat rush through her, at both his comment and his closeness. She reached her hand up and ran it through his hair. It was just as smooth and silky as she had imagined it would be. He brought a hand up and lightly caressed her cheek. Her eyes fluttered shut when his lips touched hers. Time seemed to stand still, and in that moment, there was only the two of them.
At first the kiss was feather light, but it deepened as he wrapped one arm around her torso and pulled her flush against his chest. She encircled her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his soft hair with one hand.
They finally broke apart, needing air. Anna had never felt more comfortable than she was right at that moment, sitting on his lap, wrapped in his strong yet gentle arms. She looked up into his eyes and whispered, "I'm Anna by the way."