'Close your eyes, Mika.' he said quietly, excitement etched in his voice but his face was an image of calmness and mellowness. The girl with the plum coloured hair raised a sceptical eyebrow, but his smile made her sigh exasperatedly and slowly closed her deep hazel eyes…
She felt the boy take her hand and gently place it on his shirt, inviting her to take hold of it which she did while keeping her eyes tight shut and feeling a little stupid. She felt him start to move forwards and could hear the distinct sound of foliage being moved around, probably being pushed out of the way as she was tugged along, clutching the fabric of his T-shirt for dear life.
The boy led her slowly through the small opening, holding the branches out of the way and putting his hand on her soft head to make sure she didn't bang it on the low ceiling of the dark tunnel. He kept glancing over his shoulder to make sure she was alright and he smiled as he noticed the nervous expression on her pretty face, her small gloved hands grasping his dark blue top timidly. Again that strange yet familiar feeling took a hold of his stomach, making the muscles therein clench uncomfortably, and making him desperately want to take her hand again. But he didn't. He restrained himself, just as his father had told him. They came to the end of the dark and low tunnel, and the young boy moved the curtain of plant life out of the way, so as to lead Mika through into his newly found secret place, pricking his finger slightly as he did so.
He led the girl out into the light, watching her move her head around as the light hit her eyelids, her shiny plum coloured hair fluttering with the movement. The boy tenderly prised her hand away from his shirt and placed her gently beside him where she stood quite still, the worried look still etched in her even features. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heart.
'Okay Mika.' he said quietly, watching her every move intently. 'Open your eyes.' Blue watched as Mika's deep hazel eyes slowly opened and almost immediately her lips parted in a gasp of surprise as she saw where she was. They were standing on the edge of a beautiful clearing covered in long, luscious green grass dotted with wild flowers, at the far end of the small clearing there was a small stream flowing quietly into what looked a bit like a pond except that the water didn't stop in the pond but escaped off into the stream again, a weeping willow's vines hung lazily in the light water creating small ripples which seeped through the calm water only to disappear into the waves of the stream. From one of the willows branches hung an old tyre which was swinging slightly over the water, leaving it's reflection like an old memory on the surface.
Mika let out a small giggle of pleasure, making a large group of multicoloured butterflies take flight and flutter up into the air around the two children who watched them with smiles across their young faces. The boy looked over at the girl dreamily, thrilled that his surprise pleased her so much, her lips stretched into a huge, delighted smile as she watched the butterflies fluttering about above her head. Blue tore his dark eyes away from her face and looked up at the colourful insects, their shapes blurred by their swift movements into a whir of colour.
Suddenly he felt something soft and gentle touch his fingers delicately, shaking a little with nerves. He glanced down and saw Mika's gloved hand brushing against his, her pale fingers peeking out at the end stroking his uncertainly. He looked back up at her face and saw her smiling uncertainly at him, her deep hazel eyes emitting tentative waves of friendship… and possibly… Was that something else hiding just behind her eyes? A longing for more? Blue watched as she looked back up at the fluttering butterflies as they flickered around, slowly calming down from their fright, he felt as her small index finger tentatively entwined with his linking them subtly.
Suddenly she giggled and pulled him by his finger up to the willow tree, where she sat in the tyre and let herself swing out over the calm water, looking down at it in glee as she did so, giggling excitedly all the while. After a bit she got bored of the swing, and she and Blue ran around chasing the butterflies which had settled in the long grass again, making clouds of shimmering colour fly up from the overgrown jade coloured grass. But soon enough all the butterflies had taken flight and they searched for a new form of entertainment, which Mika promptly found.
She threw her arms out and started spinning on the spot, getting faster and faster as she went, her face beaming as she went round and round seeing her best friends progress only in fleeting glimpses. He was spinning in the other direction, his arms out and his eyes closed, a huge grin on his young face. Every now and then they'd let out an excited cry as they nearly fell over or if their hands banged together, briefly slowing them down before they immediately took up their spinning again. The two eight year olds shrieked over-excitedly as they nearly collided, making the girl lose her balance and fall down onto the soft grass, swiftly followed by the boy a little less than a yard away. They sat for a moment, their heads spinning and their hearts racing, completely out of breath but their smiles were still glued to their faces as ever.
The boy watched as Mika's chest heaved up and down as she gasped for breath; the same as him; her eyes sparkling in excitable youth and intimacy; the same as him; and yet again there was something more, something she was trying to control but was finding it difficult to… he could feel it too. He didn't know what he was feeling… he didn't know what he wanted… he wanted… her. Both of their smiles had faded a little now as incomprehension flooded their tiny bodies, they knew what they wanted. They knew they both wanted the same thing… but…
Before they could think about it too much, they were both leaning forwards, towards each other, their eyes slowly closing. Their tiny lips touched in a moment of complete terror and yet complete relief, their eyes wide for a moment when the boy watched Mika let her eyelids lower over her stunning brown eyes before closing his too. They could feel each others warmth radiating off of their hot faces, their heartbeats racing with the same rhythm of panic, each others soft lips pressed against them.
After what seemed like no time at all they broke apart, breathing deeply as their hearts pumped so fast they were almost at exploding point, gazing at each other uncertainly. Slowly and tentatively a smile crept onto Mika's pretty face, swiftly followed by a beetroot coloured blush and a sheepish expression. The boy grinned back at her, the same sort of colour taking over his face too, before he leant forwards and placed a hand behind the back of her head, gently pulling her back into his embrace.