Prologue

Summer 1998

Christian threw his book bag in the passenger seat, feeling giddy that it was the last day of his sophomore year of high school. He waited for his little sister, Mia, to rush out of the door so he could drop her off at school. While he was waiting in the driveway, his back leaning against the driver door, he saw a silver Volvo pull up in the driveway of the house across the street from him.

Mr. Steele, his neighbor ever since he could remember, opened the door and stood in the doorway. He bent down when the passenger door of the Volvo opened and a petite girl jumped out and ran into his arms. Mr. Steele picked her up and wrapped her in his arms as he carried her inside. A woman with light brown hair wearing a blue dress that hung from her shoulders went to the trunk and pulled out a small purple suitcase and a purple book bag. The woman followed Mr. Steele and the young girl inside, closing the door behind her.

Christian frowned after watching the interaction between his neighbor and the mysterious females that were there to visit him, or to stay, Christian wasn't sure. But he could only wonder who the women were and how they knew Mr. Steele. Christian always knew his neighbor to be a quiet man and he didn't know of a wife and kids, he'd never seen anyone but him come out of his house. Maybe his assumption was wrong, though, or maybe he'd just met the woman and whoever the young girl was.

"Okay, I'm ready!" Mia cheered as she bounced towards Christian, her Barbie book bag on her back and her Barbie lunch box swinging in her hand.

"It's about time, I was waiting for a million years," he exaggerated and guided Mia towards the back seat.

Mia giggled as she buckled herself in her car seat. "Not uh. You're only 16. Not a million," Mia corrected him.

Christian chuckled as he pulled out of the driveway after waving goodbye to his mother. "Okay, you got me. But you did take a very long time, like always."

"Well Mrs. Bates said that since it's the last day of school we could bring a special toy. I had to bring Barbie, but she had to change clothes and look super pretty so when Penelope saw her she would get super jealous. Because my Barbie is better than Penelope's, but she doesn't think so, so I had to make sure my Barbie was super pretty today!" Mia said.

Christian kept his eyes forward as he let his little sister go on and on about how her Barbie had to look better than her best friends. Mia was only eight and although she and Christian didn't have a lot in common due the differences in their age, Christian adored her and Mia practically bowed at his feet. And she really hero worshipped him, running to him whenever something didn't go her way and asked him to fix it.

Christian had an older brother too, Elliot. He was two years older than Christian and was home for the summer after finishing his freshman year at Columbia. Christian loved his brother like any sibling would, but they didn't really share a brotherly bond that most do. Elliot was the type that was dedicated to his studies and focused on making something of himself, while Christian was the type to live in the moment and worry about the future when it comes. Christian wished that he and his brother could share a real bond and he was hoping with him here for the summer they could develop one.

"Okay, Mia Mouse, we're here," Christian told his sister as he got out of the car and walked her to the school doors. "Remember Dad will be here to pick you up, alright?"

"Alright. But when you get home after work can I tell you about my day?"

Christian smiled down at her. "Of course. Now go and this time make sure you don't throw away your lunch box."

Mia pursed her small mouth. "I told you that was an accident!"

"Doesn't matter," he said with a shake of his head, "just go."

He watched as his little sister got lost in the crowd as she disappeared into the school and then he turned around and got back into his car. When he got to his school parking lot, he looked up at the brick building he wouldn't enter for three months and then grinned, pulling his bag over his shoulder and strutting into the school.

As he walked through the hallways he went to his locker and stiffened when he saw Stacey McGuire approach him out of his periphery.

"Hey, Chris, you coming to Nate's beginning of summer party tomorrow? It's all the school is talking about," Stacey told him as she leaned against the locker next to his and leered at him.

Christian groaned on the inside and wished he had the heart to just tell her straight out he would never be interested. It wasn't that she wasn't attractive, far from it actually with her vivid green eyes and long strawberry red hair, she just didn't pique Christian's interest the way he piqued hers. He thought she was a nice girl and would settle for being her friend, but he knew she wouldn't accept no, which was obvious since he was constantly dropping subtle hints of his disinterest that she boldly chose to ignore.

"Uh, I'm not sure yet. I think my parents said something about going out of town for the weekend or something like that," Christian nonchalantly lied.

"Oh, well, if you do end up going I think we should go together," she suggested, moving closer to her.

"We'll see," he muttered noncommittedly.

She giggled and Christian could tell it was forced. "Anyways, you know where to find me. See you around, Chris."

Christian gave her a thin smile as she walked away and let out a breath of relief when she was halfway down the hall. Just then his best friend Jordan came to stand by him as they both watched Stacey walk down the hallway.

"She ask you out again?" Jordan asked.

"I don't understand why she just won't give up," Christian muttered.

Jordan laughed and put a hand on Christian's shoulder. "Maybe because you haven't given her a reason to. Just tell her how you feel, dude, and maybe she'd back off."

"I have, but she won't listen." Christian shut his locker and started down the hallway with his friend. "But at least I won't have to deal with her for the summer." He shot Jordan a look and they both grinned and started yelling 'last day of school' as they ran through the hallways, making everyone laugh and join in.

When Christian got home later that night after work, he was ready to fall on his bed and sleep until the next afternoon. He was just about to head up to his room when his mother called out to him.

"Christian, is that you?"

"Yes."

His mom popped her head from around the corner. "Before you go upstairs I'd like for you to meet someone." She smiled at him and Christian could only wonder who it was.

Following his mother into the dining room, he saw his father and Mr. Steele sitting at the dining table and the young girl he saw that morning sitting next to Mr. Steele.

His father stood up when he and his mother entered the room. "Christian, you remember Mr. Steele?"

He nodded his head. "Yes, hello, Mr. Steele."

"Good evening, Christian. It's been a while since we've spoken."

"It has," Christian said as his eyes shifted to the girl sitting next to him.

Mr. Steele followed his gaze. "Forgive me, Christian, this is my daughter, Anastasia. She'll be staying with me for the summer and I thought it'd be nice if I introduce her to the neighbors, maybe make some new friends."

"Hello, Anastasia," Christian said.

Christian stared at the girl as her eyes met his and he was dumbstruck by how blue they were. They were the color of the Mediterranean on a hot summer day, the sun rays making the water sparkle.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Christian. And you can call me Ana, everyone does." Her voice was husky but had an angelic ring to it. Christian thought she was probably a singer with a voice that could make people cry.

"Okay, Ana. Um, so where will you go when summer is over?" he asked as an excuse to hear her voice again.

"Back to England with my mother."

Christian's brows rose. "You're from England?" He hadn't heard an accent.

She nodded, a smile on her lips. "I was born there, but when I was one she moved back here. We just moved back there two years ago when she got a different job," Ana explained.

"Oh." Christian's eyes shifted to Mr. Steele, wondering why his daughter was just now visiting him.

Mr. Steele caught his eye. "Her mother and I didn't always see eye to eye."

His explanation didn't really explain anything, but Christian just went with it, not wanting to stick his nose where it didn't belong.

"We were just about to serve dinner, would you two like to join us? Ana, dear, I'm sure you and Christian could chat some more. He'd be happy to tell you about some fun places to go while you're here, right, Christian?" Grace said.

Christian gave his mother a look, but turned back to Ana. "Yeah, sure."

Ana smiled at Christian and he couldn't deny how pretty she was. Deciding it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get to know her better—after all you can never have too many friends—he sat next to her as his mother helped the chef bring out the food.

Ana and Christian chatted over dinner, practically ignoring their parents, and realized they both had a lot in common. They liked the same kind of music, thought the same movies were funny and even had the same favorite color. Christian found out she was only a year younger than him, and would be turning 16 in September. He was a little disappointed that she wouldn't be in Bellevue to celebrate it.

As the night progressed both of their families moved to the sitting room and bonded over glasses of champagne and tea. Christian and Ana sat on the love seat together as they talked about Ana's childhood in London and what it was like for Christian growing up with his siblings.

Christian couldn't get over how easy it was to talk to Ana; it was almost like they had known each other all their lives and they were just catching up. He watched her as she talked, how her nose wrinkled when she laughed and noticed the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about her mom. When he asked questions about her dad she closed off a little bit, and even though he wanted to know what happened with her father and their relationship, he didn't want to bring up anything that would make her uncomfortable.

When the clock struck eleven, Mr. Steele, whom Christian finally learned first name is Raymond, declared it was time to go home. Before they all said their good byes Christian asked Ana if she wanted to hang out the next day, and to his delight she agreed.

When he was getting ready for bed a half hour later, he was walking out of the bathroom after his shower when Mia stopped him in the hallway.

Looking up at him with hurt eyes she cried, "You said when you got home I could tell you about my day, but you spent all night downstairs with the grown-ups."

Bending down he put his hands on his sister's shoulders and looked in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mia Mouse, I just got caught up with a new friend I made today. You remember how fun it was when you became friends with Penny and you wanted to hang out with her all day?"

Mia sniffled as she nodded her head, her greenish hazel eyes filled with tears.

"Well that's how I feel about my new friend. But I promise tomorrow before I leave we can sit on my bed and you can tell me all about your day, and if you want I'll even play Barbie teacup party with you."

Mia's eyes lit up, her tears immediately vanished and she jumped up and down in place as she clapped her hands in glee. "Yay! Me and Barbie love it when you play teacup party with us!" Mia beamed at him.

"It's a deal then, but you have to go to sleep in order for tomorrow to come," Christian told her as he stood to his full height.

"Okay. I love you, Chrissy." Mia wrapped her arms around his hips, which was pretty awkward since Christian was still in his towel.

"I love you, too, Mia Mouse," Christian said as he pried her arms off him to gain some space. "Shouldn't you be getting in bed now?"

Mia smiled up at him before she turned around and skipped to her room.

When Christian was lying in bed, he thought about Anastasia—or Ana as she liked to be called. He was anxious to see her again. He had developed a crush on her, which he thought was ridiculous since he had only known her for less than 24 hours. He had a connection with her that he'd never had with anyone else, and he was excited and terrified at the same time to see what would become of their relationship. He knew she liked him too otherwise she wouldn't have sat all night talking to him or agreed to hang out with him the following day, so he had hope that whatever the summer would bring it would be a memorable one.

"What flavor do you want?" Christian asked Ana as they stood at the counter of a Baskin Robin's.

"Vanilla," Ana answered.

"Boo, boring. I'm getting the chocolate chip cookie dough on top of chocolate fudge."

Ana giggled. "You eat way too much chocolate, Christian."

He shrugged. "It's too good to resist. It's almost as irresistible as you."

Christian wrapped his arms around her, his chest pressed to her back, and rubbed his cheek against hers, making her giggle. He smiled, loving the sound of her giggle. They had been dating for three weeks now. The day after Ana and Ray had dinner with Christian's family they hung out all day, and after that they practically became inseparable. It was a week later Christian asked Ana to be his girlfriend, and being the respectable young man his parents raised him to be, he even asked Ray to date his daughter before he asked Ana.

Their parents didn't seem to have a problem with them dating, Christian's mother even seemed overly delighted at the fact. Elliot had met Ana a few times and they got along really well, Christian thought that they even got along better than him and Elliot did. The only one who didn't seem to enjoy Ana's new place in Christian's life was Mia. Christian noticed how she always disappeared to her room when Ana came over, and when Ana tried to engage her in an activity Mia rudely blew her off. When Christian asked Mia what was going on, she wasn't forthcoming and after days of trying to get an answer from her he gave up, hoping that she would eventually come around.

It was Christian's birthday weekend, and he was excited. Not because he was turning seventeen but because he and Ana had decided to take their relationship to the next level. At first Christian was a little hesitant, knowing he would be the one taking her virginity, but after Ana spent days reassuring him that she wanted to do it just as much as he did, he agreed. He would have liked to wait until her birthday, but since she would be back home with her mother he decided to just live in the moment and enjoy every minute he spent with her.

Throwing small pebbles at Ana's window, he waited until he saw her face appear through the glass and gestured for her to come down. When Ana came out of the dark house, he took her hand and led her to his backyard, to the boathouse.

"I wanted to make tonight special," Christian told her as he pulled her through the doorway.

He watched her expression as she looked around the room. In the middle of the room was where his father's boat was moored and it was enclosed by wooden balustrades that had evenly spaced vases of roses placed about the banister. Above them were hundreds of twinkling lights and underneath their feet were thousands of rose petals that led to the second floor, unscented candles places on coasters lighting the way.

Christian looked at Ana as she turned around and looked at him with awe-struck eyes.

"Christian . . . this is gorgeous. H-how did you even pull this off?"

Christian grinned and grabbed her hand. "I have my ways. Come on, let's go upstairs."

Pulling her up the steps, mindful of the burning candles, he took her to the second landing and opened the door, guiding her into the only bedroom in the boathouse. Christian knew Ana liked what she was looking at by the way her mouth fell open and her eyes roamed back and forth through the room.

He looked at what she was looking at. In the center of the room was a queen sized bed that was covered in red silk sheets with pink and white rose petals scattered over the fabric. In front of the bed was a huge bay window that overlooked the sound, and on the ledge were red and white candles, the flames reflected on the glass. On one side of the bed was a dresser where Christian placed three tall, narrow vases that were filled with rose petals and water and had tea light candles floating on top. In front of the vases was a card he written to Ana.

He led her over to the bed, pulled the card off the dresser and handed it to her. When she looked up at him questionably, he said, "Open it."

She gave him a skeptical look before she opened the card. She read it out loud.

"Anastasia, I know we haven't known each other long, but the connection I feel with you is so strong. I know we only have until the fall, but this has been the best summer of all. I know what we have is new, but I want to grow old with you. I know it may be too soon, but I am desperately in love with you, and I can only look to the moon and hope you feel the same way too."

Ana had stopped talking when Christian repeated the last line back to her as he gazed into her eyes. Christian stared at Ana as the silence grew between them, he was beginning to get worried as she stared at him speechlessly, then she saw her eyes welling up with tears.

Stepping forward, and nodding her head vigorously, she chanted, "I love you, too. I love you. I love you so much."

Christian pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers, tasting her tears as they streaked down her face and smeared against his. Their hands caressed and squeezed each other, feeling each other's skin under their own. Christian kissed Ana passionately, pouring all of his emotions into his actions and cherishing the feel of her body pressed against his.

After several minutes of amorous lip-locking, Christian pulled Ana towards the bed but stopped abruptly to make sure she still wanted to make love.

"Yes," she whispered against his lips, her voice low and breathy. "I want you. Make love to me."

Christian gazed into her eyes to make sure he saw no hesitance, and when he didn't he molded his lips to hers again. They lay on the bed, Christian's body over hers, as Christian's hands began to roam under her shirt. Ana's hands did the same to him and he shivered at her tentative touch. They kept their mouths connected as they removed each other's clothing. And before Christian knew it they were lying on the bed naked, their bodies exposed to one another's view.

Christian moved his mouth down to Ana's neck, placing soft, wet kisses along her silky skin as his hand moved down her body and made contact with the center of her. Christian slowly moved his mouth down to Ana's chest as his fingers made her moan out loud and writhe under him. His fingers glided through her hot, wet core as his lips and the fingers of his other hand sucked and teased her nipples.

Ana's loud moans egged Christian on and made him burn hotter for her, and when he felt a gush of liquid rush out of Ana's body and a loud cry escape her lips he knew she was ready for him. Grabbing the condom he shoved in his pocket earlier, her rolled it down his eager length and then positioned himself above Ana again.

"Are you sure you want this?" he asked, his voice shaky with anticipation. "Because we don't have to do this if you don't want."

Ana nodded her head and grabbed his arms, her nails digging into his flesh. "I want this, I want you. Don't stop."

Christian swallowed hard as he leaned down and moved his mouth over his while he guided himself inside of her. Ana gasped at the contact the same time Christian sighed. Christian slowly pushed himself deeper inside her, wanting to keep the discomfort at a minimum, and when he was finally fully sheathed by her, he let out a shaky breath.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

She nodded, her face and chest flushed a light shade of red. "Please move now."

Christian began to slowly move in and out of her, immensely enjoying the feeling of her warmth and the tightness of her muscles squeezing him in the best way. He kept his movements steady, and when she began moaning again and meeting his thrusts he picked up his pace.

"I love you," Christian whispered against her lips as his body began to quicken.

Ana bit down hard on her lip and scraped her nails down his back. "Oh God, Christian. I love you, too."

Their bodies met together, their rapid breathing and the sound of their slapping skin the only sounds in the room. Both of their orgasms snuck up on them, and with loud moaning and groaning, they released together, their bodies sinking into the bed in a sweaty heap.

"That was amazing," Christian said after a moment.

Ana breathed through a laugh and looked at him. "That's what I was going to say."

Christian licked his lips as he looked at her. "Want to do it again?"

Ana giggled and rolled on top of him, answering his question with a simmering kiss.

It was the day before Ana was leaving to go back to England with her mother, and both she and Christian had spent the entire day together, as they had their entire summer. Since Christian's birthday night, they had been the cliché lovey-dovey teenage couple that was so sweet you'd get cavities from just looking at them, but Ana and Christian couldn't care less. All that mattered was that they were in love and together. But now it was time for them to say good bye.

All summer Christian was dreading this day. And each day that passed he told himself that he still had time to be with her. That time was up and he didn't know if he had the strength to let her go.

"I'll be back next summer," Ana told him as they sat on the swinging bench in Ana's backyard.

Christian sighed. "That's too long."

Ana grabbed his hand and squeezed his fingers. "Did you forget that they had landlines in London?" She tried to lighten his mood but he was too forlorn too even smile.

He turned his saddened eyes on her. "Ana . . ."

She closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his. "It'll be okay, Christian. I promise. I'll be back before you know it and then I'll move back here when I graduate from high school so we can go to the same college and live happily ever after."

A morose smile pulled at the corners of Christian's mouth. "Yeah . . . live happily ever after."

That same red Volvo that Christian had seen the same day he met Ana was parked in Ray's driveway and Ana's mother was talking to Ray behind the car, the trunk open and Ana's luggage already packed and in the car.

Christian and Ana walked hand in hand towards her parents, and Christian couldn't keep the dark desolation from entering his heart.

"Hello, you must be Christian. Ana's told me so much about you," Carla said with her hand extended and a friendly smile on her face. That was the first time Christian had officially met Carla and he was almost shell-shocked by the uncanny resemblance between her and her daughter. Christian thought they could almost pass as twins, if Ana was about twenty years older.

"Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Wilks." Christian shook her hand.

Carla gave him a sympathetic smile. "Ana's told me how close you two have gotten and how happy you've made her. I can't thank you enough for making her smile more than I've ever seen her."

Christian looked at Ana and squeezed her hand. "She deserves all the happiness in the world."

Ana gave him a sad smile, throwing herself into his arms and giving him a long hug. And when it was finally time for her to leave, she gave him a long lingering kiss with a promise to call him every day when she had the time.

The moment he watched her drive away in that small red Volvo was the same moment he knew his heart would never be complete without her.

It had been three months since Ana left. For the first few weeks Christian and Ana had called one or the other every night, but then one day she stopped answering her phone. Christian didn't know what happened to bring on her sudden silence, and he went over every possible thing he could have said to her that would have upset her, but he came up short every single time.

He called her house every day for months afterward, but no one ever answered. Then one day he called only to hear that Ana's phone was no longer active. He would have gone next door to ask Ray what was going on, but almost a month after Ana moved back with her mother Ray moved out of his house without a word to anyone. It was almost like they all just disappeared into thin air.

It took Christian a long time to get over her and at first it seemed like an impossible task. But with time her memory began to fade and the pain he felt over her silence just became a lingering ache deep in his chest. With time he moved on and went on to become one of Seattle's top businessmen, and as much as he really wanted to forget the one person he thought he was going to spend forever with, he knew she would always have a place in his heart. And that wouldn't change no matter how much time passed.

Mia looked at the stack of letter's lying on her bedroom desk. At first she took them not wanting her to take her older brother away from her again. But as more and more came for him it became more of a way to hide what she had done rather than wanting her brother all to herself. She couldn't tell Christian what she had done, but what if her actions had tremendous consequences?

She could blame her petty deceitfulness on her age, but she was older now and she still had the letters. How would she explain her reasons for keeping them all these years?

She decided to just keep her little secret to herself, thinking they were just silly love letters. After all whatever was so important in those letters than couldn't have been important now. Or so she thought.

So what do you guys think? Should I keep posting or just give up this whole idea?

I've been going over this idea since last summer and I figured the best way to get it out of my system is to post it, but if you guys aren't interested I'll take it down. Please let me know, and if you didn't like it, please keep your rude, mean comments to yourself. I'll accept constructive criticism, but class A assholes are not welcome here.

Thanks for reading!