-----
Come away with me in the night, Come away with me, and I will write you a song.
Come away with me on a bus. Come away with Where they can't tempt us with their lies
Come away with me and we'll kiss, On a mountain top, Come away with me, And I'll never stop loving you.
-----
"Seth, what's with the blindfold? I can't see anything!" Anna walked unsteadily close behind him as he held her hands and led her down a moonlight wooden pier.
"That's the point of a blindfold. You see for it to be effective it needs to block out all vision, so you cannot see where I am taking you." He smiled stopping her at the edge.
"Where are we?" She asked still disoriented. "It's colder out here, and a bit windy."
"Are you ready?" He asked grabbing her by the waist and kissing her.
"Yes. I am." She pursed her lips together and he slowly took off the blindfold. She blinked as her eyes strained to see again. The scene in front of her was breathtaking. The full moon reflected in the water and it lit the night sky with a beautiful faint white light, just enough to see. Near to them, there was a small boat. Not a very little one like Seth's, but a larger one, with a deck. It caught her breath for a moment, and her eyes sparkled.
"So, what do you think?"
"It's wonderful Seth. It's so beautiful." She sighed and smiled turning around to face him.
"Well, a beautiful girl only deserves beautiful things." She blushed a little and glanced away. "Come on let's go eat." He grabbed her hand and helped her aboard. There was a small picnic basket and a blanket on the floor of the boat. He laid out the blanket and motioned for her to sit.
"This is so great; I can't imagine what you did for Summer if you went to all of this trouble for me." She was still awed as he opened the champagne bottle, non-alcoholic of course.
"I took her out to dinner at a nice restaurant." He replied handing her a glass filled with bubbly.
"Well, that doesn't seem like the same thing." She replied taking a sip.
"It isn't. You're different people." He finished pouring his own drink.
"What's for dinner?"
"Nothing special, just some chicken in almond sauce."
"Well, bam! Emeril's got nothing on you." She giggled a bit.
"I can cook, when I put my mind too it. Here try it." He opened the container and used the fork to cut off a piece. Carefully he stabbed it and raised it to her mouth. She accepted it, and tasted for a moment.
"That's delicious." She made a moaning noise in approval. He smiled and put the fork down.
"You know, the moonlight makes you look so gorgeous. Even more than usual, it just shimmers off your hair and your eyes absolutely sparkle." He brushed a thumb over her smooth cheek.
"Do you do this for every girl you like?"
"Well, I've had a lot of time to think about it. Sixteen years, in fact. But no, just the girls I really think are special." He leaned in to kiss her flushed red lips. She met his with a tiny smile. Kiss after kiss became sweeter and she opened her mouth wider. After a few moments, he retreated. "You know what?"
-----
"This dress is too tight around the waist." Abby wiggled in her Victorian style dress. The costume designer tended to it, making the appropriate adjustments. "I feel like a squished string bean all laced up in this thing." She smoothed the dress at the bottom and fussed with her hair.
"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night." David entered the room quoting lines of the play. Dress rehearsal and he still had a few he had trouble remembering. "You look lovely, Abby." He smiled kissing her one the cheek.
"Thank you. At least I look good."
"But you always look good; you just took particularly nice tonight."
"Go back to your reading lover boy." She ignored him as he laughed a bit and went back to reading the small script book. He began again to recite. "A thousand times the worse, to want thy light.
Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from their books,
But love from love, toward school with heavy looks." "You think we're ready?" She asked as the costume maker finished and tended to another girl. "Of course, we've only been practicing since last week." He laughed. "So, it was a bit rushed but I think we've done well. Seeing as our previous Romeo and Juliet both mysteriously came down with Typhoid fever. Seriously, what is Typhoid fever? Who gets that anymore?" She looked puzzled. "It was a joke Abby. Neither of them wanted to do it, it was an excuse." "Oh. I see. Well, here we are. I hope we end up better than these two poor lovers." She smiled and he pushed a hair back into place. Memories flooded back from their first kiss in David's room, that night not so many months ago. It'd all gone so fast, but she'd loved every moment of it. "I hope so too. Let's get out there. We've got a dress rehearsal to attend to." "Yes we do. I bid you good luck, kind sir." She curtsied a little. "And the same to you my fair lady." He offered her his arm and they walked on stage. ----- "What?" She asked beaming.
"I've had some time to think about all this, with Summer and you and me. I've acted like a real fool, partially because I am not accustomed to these situations and partially because these kinds of things just make a fool out of every man."
"It's okay. That's what we're here for, right?"
"No."
"Well, what are we on this date for then? Aren't you here to pick between us?"
"I don't need to. I've already chosen."
"Oh, I see. That's why you brought me here. To let me down gentle." She sighed and swallowed more champagne.
"Let me explain. Anna, you're wonderful and smart and cute. But Summer is drop dead gorgeous, and everything I've ever dreamed of. I thought it would be a really difficult decision. But in the end it was so simple that I had to practically smack myself over the head."
"Well, I hope you and Summer are happy." She got up and smoothed out the wrinkles in her shirt. He stood to meet her face to face.
"Anna---" He started.
"Seth---" She replied.
"Anna---I love you." He looked deep into her eyes and saw her heart flutter in the moment he uttered those words.
"What?"
"I said I love you."
"But you just told me that the decision was so easy, that Summer was everything you'd ever dreamed of."
"Some dreams are just dreams. Unreal dreams that are not worth living. I told Summer after the date I had with her that you were the one I wanted. Tonight, just proved me right. You're so much more than Summer, and I was too blind to see that. You're so real, and you can talk to me and connect with me. You're so cute and unafraid of what people think of you, so genuine and caring. In the end, the choice was simple. I love you, Anna Stern."
He just stood there for a moment and a tear rolled down her porcelain face. After a minute, he moved the blanket and all the food to a small bench and brought out a boom box. He put in a CD and pressed play. Turning back to her, he offered her his hand and she softly placed hers on top of his. He pulled her close and they began to dance as the music began to play. The boat rocked gently back and forth in the water as she laid her head on his shoulder. Their breathing melded to the same steady beat. She closed her eyes and the wind swept across her face.
-----
Kiss me, beneath the milky twilight, Lead me out on the moonlit floor.
Lift your open hand.
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance,
Silver moon's sparkling.
So kiss me.
-----
Come away with me in the night, Come away with me, and I will write you a song.
Come away with me on a bus. Come away with Where they can't tempt us with their lies
Come away with me and we'll kiss, On a mountain top, Come away with me, And I'll never stop loving you.
-----
"Seth, what's with the blindfold? I can't see anything!" Anna walked unsteadily close behind him as he held her hands and led her down a moonlight wooden pier.
"That's the point of a blindfold. You see for it to be effective it needs to block out all vision, so you cannot see where I am taking you." He smiled stopping her at the edge.
"Where are we?" She asked still disoriented. "It's colder out here, and a bit windy."
"Are you ready?" He asked grabbing her by the waist and kissing her.
"Yes. I am." She pursed her lips together and he slowly took off the blindfold. She blinked as her eyes strained to see again. The scene in front of her was breathtaking. The full moon reflected in the water and it lit the night sky with a beautiful faint white light, just enough to see. Near to them, there was a small boat. Not a very little one like Seth's, but a larger one, with a deck. It caught her breath for a moment, and her eyes sparkled.
"So, what do you think?"
"It's wonderful Seth. It's so beautiful." She sighed and smiled turning around to face him.
"Well, a beautiful girl only deserves beautiful things." She blushed a little and glanced away. "Come on let's go eat." He grabbed her hand and helped her aboard. There was a small picnic basket and a blanket on the floor of the boat. He laid out the blanket and motioned for her to sit.
"This is so great; I can't imagine what you did for Summer if you went to all of this trouble for me." She was still awed as he opened the champagne bottle, non-alcoholic of course.
"I took her out to dinner at a nice restaurant." He replied handing her a glass filled with bubbly.
"Well, that doesn't seem like the same thing." She replied taking a sip.
"It isn't. You're different people." He finished pouring his own drink.
"What's for dinner?"
"Nothing special, just some chicken in almond sauce."
"Well, bam! Emeril's got nothing on you." She giggled a bit.
"I can cook, when I put my mind too it. Here try it." He opened the container and used the fork to cut off a piece. Carefully he stabbed it and raised it to her mouth. She accepted it, and tasted for a moment.
"That's delicious." She made a moaning noise in approval. He smiled and put the fork down.
"You know, the moonlight makes you look so gorgeous. Even more than usual, it just shimmers off your hair and your eyes absolutely sparkle." He brushed a thumb over her smooth cheek.
"Do you do this for every girl you like?"
"Well, I've had a lot of time to think about it. Sixteen years, in fact. But no, just the girls I really think are special." He leaned in to kiss her flushed red lips. She met his with a tiny smile. Kiss after kiss became sweeter and she opened her mouth wider. After a few moments, he retreated. "You know what?"
-----
"This dress is too tight around the waist." Abby wiggled in her Victorian style dress. The costume designer tended to it, making the appropriate adjustments. "I feel like a squished string bean all laced up in this thing." She smoothed the dress at the bottom and fussed with her hair.
"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night." David entered the room quoting lines of the play. Dress rehearsal and he still had a few he had trouble remembering. "You look lovely, Abby." He smiled kissing her one the cheek.
"Thank you. At least I look good."
"But you always look good; you just took particularly nice tonight."
"Go back to your reading lover boy." She ignored him as he laughed a bit and went back to reading the small script book. He began again to recite. "A thousand times the worse, to want thy light.
Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from their books,
But love from love, toward school with heavy looks." "You think we're ready?" She asked as the costume maker finished and tended to another girl. "Of course, we've only been practicing since last week." He laughed. "So, it was a bit rushed but I think we've done well. Seeing as our previous Romeo and Juliet both mysteriously came down with Typhoid fever. Seriously, what is Typhoid fever? Who gets that anymore?" She looked puzzled. "It was a joke Abby. Neither of them wanted to do it, it was an excuse." "Oh. I see. Well, here we are. I hope we end up better than these two poor lovers." She smiled and he pushed a hair back into place. Memories flooded back from their first kiss in David's room, that night not so many months ago. It'd all gone so fast, but she'd loved every moment of it. "I hope so too. Let's get out there. We've got a dress rehearsal to attend to." "Yes we do. I bid you good luck, kind sir." She curtsied a little. "And the same to you my fair lady." He offered her his arm and they walked on stage. ----- "What?" She asked beaming.
"I've had some time to think about all this, with Summer and you and me. I've acted like a real fool, partially because I am not accustomed to these situations and partially because these kinds of things just make a fool out of every man."
"It's okay. That's what we're here for, right?"
"No."
"Well, what are we on this date for then? Aren't you here to pick between us?"
"I don't need to. I've already chosen."
"Oh, I see. That's why you brought me here. To let me down gentle." She sighed and swallowed more champagne.
"Let me explain. Anna, you're wonderful and smart and cute. But Summer is drop dead gorgeous, and everything I've ever dreamed of. I thought it would be a really difficult decision. But in the end it was so simple that I had to practically smack myself over the head."
"Well, I hope you and Summer are happy." She got up and smoothed out the wrinkles in her shirt. He stood to meet her face to face.
"Anna---" He started.
"Seth---" She replied.
"Anna---I love you." He looked deep into her eyes and saw her heart flutter in the moment he uttered those words.
"What?"
"I said I love you."
"But you just told me that the decision was so easy, that Summer was everything you'd ever dreamed of."
"Some dreams are just dreams. Unreal dreams that are not worth living. I told Summer after the date I had with her that you were the one I wanted. Tonight, just proved me right. You're so much more than Summer, and I was too blind to see that. You're so real, and you can talk to me and connect with me. You're so cute and unafraid of what people think of you, so genuine and caring. In the end, the choice was simple. I love you, Anna Stern."
He just stood there for a moment and a tear rolled down her porcelain face. After a minute, he moved the blanket and all the food to a small bench and brought out a boom box. He put in a CD and pressed play. Turning back to her, he offered her his hand and she softly placed hers on top of his. He pulled her close and they began to dance as the music began to play. The boat rocked gently back and forth in the water as she laid her head on his shoulder. Their breathing melded to the same steady beat. She closed her eyes and the wind swept across her face.
-----
Kiss me, beneath the milky twilight, Lead me out on the moonlit floor.
Lift your open hand.
Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance,
Silver moon's sparkling.
So kiss me.
-----