04. Sunrises and Secrets
She was lying sideways on the blanket as he fed her strawberries. She was looking into his expressive eyes and thinking that she could not possibly love him more, but then she did.
"How do you do that Robbie…How do you look at me like I'm the only person in the world?"
"Because you are Annie…To me, you are."
"We've only known each other a few weeks and I feel like I've known you my whole life. "
"I love you Annie. I know I'm taking a huge risk by telling you that this soon in our relationship…knowing that you have the power to break me…"
She takes his face into her hands…caressing his cheek with her fingers. "I love you too Robbie. You do not have to be afraid to tell me how you feel. I want to feel everything with you."
"I want that too Annie. I want you."
Her lips were warm and inviting when he caressed them with his own, his tongue now actively seeking her mouth. He could sense her frantic need to be closer to him as her delicate fingers slid under his shirt. He kissed her more deeply now as his heart rate sped up and he could taste the desperate urgency in her touch. It was only when the demand for oxygen became essential that they parted.
"Don't stop," she pleaded.
Her voice cracked with desire and soon she was pulling him back to her, his mouth on her mouth, greedy hands reaching for the buttons on his shirt.
"Anna," he moaned. "Annie, we…We have to slow down."
Her eyes flash with unmistakable hurt just before she asked "Don't you want me Robert?"
He reaches for her much too quickly for a man who is not trying to control his aching need for her. He kisses her neck…her throat and finally her lips.
"I want you so bad that I ache…Can't you feel that Annie?"
She smiles knowingly at him, holding his hand in her hand.
"Then what's the problem?"
"You were right the first time okay. We need to get to know each other a little more. Go on a few dates. I want you…God how I want you. I don't want you to ever doubt that."
"I don't Robert…believe me I don't. I just…"
"I know."
He kisses her forehead and wraps his arms around her as they settle back onto the blanket.
"We almost missed the sunrise Annie. Isn't that why we came here?"
She laughs as she looks up into the sky…shades of Red and orange blending together to make a beautiful picture. She has seen sunrises before but not like this…Not when she had someone special in her life to share in the wonder of it all.
A few moments of silence pass and Anna shifts in his arms. She wants to see his face now.
"I was twelve when my parents were killed in a plane crash. That is what I do not tell anyone. You wanted to know something that nobody else knows. This is it. I lost my parents when I was very young and years later I lost my sister Lindsey."
"Oh Anna…I am so sorry you have had to know loss like that. I wish I had known you then. I would have held you in my arms and told you how sorry I am. I have known loss like that myself Anna. I lost my parents in a plane crash too. It's a pain that unfortunately you don't ever get over."
She trails her finger across his collarbone and looks at him. "I guess we are two half's of the same coin aren't we?"
"I guess we are," he answers. "At least now all the pieces fit."
She kisses him lightly and says, "You were my missing piece Robert. I did not know it at the time but I always wondered why I never seemed to fit anywhere before. I guess I was just waiting for you."
"Dot Dot Dot."