Life Begins at Midnight

Love

It was late afternoon, and the sun filtered in through the western glass wall of Rick's room. Anna smiled. "Can we go out to meet your cheetahs now?" she asked.

"Our, Anna." He corrected her gently.

"Our." She agreed softly, nodding.

She could accept this part of his life. Sunrise and Morning roamed freely in the Zephyr complex. They smelled Anna and Rick coming, long before the two walked up to them. They nuzzled Anna and licked her outstretched palms, purring with pleasure. She knelt down and drew them close, stroking them behind their ears, in a way she knew they liked. She buried her face in their soft fur, and breathed in their wild smell. She was happy.

"My Sunrise and Morning know that they're yours too. They've started to love you more than they love me." Rick said, in a mock-complaining tone.

Anna blushed. "It's more like I'm their new plaything..." she mused. He knelt down beside her and gently cupped her face in his hands. "I don't think you could ever be a plaything. You have too much pride for being one, and too much humility to accept it."

"Isn't that a contradiction?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Not when it comes to you." Rick shook his head. "I'm a poor rich man, who was never owned by anyone, but now I'm all yours. You've turned my world up-side down. I am still the man who believed that life begins at midnight. Mine did. You're defiance in every compliance had me hate myself. It had me love you like nobody ever loved. You changed my hate to love. You had me begin again. You happened to me at midnight. You, Anna, are my life."

She leaned closer, and whispered – "I didn't believe you when you told me that life begins at midnight. But now I do... because mine did too."

This is it. I did it! Yay! I hope you liked it. Thank you so much for sticking with my story... Your support has made it worth all the effort. I love you for waiting it out, and accompanying me right till the end. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!