While I'm driving on what seems like a neverending road, I pass a place that looks familiar and I notice a car on the side of the road that looks exactly like John's. I pull over and park my car behind his. I get out of my car and pull my sweater tighter around me, then walk toward the edge of the woods slowly then pause and look around me. If only I could remember what direction we came from. I close my eyes and trust my instincts. I look to my left and start to walk that way. Once I pass the first tree, it's easy to retrace my steps from the last time I was here. I can picture the way my fingers brushed against John's on our way back to his car the other night. How it sent a rush of bliss through my entire body. I hold onto that feeling as I make my way over branches and twigs.
As I'm walking I see a small flicker of a light in the distance that must be John's house. I start to run towards it but the closer I get to it, the more it looks like a flashlight. I stop when I hear a man's voice saying, "Look over that way."
My entire body freezes and the flashpoint points in my direction. Whoever they are, they couldn't have seen me. I dive behind a tree and hold my breath. "Nothing over here!" the other man yells.
"Nothing here either," another responds.
"All clear," the fourth man says. I hear their feet stomping around. There must be four of them. Hunters. They must be hunters. And if they are, that means they're looking for people like me. I need to go the hell out of here. I look to my left and see three flashlights. I look to my right and see only one flashlight. I don't want to risk it but he's not moving any time soon so I crouch down really low and hurry across the path he's walking on. I hide behind another tree and keep moving to my right until the flashlights are barely visible and I can't hear their voices anymore.
I don't stop moving, I keep heading in the direction of John's house and eventually I make it there. I stand outside the door, almost unsure of what to do. After a while of standing there like an idiot, I raise my hand and knock three times, loudly.
A few minutes later, John opens the door, rubbing his eyes. "Anna?"
"Sorry," I say. "Did I wake you?"
"Well... Yeah," he says. "It's 3AM. Are you alright?"
"I just really needed to see you."
He looks closely at me and his eyes go wide. "What happened?"
"I can't stay there anymore," I wipe a tear off of my face and cross my arms.
"He didn't tell you to leave, did he?"
"No no, nothing like that. I came here on my own," I say and shift back and forth on my feet. "Can I come in?"
He steps aside and I walk through the doorway. "Of course you can." When I turn around to look at him, he wraps his arms around me and kicks the door shut. For the first couple seconds, I'm too shocked to do anything. His body is warmer than mine so I hug him tightly. We stand there like that for a few minutes and then he pulls away and squeezes my hand. "You can stay here if you want."
"I-I don't want to intrude," I stutter.
"I wouldn't have let you in if you were intruding," he says and puts a hand on my cheek.
His thumb moves to wipe a tear and I catch it quickly. "Don't."
"I'm sorry," he says and steps back.
"I just meant..."
"No, I shouldn't have done that. It's my fault." I reach for him and turns away. "You need a good night sleep and you can get that here. I can sleep on the couch and you can have my bed."
"Are you sure about that?" I ask.
"Yeah," he forces a smile. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"
"Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow."
"Okay, my room is right down the hall next to the bathroom. You can change and get comfortable. I'll see you in the morning."
"Thank you," I say and make my way down the hall. I glance back just in time to see him taking his shirt off. I watch him until he walks over to the couch and lays down then I walk into the bathroom and splash some water on my face. I grab a towel and wipe it off then stare at myself in the mirror. My eyes are a dark green with flecks of yellow in them. My hair is wavy, brown and reaches just past my shoulders. I look away from my reflection, take my sweater off and then head to the room right next to the bathroom. He has a king size bed that looks small compared to the size of his room. I walk over to it, pull the covers back and slide underneath them. I'm asleep before my head hits the pillow.
