Chasing Anne

Alone?

Anne didn't want to move. She didn't hardly breathe. As she sat in the passenger side of her close friend, Mark's truck, she simply stared directly out the window. Dawn was gone. True, the dog was only at the vet and would be able to come home in only a few days, but that didn't change the fact that she wasn't with Anne right now. Tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped onto her trembling hands. She bowed her head. She was alone. The sky was darkening and as it did, Anne's fear rose. She did not like the idea of being alone for an entire night, even if it was just without her dog. It scared her. True, she had left the door open all night and no one had broken in, but still. If a robber or anything else attacked the house, she was in no good position to defend herself. The truck hit a bump and jolted sideways, causing Anne's head to slam into the truck window. She whimpered and jerked her head back, resting it in the palms of her hands. Mark immediately pulled over and parked the truck on the side of the road. She refused to look at him, but she could feel his worried eyes boring holes in the side of her head. Her blonde hair fell from behind her ear and hid her aching head. Mark reached out and touched her arm, clearly anxious.

"That sounded like it hurt, Anne," he said softly, moving his hand to her shoulder and then her cheek, brushing her hair back behind her ear.

Anne refused to respond and just let her tears well up in her eyes before they began streaming down her cheeks once again. She sniffed and let out an audible whimper, her sobs becoming desperate.

Mark stroked her cheek and wiped away the huge tears that dribbled down her cheeks. He didn't know what to do. His heart started racing, but whether it was from worry, fear, or just his plain love for the girl sitting next to him, he didn't know. He didn't take his eyes off of her face, though he knew that she wasn't going to look at him any time soon. He let her rest her cheek against his hand and used his thumb to brush away another tear. Her eyes darted in his direction, but it was only for the fraction of a second. Her eyes went back to the floor of the truck. Mark pulled the keys out of the ignition with her free hand and then, after wiping a final tear from her eyes, he pulled back. She wasn't ready to talk, and neither was he. As soon as he had let go, Anne brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them, closing her eyes and hiding her face. Mark said nothing. There was nothing to say.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Anne looked up, took a deep breath and rubbed her head. "I-I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to...break down."

Mark rolled his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you not to apologize? Anne, I love and care about you. If you're hurting I don't want you to hide it."

Anne looked away, blushing slightly. "Mark," she began. But then she paused, taking a deep breath. "You never told me you loved me until I met you at the dog park a few days ago."

"I didn't?" Mark asked, scrunching his eyebrows.

Anne shook her head. "You kissed me...once, but that was all."

"Oh, I thought for sure I told you."

"Well, maybe you did try to, but I never picked up on it." She stared out the window. Not blinking.

Mark coughed nervously, trying to find words. For heaven's sake, why was this so hard? He'd been trying so hard to tell her just a few hours before...but now...he felt like an absolute idiot.

Anne turned to him and met his eyes. "How long?"

Mark tried to piece together words. He fumbled with them for a moment, but all that came to mind was the number ninety-five. That wasn't right. It was as if his brain had disconnected. He looked away, trying to think straight. "Anne," he began at last. "You're the girl that God led me to in my junior year in college. I've liked you since our very first conversation. Even if it was just a 'thank you.' I don't know when or how it became love, but it did. I guess I noticed when your mom died in the plane crash. I hadn't even thought about what I was doing until I was a good twenty miles from my house and realized that all I had packed was a bottle of water. I just knew I had to get to you and nothing else had seemed to matter in that moment. I was worried sick about you and spent most of that twenty hour drive praying for you. Honestly, you could say that I was scared. Really scared." He paused, running his fingers through his hair. "Anne, I moved to Minnesota because I love you. I love you. There I said it straight. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I love you."