Out of the Darkness

65

I rested my elbows on my crossed legs, and let my head rest in my hands. "I don't have a choice," I said, mostly to myself. I didn't know if Sam had heard me or not, but it didn't matter. He was going to help me. He wanted to do this. I needed too. I thought about the risk that he was going to take for Anna, for those random people, for me. I loved him more for it. "This weekend then?" he asked, after we were quiet for a few minutes just watching Corey and Jake play ball. "Yep, sounds good. Might as well get it over with," I answered. "Are you gonna tell her?" he asked, nodding towards something behind me. I turned to look and saw the girls coming outside. Kat had her arm laced through Anna's walking behind Devyn and Cassie. Tara pulled up the rear, shutting the door behind her. My mouth dropped as they got closer and I saw Anna. Devyn and Cassie had fully glammed her. It was almost strange seeing her this way. Her eyelids were sparkling in the sunlight, a silvery color with a hint of green, her face defined, making her it more angular than soft, and her lips were full, the bright red enhancing that even more. I felt like my brain had shut off. Sam pulled me to my feet, as the girls headed our way. They stopped in front of us, then pushed Anna to the front so that she was standing right in front of me. There was maybe a foot of space in between us. "So, what do you think?" Cassie said. Devyn started giggling softly, putting her hand over her mouth. "You look amazing Anna. Doesn't she Colby?" Sam said, nudging me with his elbow. I still couldn't speak. She was beautiful, but she was always beautiful. The makeup only enhanced her natural features, bringing them out even more. Her emerald eyes were almost glowing as I met her shy gaze. "Beautiful," I managed to croak out, my mouth suddenly very dry. She blushed deeply, then looked down and hooked a lock of hair behind her ear. "You're always beautiful Anna," I said quietly, noticing that everyone was watching me now. I hated that everyone was around us right now. There was something building between us, an electric current, spreading from her to me and back again. I wanted to pull her into my arms and press my lips against her soft ones. My mind went back to our earlier kiss, making the urge even stronger. I remembered the way her lips felt against mine, the eagerness that she had kissed me back with. I was certain that she had kissed me back now, the memory clearer than ever before. "Thank you," she whispered, glancing back up at me. "You guys wanna play?" Corey asked, drawing the attention away from Anna and I. "Yeah, I'm down," Tara said, snatching the ball from Jake, who she was standing next too. "Hey, that's cheating," he said, jogging after her when she went to the court and tried to shoot the ball. I heard the laughter, saw everyone moving to the court in my peripheral vision but I kept my eyes locked on Anna's. "Can I talk to you?" I asked quietly, holding my hand out to her. She nodded, and put her smaller hand in mine. I grasped it, and started walking away from everyone else, towards the house. "Hey Colby, where you going? We need you so we can beat the girls," I heard Jake yell from behind me. I threw my hand up without looking back, and led Anna back inside the house. We sat down at the kitchen table, side by side. I turned so that I could look directly at her. She still had her head down, and I didn't fully understand why. "Why does it seem like you're hiding?" I asked. She looked up and met my gaze, an embarrassed expression on her face, a small grimace on her lips. "I feel like a clown," she admitted, sighing heavily. "I've never worn makeup this heavy and it feels weird. Like I'm trying to be someone else. Bogus." I shook my head. "No, Anna. You truly do look amazing...but if you aren't comfortable then just wash it off. No big deal. I'm sure the girls will understand. It was just for fun." She sighed again and put both of her hands on the table top, folded together. "No. I'm going to keep it. Try to adapt? I guess that's the right word. I don't know how long I will be like this, so I want to try everything that's different, and even things that I've already tried. OH MY GOD!" She screamed, making me jump and look around for something that was trying to kill us. "What?!" I exclaimed, staring back at her. "FOOD COLBY! Can I eat? I haven't tasted food in FOREVER," she said, putting one hand over her heart and leaning back in her chair. She was being so dramatic over food that I couldn't help but start laughing. "Whaaat?" She said, a big grin on her face. "You don't understand! I haven't tasted anything in I don't know how long! I want ice cream, and tacos, and steak, mashed potatoes, everything! Ooo, I want to drink a little alcohol. Not anything serious, I don't want to get drunk but it's something I never experienced. Might as well, make the most of this, right?" It seemed like the last question was laced with uncertainty. "Right," I answered, smiling back at her and nodding my head. She grew quiet, looking at me, but not meeting my eyes. "You have a beautiful smile. One that lights up the room," she murmured. I felt my face grow hot. I got plenty of compliments and I was used to it, whether I believed them or not. But coming from her, my body reacted differently. My heart sped up, thumping against my chest walls, my face grew hot, my hands sweaty, and I had the weirdest urge to look away from her. "Thanks," I replied awkwardly, wiping my hands on my pants. I stood up, and held my hand out to her. She looked at me quizzically, but took it and stood next to me. "If food is what you want, then food is what you'll get, m' lady," I said, taking a dramatic bow. She giggled sweetly, bringing another smile to my face. "Let's see what we have in here," I said, leading her to the kitchen. I started in the cabinets. "Mac N Cheese, popcorn, almonds...um, there's some bananas and apples," I muttered, closing the cabinets. "Let's check the fridge. Cheese, milk, aye cinnamon rolls! Sam would kill me though." I heard her quiet giggle and turned to look at her.