The Book Of Anna & English

35 - Wild Flowers

Lovely people! There's a tiny smother of smut in this chapter. Enjoy my attempt at cliterature.

Triggers:

- Mention of mother

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Harry,

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Harry

You belong among the wildflowers.

When I was younger I had the same fears as any other child. The creepy figure in my closet that my mind conjured, evil monsters under the bed after watching a scary movie I wasn't supposed to. As I grew older I lost most and gained some. No one talks about the villains who smile or the ghosts that haunt you while it's light outside. They don't mention that you'll stay awake at night because they haunt you in your sleep. It's funny that the monsters under your bed turn into the people who are supposed to love you.

"Don't let her win Anna Rose." She jolts out of her thinking when my hand covers hers where we sit on the bank of the river, watching as our friends splash around. She's been trying to keep a happy facade but it's slipping away from her with every breath she takes.

I can see the battle behind her eyes and I've caught myself a couple of times having to look away because it leaves me terrified and feeling helpless.

The times it's most notable is certainly every time her mother and she are in the same room. There's a part of her, bigger than any other that wants to please her mother, that's waiting for a smile of satisfaction to grace her face. She never gets it, and by the off chance she does, it's fleeting and leaves me wondering if it actually happened to begin with.

She tilts her head, squinting from the sun to gain a better look at me. Her hair is in a loose braid, wishing around as she moves. She radiates beauty and I'm scared, frightened that dusk will find me here and send me home.

No one will understand how I feel about her. How could I ask that of them if I myself still struggle with it? All around me it's blue because of her and this is the only place I want to be, by her side. Time and place determine what happens, no one can stop it but I might need someone to tell me what's right and what's wrong. Blue is the clouds, blue is the moon and blue is the window I look out of and straight into her heart.

"You always know what I'm thinking." She murmurs and I shuffle closer to rest my chin on top of her. She links our hands together in my lap. SHe's wrong, I never know what's going on in her head. It's like a dark room trying to navigate your way with your hands in front of you. I've been lucky enough to find her every time.

"I know when you're thinking about your mother because there's a little line here." I slowly lift my free hand, trailing a line in the middle of her forehead with light touches and her eyes fall shut with a sigh. Contentment fills her features for the first time since her parents arrived. "That only appears for one reason," I whisper, wrapping the same arm around her and pulling her in, kissing the line away. Closer, I just need her closer.

Wordlessly Anna pulls me up, slowly merging us with the water until we're waist-deep and treading the water. "I'll sneak you away until tomorrow morning." My lips find hers like a well-rehearsed dance in an explanation of our next adventure. Even though there's nothing I can do to make her feel valid I can do this, make her forget if only for a moment. She finds my hands underwater, holding them tight and although I can't see below the dark surface I do know we're making our own light right now.

***

"Where are we going?" Anna huffs, with good reason. I've been trekking up the mountain for two hours, the sun is gone and I'm aware that I may have underestimated the time it would take us to reach our destination. There's also not really a destination, I acted on a whim.