Something Old

Up early. A romantic bit I wrote a while ago that I figured I’d repost.

The oak tree scratched the skin on her back every time she moved, but she plastered herself against it anyway. Darkness wrapped around her, hiding the verdant color of the soft grass beneath her feet and the shimmering leaves overhead. A light summer breeze carried the scent of coming rain to her nose, and yet she pressed harder to the tree.

The perfect hiding spot.

Straining, she listened for the footfall. His steps always fell heavy on the soft loam, that eagerness signaling his arrival long before his voice. She’d left him standing on the back porch, a promise of a kiss hanging in the night air between them. But only if he caught her. Even as she streaked on silent feet into the woods, she wondered which she’d like more, besting him or a slow kiss from those lips.

Skittering just in front of her startled a gasp from her lips. Tiny eyes caught the moon’s light and reflected brightly for a moment before they disappeared. She worked to still the beat of her heart, the frantic whoosh of her breath, and the excited shuffle of her limbs that would give away her spot.

She lifted her eyes to the moon, so fat and golden in the sky. The breeze rustled along her legs, ruffling her dress and the grass, bringing the fresh smell of rain once more. It would find her before he did.

The stillness relaxed some of the taut readiness from her limbs, and she let her eyes slip closed. A pitter patter, subtle like tiny feet on leaves reached her ears.

A drop splashed her cheek, then her shoulder. More fell along her arms, on her nose, on her lip. She tilted her face up, opening her mouth to receive. A refreshing offering from nature.

She let herself get lost in the summer rain; the game forgotten in the warm fall of water soaking into her skin as it made music through the leaves. A different giddiness had her stepping forward, her arms opening as she twirled in the rain.

Without realizing, she twirled right into his arms. He circled her waist and pulled her into a tight embrace. Rain dripped from his lashes when she looked up into his face, a smile just for her on his lips and in his gaze.

“Found you, love.” So quiet, barely a whisper. “My prize?”

He leaned close, bringing the smell of clean male with him. A scent more stimulating than the rain to her senses. Their mouths, but a breath apart, seemed to wait for the right moment to touch.

“And when I find you next?” She whispered back. “What do I get?”

His hand cupped her face. “All of me.”

This was a game they’d both win, and she wanted her prize. Threading her hand through his wet hair, she brought his lips to hers.

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  1. Dawn Rinken

    I remember this from the first time around. Still love it!

    This time, though, something jumped out a me: “It would find her before he did.” I had to glance at it twice before i realized you meant the rain. I was still thinking about the eyes in the woods, and my thoughts went to something sinister: that maybe there was some “It” that might find her in the woods before her lover did. (I know you have no intention of writing part 2 to this, but that’s just where my thoughts went this time.) 🙂

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      1. Dawn Rinken

        No, no: it was just me not reading it properly. When I read it again it wasn’t confusing at all. (Except then I started thinking about what if there WAS “something” in the woods. Because that’s how I write. 😉 )

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