My Angelic Songbird

I was a popular, athletic and slightly above average student in high school. There was an immense amount of people that I knew who also knew me, but there was only a small gathering of companions that I really trusted and looked upon as my friends. The majority of them I had known since middle school, but there were a few that I met in high school.

First up is Harper, he's my cousin. Everyone calls him 'Slim' on account that he's 6'6." He's been there for me whenever I've needed him, and vice-versa. Next is Lance. He is the school's reigning king of comedy. Whenever I need cheering up, he's right there. Lastly is my very best friend in the world, Rowland. We all call him 'Nova.' His mom says it's because he's destined to be a star, we say it's because he thinks that he's 'Casanova.' We all happened to be in our school's magnet program and we all play sports for the school.

I reached my maximum height during my Sophomore year. I was about 6'1" maybe 6'2" and weighed in at around 175 pounds. I was a member of the football team so I was always in pretty good shape. Physically what stood out the most about me were my eyes. I was constantly being told that my light brown eyes could melt the soul of any female that looked directly into them. It seems that they were the only good thing that my father left me. I had also been told on more than one occasion that when I didn't smile, my eyes could be quite intimidating, even a little menacing.

My mom raised me on her own, she kicked my dad out when I was about three or four years old. If I was to see him everyday, I wouldn't know who the hell he was. I felt like I had to do something great or meaningful with my life, there was no way that I was going to end up like my lazy, sorry excuse for a man, so called father. That's why I worked so hard in high School to get accepted into a decent college. Being in the magnet program in high school opened doors that I probably wouldn't even know existed. It also ensured that I would be introduced to only the smartest girls in our school. I was tired of meeting girls with bra sizes that were higher than their IQs.

There was a number of girls at school that I was somewhat interested in, but none as much as Robin Mitchell. She was easily the most beautiful, energetic, charismatic, intelligent, and angelic person I had ever met. I remember the first time I saw her. It was the first day of school Sophomore year. I was the very first person in class. I grabbed a seat in the rear of the classroom. As other students quickly filed in, as usual I motioned for some of my friends to sit near me. As the buzz of students speaking of their new clothes and summer vacations clouded the air, I looked toward the door and there she was. It was like when Kevin Spacey saw Mena Suvari for the first time in 'American Beauty.'

Everything around me was gone, all the students, the teacher, the noise, everything, it all disappeared. The only thing that existed at that moment was her. She wore a black skirt adorned with a shimmering blue floral print. Her skirt stopped just above her knees and perfectly complimented her youthfully tight bottom and slim, gorgeous legs. Her moderate yet sufficient breasts were encased in a silk, royal blue blouse. Her long, dark brown, straightened hair flowed like a waterfall over her shoulders. Her skin was the tone of pure caramel. I drank in her pure, natural beauty. It was love at first sight.

You would think that with my notoriety it would be fairly simple for me to approach Robin, or any girl for that matter, but that's where everything goes south for me. As much as I love women, it's always been difficult for me to talk to them. In normal, everyday situations, I can talk to anyone at any given time and without any effort I'll be witty and articulate, but if I attempt to converse with a female about anything even closely related to romantic involvement, I transform into an insecure, timid, stuttering imbecile. Trust me, it's not a pretty picture.

As the years flew by, Robin and I became great friends but I never got a chance to date her. It was partly because she was always in a relationship with someone, but mostly because I still hadn't gathered up the nerve to tell her how I felt. This continuously went on until our Senior year. I was hyped about Senior year, but who isn't? After three grueling years of high school, it's finally your turn to run the school. All the underclassmen are looking up to you, all the former students come back to ask YOU how things are going with the school. I decided that this would be my year to finally get next to Robin. If she was gorgeous as a sophomore, she was now a picture of perfection as a senior. A sexual goddess 18 years in the making. From day one of the school year, I made sure that I was Robin's best friend. If she needed help with homework, needed a study partner in Calculus, a tutor in Physics, whatever it was that she needed, I was going to make sure that I provided it for her.

As we neared the halfway point of the school year, Slim, Rowland and Lance began to notice that Robin and I were spending more and more time with each other.

"Hey Aaron," Slim called.

"What's up?" I answered back.

"What's the deal with you and Robin?" he asked loosely.

"Huh?"

"Huh?" he shot back mockingly. "You heard me, you and Robin."

"Yeah, y'all have been hangin out a lot lately," Lance chimed in.

"What are you talkin about?" I answered naively. "We always hang out."

"Nooo," Rowland replied, "not like this."

"The two of you seem to be real buddy buddy lately," Slim added.

"I still don't know what you guys are talking about."

I looked around at each of my friends slightly confused. I had no idea what they were implying. Robin and I had always been good friends. I couldn't understand why they were questioning it now.

"Oh wait, I know what it is," Rowland replied with a smirk. "You finally asked her out!"

"Wha?"

"Don't play dumb with us," Slim said while shaking his head. "We invented it. You asked her out didn't you?"

"No, of course not."

"What? How the hell long are you gonna wait?" Lance inquired.

"Damn Aaron," Slim replied while looking skyward.

"That's just sad," Lance added while folding his arms.

"Can't you see that she likes you?" Rowland asked.

"What?" I replied, both confused and a little ashamed of my cowardice. "Are you serious?"

"C'mon Aaron, everybody can see that she likes you," Slim replied.

"Why don't you just ask her out?" Rowland asked.

My friends must have been sipping the sauce or something. There was no way that an angel like Robin could possibly be interested in me. She's always been with the confident, self assured guys. Why would she settle for me? Her last boyfriend was a college man for Pete's sake! (just wondering, who the hell is Pete and why is his sake so damn important?) I know for a fact that she could have anyone in the school that she wants, I probably wouldn't even make the list of possible third stringers when it came to her. I began to realize that I would never be more to her than a friend. I took a wrong turn somewhere one day and ended up in the last place that any male wants to find himself in, THE FRIEND ZONE. Even though I knew my place when it came to Robin, I still couldn't shake the conversation that I'd had with my friends.

The day before we were to leave for Christmas Break, I found a letter in my locker. I detected a faint scent of perfume on the folded piece of paper as I quickly opened it.

Dear Aaron,

I'm writing you this letter because I haven't had the courage to tell you face to face how I feel. The first time that I saw you, I had to do a double take. You were, and still are the cutest boy that I've ever seen. From the very first day that I met you, I thought that you were sweet and caring, almost too sweet. I figured that it had to be an act, no one is that genuine. I'm glad that I was wrong. You've been there for me whenever I've needed you. While my parents were going through their divorce, you helped me get through it. When that asshole, who will remain nameless, was cheating on me, you were the one who told me that I deserved better and you kicked his ass! For the past few years, you've been my hero. No one means as much to me as you do. I can't seem to get you out of my mind. You're my best friend, and I hope that you can become more.

Thinking of you always, Robin

I couldn't believe it. I rubbed my eyes and looked back down at the paper to make sure that it was sent to the right person. My blurry gaze reaffirmed that the letter was meant for me. I folded the note up, placed it in my pocket and leaned up against my locker with my mouth hanging open wider than Steven Tyler. I probably would have stayed that way if Rowland didn't walk by when he did.

"Aaron?"

Silence. No response at all.

"Aaron? Wake up!" Rowland shouted.

"Huh?"

"What's up with you? You look like you just saw Mrs. Renfroe naked or something." (I wish!)

I pulled the note from my pocket and handed it to Rowland.

Reading to himself, "...how I feel ... cute ... genuine ... hero..." he paused as his eyes grew. "Damn man, I tried to tell you. What are you gonna do about it?"

"Nothing."

With a look of total shock on his face, "Nothing? Hold up a minute. You've wanted this girl since the day before forever, and now that you know she wants you too, you're not going to do anything about it."

"That's not what I mean. I can't do anything until after the New Year."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because she's going out of town with her mother. They're leaving tonight."

"Damn," he replied in a calmer tone, "that's kinda fucked up."

"I know."

I spent the next six days of Christmas vacation reading and rereading Robin's letter over and over. I was still somewhat in a state of shock that she felt so strongly about me. I had no idea of what I should do or say to her once she returned from her trip to her grandparent's home in Tennessee. I pondered this predicament until it hit me. I quickly dialed Rowland's number.

ring ring, ring ring, ring ring, ring ring

"Hello?" Rowland yawned into the phone.

"Hey Nova, it's Aaron, I need a favor."

"Huh?" he asked, still half asleep. "Sure, what is it?"

"I need to borrow your car."

"There must be a bad connection or something. I coulda swore that you just asked to borrow my car." My question definitely woke him up.

"I did."

"What for?"

"I'm going to see Robin."

"Robin who? You mean Robin Mitchell? Outta town Robin Mitchell?" he inquired sarcastically.

"Yea. I have to go up and see her."

"Okay, suppose I lend you my car, how long will this take and where exactly are you going with it?"

"Tennessee. It should only take me a few days."

Chuckling into the phone, "Um Aaron, you're my boy and all, but are you feeling okay?"

"Never better. I'm finally gonna take the offensive and tell Robin how I feel about her. She deserves that much after she poured out her heart to me in that letter."

"Damn, I'm so proud," faux-crying into the receiver. "My little boy is finally growing up."

"Fuck you, dipshit!"

"Seriously though, take care of my car man."

"No problem, I really appreciate it."

I arrived at Nova's house in record time. I got his car keys and was on the road in no time. Coming from Atlanta, all I had to do was take I-95 north straight on to Tennessee. Leaving at 7:00 am, after getting through a little early morning traffic, it took about five hours total for me to reach the state line. Once in Tennessee, I remembered a History report that we were assigned where we had to construct a family tree. I recalled the name of Robin's grandfather and looked it up in a worn-out phonebook at a shitty phonebooth just outside of Knoxville. There were only three listings and that was a major relief to me. I immediately started on my quest to find the home of Robin's grandparents.

After one failure to find Robin, I began to think that I might be crazy thinking that I could just hop in a car and drive to Tennessee just to tell the girl that I love, that I love her. Following my second failure, I got a little depressed thinking that I may have remembered the wrong name. I could very well be making and absolute ass of myself, and on top of that, Rowland would have and endless supply of verbal ammunition to spray me with for the rest of my life.

As it slowly approached 7:41, I began to feel like a beaten man. I was cold, hungry, and I had no idea if I was even searching out the right person. I slowly pulled up into a long, winding driveway that led up to a beautiful two story brick house. The front lawn was big enough for the Titans to play all their games there and all of the property was surrounded by huge trees reaching up into the heavens. I slowly walked up to the gigantic oak door and rang the doorbell.

ding dong

No answer. I rang the bell again.

ding dong

Still no answer. I decided to ring the bell one last time, but at the very moment that my shivering index finger came within a few millimeters of the button, the huge door slowly swung open.

"Aaron? Aaron!"

I had done it. I found Robin.

"Aaron, I can't believe you're here," she asked as her words flew from her mouth so quickly, I could barely distinguish where one ended and the next began. "How did you get here?"

I stood just outside the door shivering trying to open my mouth when...

"Oh my God what am I thinking about? Get in here before you catch a cold," she stated while grasping my arm and pulling me into the warmth of the house.

As I stepped into the brightly lit living room, I was engulfed by the heat emanating from the fireplace. Robin sat me down on a large, plush sofa that sat directly across from the crackling fire.

"Now you just sit right here, I'm gonna go and get you some warm tea."

As Robin scurried out of the room, my mind began to race. I never thought that I would actually find her. Now that I have, what the hell do I say to her? Should I come right out and say that I love her too or should I ease my way into it? Should I be myself or should I try to act cool? I was about to lose my mind when...

"Here you go. Some nice peppermint tea to help take the chill off."

"Thanks."

I slowly sipped my tea as I stole glances of Robin. God, it had only been a week but it looked as if she was more beautiful than I remembered.

"So Aaron," she inhaled deeply, "what on Earth brings you all the way up here to Tennessee?"

I cleared my throat.

"Honestly, you," I replied as my eyes slowly tilted downward to the floor.

"What?"

I retrieved her note from my pocket and placed it in her hand.

"This letter," I paused, "this beautiful letter and the beautiful person that wrote it brought me here."

"Aaron..."

"No, hold on a second. If I don't say this now, I may not have the courage to say it again." I slowly rose my head and inhaled deeply, "After reading this letter over and over again, I couldn't continue to sit back and be afraid to tell you how I feel about you."

"Aaron."

Finally looking Robin in her eyes, "I've loved you since the very first time that I saw you. Maybe it's a little immature to say that I loved you then, but I know for a fact that I'm definitely in love with you right now."

"Aaron, I love you too," she replied with moisture forming in her eyes.

"I never told you any of this before. I don't know if it was because I was scared or stupid. There's a good chance that it was a nice combination of both. After reading your letter, and knowing what kind of courage that it took for you to put yourself out there like that, I had to tell you how I felt as soon as I possibly could."

"Oh Aaron, you have no idea how happy that makes me," she stated as a single tear ran down her left cheek.

Robin wrapped her arms around me tightly, squeezing as if she never wanted to let me go. I returned her hug and became intoxicated by the sweet fragrance left on her body from the same perfume that accessorized her heartfelt letter.

"You know Aaron," Robin whispered while still holding me tightly against her small frame, "you could stay here tonight."

"What about your mom and grandparents?"

Breaking our embrace and staring a hole deep into my soul, "My mom and grandparents left this morning to pick up my Aunt Sophia and her son Greg in Louisville. She's afraid to fly and can't afford a train ticket."

"Well, why did they leave you here? Why didn't you go with them?" I asked while her small hands covered mine.

"I'm watching the house until my Uncle Bobby gets here with the twins, Gabriel and Gabriella. He's driving in from Baton Rouge."

"Well, I guess that means that I'll be staying the night," I said with a grin, "that is, if it's okay with you."

"Great. That means that I can give you your Christmas gift early."

"You got me a gift? You shouldn't have."

"I wanted to. It's something that I haven't given anyone else."

"What's that?"

"Aaron..." she replied as her face slightly turned red with blush.

"Oh," I calmly replied. "Ohhh," the light bulb had finally gone off and I understood what she meant. "Are you sure that you're ready for that?"

"Yes, I wanted to make sure that I gave it to my perfect man."

"Oh, so I'm your perfect man?" I asked in a surprised tone.

"No, you blew him out of the water. You're loving, kind and my very best friend in the world. You're everything that I could wish for and more."

With that said, Robin leaned in and softly pressed her lips against mine. It was our first kiss together. I felt a bolt of electricity shoot from the top of my head to the souls of my feet. I couldn't believe the charge of pure energy that flowed through my veins.

Robin pulled her lips away from mine and my right hand instinctually went to the side of her face. I softly caressed her silky smooth skin as I gazed deeply into her eyes. A combination of love and passion was apparent as I got lost in her mahogany stare. I traced my right hand from her cheek, to her shoulder, down her arm and to her hand. I brought her delicate appendage to my lips and kissed the back of it softly. She stood, not breaking the light grasp I had of her hand, and led me up the stairs to a bedroom. I assumed it was hers.

She then opened the door and we were inside her room. Shutting the door behind us, she took my jacket from me and hung it in a closet by the door, brushing her small but firm body against mine. Turning around after hanging the jacket, she leaned against the door and I moved in to kiss her again. Our mouths reacted instinctually on their own accord as our kissing became fierce and passionate. I slowly began kissing her on her neck and uncovered shoulder.

Robin wore a forest green Tulane sweatshirt that kept falling off of her shoulder and a pair of loose fitting sweat pants that did absolutely nothing for her tiny, curvy body.

Lifting her shirt off over her head, Robin revealed to me that she was wearing a transparent Victoria's Secret bra. Her small, firm breasts pushed proudly against the delicate material that was found on her flawless chest. Her dark brown nipples were already growing erect even though our foreplay hadn't even started.

I reached my hands around her back to undo her bra. Letting the clasp fall, she let the bra drop gently off her shoulders and exposed her bare breasts to me. Her skin was as magnificent as the rest of her, a pure, flawless shade of caramel. Her aureolas were a deeper, richer brown and very large, covering the front portion of her breasts almost entirely. Her nipples were elongated and quite sensitive to the touch. I ran my hands over them, flicking them ever so gently to arouse them. They stood out proud and erect as they pointed from her small breasts. As Robin's breathing became heavier from the excitement, her face flushed red with the sensual attention the rest of her body was receiving.