One Million Words

'A date? Is this what that was? Is that what I want?' Annabelle asked herself as she made her way to her dorm.

Annabelle spent the next two hours trying to pick out the perfect outfit. She didn't want to be overdressed and yet she wanted to look beautiful for Skylar. She settled for tight fitting blue skinny jeans, a white v-neck top and strappy black heels. Her hair was styled and her make-up done to perfection. She gave herself another once over and heard a soft knock at her door and felt her heart rate increase drastically.

Skylar stood there as Annabelle opened the door, dressed in black jeans and white sneakers, a light blue dress shirt and a black waist coat that she had left unbuttoned. Her hair was in its usual 'bed head' style and to Annabelle she looked like the sexiest woman on the planet.

"Wow, you look beautiful." Skylar said, handing Annabelle a single white rose.

"So do you." Annabelle smiled and kissed Skylar's cheek.

"Thank you. So are you ready?" Skylar asked.

"Yes." Annabelle said blushing.

They walked to the car and Skylar opened the door for Annabelle. They drove to the waterfront and walked into the restaurant where they settled at a table and ordered wine.

"I was so nervous about tonight." Annabelle admitted.

"That makes two of us. Actually, if I'm being honest, I still am a little bit." Skylar said with a lopsided grin.

'Oh my God, she is so fucking sexy when she smiles like that,' Annabelle thought. "Me too."

The night was filled with laughter and small talk, the attraction growing between them with each passing moment. It was as if electricity filled the air around them and sizzled. After supper they made their way to the movies, picking a romantic comedy starring. Sitting in the dark theatre room, Skylar watched Annabelle, how the soft light of the screen touched her skin, adding a slight glow that shone right through her.

Annabelle was drowned inside the movie, filling the spaces of the leads with herself and Skylar. How it unfolded, how she wished it was them playing those parts, being those parts as their love grew. Skylar's hand rested gently over hers, as their fingers slowly entwined in the darkness of the theatre, building a new level of intimacy between them. It felt all too right.

"That was pretty good." Annabelle stated when they walked out.

"It was interesting." Skylar smiled, she felt happier than she had in a long time.

"What is it with people and romantic comedies? You know how it's gonna end and yet you watch it in anyway." Annabelle speculated.

"It's about the journey, never the destination. If you knew who you were going to spend the rest of your life with, would skip the journey to get to the ending? It is what happens in the middle that makes the story special." Skylar said as they made their way to the ice cream shop.

"That's... so romantic... you're a closet romantic!" Annabelle said, with a soft laughter in her voice.

"What can I say? I have many sides." Skylar said laughing with Annabelle.

"That I can believe." Annabelle said honestly.

"So what flavor do you want?" Skylar asked when they stopped in front of the ice cream shop.

"I'm going to be a real girl and get chocolate." Annabelle smiled.

"Okay three scoops of chocolate and three scoops of caramel, please." Skylar said to the assistant.

The girl handed the two cups of ice cream over and Skylar paid, "I want to show you something."

"What would that be?" Annabelle asked, with ice cream in her mouth.

"Just follow me." Skylar said.

"By the way, are you trying to make me fat or a diabetic?" Annabelle asked seriously, pointing to the huge ice cream serving.

Skylar burst out laughing, almost spitting ice cream on the people in the elevator with them. She burst out in a coughing fit, "Wrong pipe."

"Sorry." was all Annabelle managed through her own fit of laughter.

They got off of the elevator on the roof and Skylar led Annabelle to her secret spot. They sat on the ledge and look out over the lake.Lights twinkled in the distance and reflected on the water.

"Wow, this is beautiful." Annabelle whispered, afraid of breaking the spell.

"I came up here a lot to think." Skylar confessed.

"I can see why, this is magical." Annabelle said.

Silence fell between them as they admired the view and ate their ice cream. The silence was comfortable, peaceful and Annabelle felt safer than ever before. They sat like that for what felt like an eternity, simply staring out and each consumed by their own thoughts.

"Can you imagine the watching the sunrise from here?" Annabelle asked softly.

"That would be beautiful. Are you up trying to stay up to watch it?" Skylar asked suddenly.

"That would be amazing, but wouldn't we get arrested?" Annabelle asked very tempted to stay.

"No. Well, I don't think so." Skylar said honestly.

"You can't be serious." Annabelle said laughing.

"I am. I really want to do it." Skylar looked over at Annabelle.

"Okay, let's do it." Annabelle couldn't deny those pleading blue eyes anything and it was Friday, so she didn't have any appointments.

"Let's go get blankets and something more comfortable." Skylar said getting up.

"So drive home and come back?" Annabelle asked.

"Not exactly, I always have clothes in the car for emergencies." Skylar said with a smile.

"Okay, let's do it." Annabelle said with excitement.

They rushed to the car and drove it up to the roof, once parked they took turns to change and Skylar laid a blanket out on the roof.

'God, I couldn't have done anything more romantic,' Skylar thought and wondered what she wanted out of this.

"I found another blanket. The air is kind of cool." Annabelle said walking to Skylar.

"I can't believe I have so much crap in my car." Skylar laughed.

"And here I almost thought that you planned this." Annabelle said jokingly.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Skylar wiggled her eyebrows and caused Annabelle to fall into another fit of laughter.

"So I was thinking, I mean I know we barely know each other, but it feels like I have known you my whole life. Would you come to the farm with me? To visit my parents, I mean." Annabelle asked, biting her bottom lip nervously.

"Do we get to camp in a field?" Skylar asked.

"If you want to." Annabelle answered,

"Then, hell yes! I love nature and it sounds amazing." Skylar answered with a smile.

"Great." Annabelle said in relief.

"So when are we going?" Skylar asked, feeling the excitement herself

"Next weekend, if you're up for it." Annabelle smiled.

"I can't wait." Skylar said honestly.

They settled onto the blanket and Annabelle threw the other over them, Skylar opened her arm to give Annabelle a more comfortable position to lie in. Annabelle rested her head on Skylar's chest and listened to Skylar's heartbeat. They stayed like that, talking through the night and sharing things about their lives. Annabelle couldn't help but feel that Skylar was keeping something from her, but she wasn't going to push.

They finally saw the first rays of the sun come up and they wrapped themselves in a blanket and sat on the ledge again. The sun's rays colored the sky, illuminating the earth in light and reflecting from the lake beneath. They watched in silence as the sky turned pink and orange, the view taking their breath away. Both felt sad when the sun was in the sky, knowing that this meant goodbye for the time being, but looking forward to the next weekend and being together again.

*****

The weekend had approached and Skylar felt more excited as she packed her bags, she wondered what it would be like to spend time with Annabelle and her family. The part she looked forward to most was the camping trip. Skylar loved nature and she sometimes wondered how many opportunities she had left to enjoy it. Skylar felt more of a connection with Annabelle than she ever had with anyone and she welcomed the friendship, yet she knew that she felt something more. She had promised herself that she would not allow it to grow into anything more because she couldn't hurt someone like Annabelle with the turmoil that was her life. She made her way downstairs, still pondering how she was going to treat the situation if it did come to something more.

"Are you leaving now?" Aaron asked, ripping her from her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm taking the Jeep." Skylar said absent-mindedly.

"Drive safe and let me know when you get there. Most importantly, have fun." Aaron declared hugging his sister.

"I am looking forward to it and I'll call you." Skylar said heading out of the door.

Annabelle packed with a huge smile on her face as she thought about a weekend with Skylar and her family. For the most part she couldn't wait for the camping trip they had planned and all of the places Annabelle wanted to show her on the farm. She was so excited she could barely contain it. The only thing that bothered her was the fact that she felt more for Skylar than simple friendship and she didn't know how to deal with it. Did she follow her heart or the way she was raised? She didn't know what she wanted, but figured the time would come when she would.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door as a huge smile crossed her lips, "Come in!"

"Hey Anna Banana." Skylar said as she walked in.

"Hey Sky." Annabelle said giggling.

"I got us some energy drinks for the road. I can't have a sleeping co-driver." Skylar said putting the cans on the side table.

"Thank you, with all of the excitement I didn't get much sleep." Annabelle confessed.

"Then I am not alone." Skylar said, helping Annabelle gather her bags.

"Let's hit the road, Jack." Annabelle said with a grin.

"Speaking of Jack, I brought his CD for the part of the trip where we ill be stoned out of minds." Skylar walked out and waited for Annabelle to lock up.

"I love him, I don't know how people can hate him. I mean, he is the white, South African version of Eminem." Annabelle loved Skylar's taste in music.

"Agreed." Skylar said as she loaded the bags into the trunk of the Jeep.

"We just have to stop at the shop to get some beers and stuff for the picnic." Annabelle said as Skylar helped her into the Jeep.

"Perfect. I want to get beers, too." Skylar said turning the key in the ignition, officially starting their weekend away.

They stopped at the shop and stocked up on snacks for the road and Annabelle bought some stuff for the picnic she was planning while they camped. There was hardly any silence as they drove, realizing that they had a lot more in common then what they had officially known and learning that being around each other was easy and comfortable. When they hit the small town that signaled their halfway mark Skylar stopped next to the road and rolled them a joint.

"This is just mild, don't want to trip too much while I'm driving." Skylar said and she lit it.

"I still have to give directions, so that's a good idea." Annabelle smiled as she watched Skylar drag on the roach.

"I can't remember the last time I had so much fun driving with someone." Skylar said when she passed the roach on.

"That makes two of us." Annabelle said honestly.

They felt themselves relax as the effects kicked in. They looked at each other and burst into a fit of giggles. Neither knew why they were laughing but they couldn't stop and Skylar realized that she was happy for once in her life. All of her worries had been pushed aside by Annabelle's presence. They continued the last leg of their journey with Jack Parow blaring through the speakers, both moved to the beat.

"I've never listened to his music while I was stoned." Annabelle admitted, laughing at the strange things that Jack rapped in his songs.

"It makes a lot more sense when you're stoned, I mean they were stoned while the CD was recorded and the songs were being written so when you're on the same level as them when they made the music, you appreciate it more." Skylar explained.

"I have never thought about it that way." Annabelle said, dancing to the beat of Hosh Tokolosh.

Skylar couldn't help but smile at the beauty next to her, lost in the music and loving it. Skylar started rapping to the next track and Annabelle stared and laughed.

"Ha-ha-ha who's got the last laugh, ha-ha-ha move like a giraffe, ha-ha-ha this is for the losers, ha-ha-ha fuck all the cool kids." Skylar went with the chorus.

"You are really good at that." Annabelle said between laughs.

"I know, I'm like the white Nicki Minaj." Skylar said, barely holding back her laughter.

They both burst out laughing, struggling to breathe through the continuous fits. The rest of the trip went in a similar way, the effects started subsiding and Annabelle made sure they took the right roads to the farm, when they got there Skylar breathed the fresh air in deeply and smiled to herself.

Before her stood a true 1800 style farm house, the building was white and built in the Victorian style. Skylar smiled. She felt at home with quiet that surrounded her in the form on yellow fields and green trees, the only sound animals in the distance. "It's peaceful out here." Annabelle said, standing next to Skylar.

"I can literally feel myself relax." Skylar said and looked toward the door of the house opening in front of them.

"You made it." A woman who must have been Annabelle's mom said as she hugged her daughter.

Skylar stood there and watched the family reunion. She wondered what her own parents were doing and whether or not they actually thought about her and Aaron. That thought soon disappeared when Annabelle's family walked toward her and gave her a hug.

"This is Skylar, Sky this is my mom, Elsie and my dad, Hannes." Annabelle said and smiled at the warm welcome they gave Skylar.

"Nice to meet you." Skylar mumbled.

"Come on in, we made some food." Elsie said, leading the way.

Skylar and Hannes carried the bags inside and put them in the living room. Annabelle took Skylar by the hand and led her through to the kitchen where her mother was dishing up lunch.

"Thank you for bringing our baby home." Elsie said with a gentle smile.

"It's only a pleasure." Skylar said shyly.

"What are your plans for the visit? Your brothers and sister are coming tomorrow, so you two will have to share a room." Hannes said.

"That's not a problem, we want to go camping near the dam on Sunday. Other than that, we will just go horseback riding or swimming and I want to show Sky around." Annnabelle answered easily, hiding the butterflies she felt at the thought of sharing a bed with Skylar.

"I'm just here to follow Anna Banana around." Skylar blushed when she realized she had used Annabelle's nickname.

"That's such a cute nickname you have for her." Elsie cooed, seeing that the two women tried hard to hide what they felt for each other.

She wondered what they would do if their daughter started dating someone of the same sex, but she had already decided that it didn't matter who her daughter dated, as long as she was happy. She had suspected that her daughter felt something for Skylar long before the visit as she seemed much happier when Skylar entered her life. Seeing her daughter radiate so much happiness filled her own heart with joy.

They settled around the table, Annabelle's family taking a real interest in Skylar and her life. This was new to Skylar. Previously the only person she had in her life that cared was Aaron and then Jordan, after she and Aaron got serious. Lately there was Annabelle, too, but Skylar was scared of having Annabelle care too much. They finished lunch and Skylar followed Annabelle to the room they would be staying in. Skylar put the bags down and fell onto the bed.

"I am exhausted. I think that joint really took it out of me." Skylar said with a yawn.

"It's also the sudden calmness around us." Annabelle smiled.

"I have to admit, I haven't felt this calm in a very long time." Skylar confessed followed by another yawn.

"Take a nap, I will wake you a bit later and we can go for a horse ride. I just have to show you the sunset." Annabelle said with a soft caring smile.

"Sounds perfect. I just need to phone Aaron and tell him we're safe." Skylar dug in her pocket for her phone.

"Just shout if you need anything." Annabelle said and disappeared.

Skylar dialled Aaron's number, "Hey sis!"

"Hey Arry, we're here." Skylar announced.

"You sound really relaxed." he said with a smile, his sister needed some relaxation.

"I am, it's so weird to see a real family. I wish you could see how much they care about their daughter, it's amazing." Skylar said, thinking of her own parents again.

"You know how mom and dad are. It made us who we are. They might not have been there but we have and always will have each other." Aaron said with conviction.

"You're the only family I need." Skylar said with a tear running down her cheek.

"And I will never leave your side, little one." Aaron said, trying to comfort his sister.

"I'm going to catch a nap, then we're going horseback riding, I will phone you tonight."Skylar said with another yawn.

"Have fun, little one. I love you." Aaron said lovingly.

"I love you, too." Skylar returned and ended the call.

She turned on her side and closed her eyes.

*****

Annabelle didn't mean to listen, but she needed to go back in and get her other shoes, stopping short when she heard Skylar talk about how amazing it was to see parents care about their kids so much. Her heart ached for Skylar and she wondered if that was what made Skylar pull herself from people so much. She walked down the hallway and joined her mother in the kitchen.

"Where's Skylar?" Elsie asked.

"She's taking a nap. I guess the driving exhausted her a bit." Annabelle grabbed a dish cloth and started drying the dishes.

"She seems nice." Elsie said, she knew it was too soon to broach the subject of her daughter's real feelings for Skylar.

"She is. I wonder sometimes how it is possible for someone to have so much love and sweetness in them." Annabelle had always spoken openly with her mother.

"Honey, she is also hurting very badly and I think she tries to give people what she never got." Elsie answered honestly.

"I know, but she doesn't let people in. Someone once told me that Sky preferred to not make friends and that it was strange for them to see her let me in, even if it is just a little bit." Annabelle said.

"I think you both need each other. You don't let people on either, Anna. When I heard you were bringing a friend I was so happy. You have always preferred solitude." Elsie reminded her daughter.

"I guess it was just luck that I went to that party then." Annabelle said, knowing that she too preferred to not have friends.

"Or it was destiny." This caused Annabelle look up at her mother and wonder about the meaning behind those words.

"Where's dad? I want to prepare two horses for a late afternoon ride." Annabelle said, avoiding what her mother's words.

"He's in the stables." Elsie said and watched her daughter walk through the door, wondering what it would take for her daughter to realize what she truly felt for Skylar.

****

Annabelle carried a cup of coffee down the hall to her old bedroom to wake Skylar in time for the sunset ride. She peeked inside and couldn't help but smile at the peaceful look on her face as she slept. Annabelle simply stared for a while, how could she disturb someone who looked so beautiful and peaceful? After a few moments she moved forward and placed the coffee on the side table, touching Skylar's shoulder gently and giving her a soft shake.

"Hey Sky." Annabelle whispered when Skylar's eyes opened.

"Hmm, hi." Skylar responded with a smile.

"I made you some coffee." Annabelle said as Skylar sat up.

"Thank you." Skylar said, taking the cup she offered and took a long sip from the cup.