The Secret

Later that night, I'm in my bed, trying to sleep, but I can't. My brain won't shut up about today. It just keeps re playing certain parts of today or fantasizing of what could've happened. Of what might be. I need to see her again. I just need to talk to her.

I get up and throw on a pair of jeans and old boots from my closet. I scale out my window. The moon shines like a giant spot light. Perfect. Lucky for me the garage lies right beneath my window. I drop down on the roof and carefully climb down into my truck's bed. My boot slips and scrapes against the side of the bed. I cringe and don't even breathe, let alone move, for a few minutes. No one in the house must've heard me. I reach above the back left tire for the spare key I've got taped there. I get in, turn the key, and slowly, quietly, get out of my drive way.

It doesn't take long to get to her house. Maybe ten minutes. I turn the head lights off about half a mile from her house so as not to wake her family. I see her little window lit up bright. I stop the truck, bend for a handful of pebbles, and start for the house. The gate creaks open. I stand far enough away to take aim.

Praying that those little league lessons from when I was six still worked, I launched a pebble at her window. It flew inside effortlessly. I grin. What do you know? They did pay off. I send a few more through the window until I see her silhouette appear.

"Rapunzel!" I call quietly. "Rapunzel, let down your hair!"

Her teeth shine white in a smile. She holds up her finger for me to wait. Then she disappears. An eternity later the front door opens. Mara runs out in slippers and a nightgown. She runs, arms wide, into my body with a slam. I wrap mine around her.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was just laying in bed and couldn't get you off my mind. I had to come see you."

"I am glad you did. I was just thinking about you too."

I smile down into her hair. "Is that so?"

"Yes. I was playing that CD you made me and-"

"You kept that?"

"Yes. I have listened to it everyday since you gave it to me. I love it."

I kiss the top of her head and hold her tighter. "I'm glad."

"Would you like to come inside? We will have to be quiet until we enter my room."

"Sure. More fun in there anyway," I chuckle.

She takes my hand and leads me inside. Very quietly she shuts the door and locks several dead bolts. The entryway, to the right, leads to the living room.

The living room is draped in heavy plum colored velvet curtains and matching furniture from the turn of the century. Oil lamps lay about here and there with old musty books stacked up in corners and on every end table. I follow her through another wide doorway decorated in colored glass.

It's a small hallway. To the immediate left is the creaky old stairs. Directly in front of us, a little further down the hall, is the kitchen. The kitchen is as modern as the 1950's. To my right is a doorway to the dining room. An extremely long cherry table with matching high back chairs sits right beneath a crystal chandelier. I can see the China has been reset up for breakfast.

We ascend the stairs on our tip toes. Yet every step condemns the wood to let out a sigh. The second floor has peeling, yellowed, floral wallpaper with a wooden trim. A book case sits, full, at one end of the hall. Three doors in all are in this hall. Two on one side, one on the other.

Mara points to the lone door on our side of the stairs. "In case you ever need it, there is the bathroom." I nod. So the other two must be her Aunt's and grandmother's bedrooms. We take a few steps forward before hitting the last set of stairs. We enter her lit bedroom Mara quickly closes and locks her door.

A small boom box from the 90's sits on her bed playing the CD I made her on it's lowest setting. I pick up the case and flip through the song list I wrote in my scribbled, scratchy handwriting;

1) how to save a life-the Fray

2) not alone-Red

3) shine-Blue Foundation

4) sweater weather-the Neighborhood

5) psychic city-Yacht

6) the love club-Lorde

7) waking dream-Natalie walker

8) do wah doo-Kate Nash

9) be yourself-Audioslave

10) you are mine-Secondhand Serenade

Good God, I made a good CD. I had forgotten what all I put on it. Psychic City plays softly.

"I like this song. I can dance easily to it. That's hard for me to find."

I half smile. "A good, danceable song? Yeah."

She holds out her dainty hand. "Would you like to dance with me?"

I look at her horrified. "I'm a horrible dancer Mara. I'll crush your toes."

She giggles and places one of my hands on her tiny waist. She looks me in the eyes. "I have confidence in you Shane. My toes will be fine."

I nod, in a trance. "Your toes will be fine."

You are mine starts up as I lead her around the room in a slow dance. I give her a quick twirl. She giggles and when I clasp her hand back into mine, she looks up into my eyes with so much joy and happiness, that I bend down and kiss her softly on her forehead.

"Stay the night," she whispers.

"What?" Did I hear her right?

"Please stay the night. Nothing will happen. We will just sleep and wake up together for breakfast. I want to show you something tomorrow that I think you should see."

"I'm very unsure about all this. I mean what if your Aunt or grandmother-?"

"They will not mind. I just am really tired of hiding something from you and I think, I hope, you will like it."

"Then why are you hiding it from me?"

"Because it is not exactly something most people possess." I nod slowly. "Please Shane?"

I take a deep breath while staring into her eyes. "Okay. I will."

Her eyes widen with hope. "You mean it?"

"I mean it."

Mara squeals with delight and throws her arms around my neck in an esophagus crushing hug. "I cannot wait to wake up tomorrow!"

"Me too," I wheeze.

"Oh! I am so sorry darling! Did I harm you?" She pats about my neck with a feather light touch and worried scrunch of her face.

I laugh a little. "No way. You're just a lot stronger than my throat expected that's all."

Mara pulls me gently by my cheek down to her face. She plants a soft kiss on my Adam's Apple. "Better?"

I kiss her soft cheek. "Much."

We smile at each other for awhile until she yawns. I laugh again. With a soft push, I send her towards her bed. She shuts off the old boom box and slides it beneath her bed. We hop into her comfy bed. I hit the switch on her bedside lamp before turning to face her. Her heavy lidded eyes look into mine as best as they can. I hold her hand against the mattress between us.

"Shane?" Mara whispers sleepily.

"Mara?"

"Would it be far too early for me to say that I love you?"

I squeeze her hand. "I don't think so. Especially since I love you too."

She smiles and falls asleep.