In the night....

The sky was pale blue, and the trees dark green. The only sounds I heard were the birds and the distant gush of the river. Not a cricket chirped nor did a frog croak. I lay motionless beneath the rising sun. My sleeping bag warm from the heat she released. The freezing morning air stung the back of my throat. The oak tree above us blocked out the sun, little specs of light shone through the branches and paraded on my face.

Last night, she thought of the idea to sleep under the stars. We sat for hours under the twinkling specs. We talked of the spring, of the summer. We stated favorite movies, books, and music. The time went by slow and the minutes waited for us. Our one year anniversary lingered just a few hours away. We spent the hours staring at the stars on that patch of grass overlooking the gorgeous river. The slow moving water let us speak and be heard. Her eyes were silver from the light of the moon. I stared deep into the center of her soul. The time was right. We lay frozen, lips touching for minutes. Then we pulled away.

That night was over. She lay beside me asleep. Her head pressed against my chest. Her legs intertwined with mine. Our toes rubbing against one and others. I brushed her hair over her forehead with my fingers. Her hair was soft and long. She began to move and blink her eyes. She finally had awoken.

Glistening in the morning sun, were her beautiful silver eyes. Her hair blew in the breeze. "Hey" she said very quietly. I responded with a subtle "Good Morning" gesture from my hand. I gripped her around the waist and pulled her close to me. Her touch was gentle. I could tell she barely got any sleep. "What time is it?" she said, yawning. "No idea" I replied. She giggled and ran her hands through my hair. The expression on her face was a mix between tired and excited, as if she were a child waking up on Christmas morning.

I took the time to stare into her eyes once more before we had to rise from the make-shift bed and go inside for breakfast. I pulled her even closer, just enough that I could whisper into her ear. I held her there for a moment and kissed her cheek a few times. "Annie." I said. "Happy Anniversary." I held her close for a few moments longer and kissed her cheek again. When we pulled back, I kissed her lips and hummed the song that played when I first kissed her. I quietly sang:

"I am forever yours, faithfully" - Journey