Plus One

Juice

Anna woke up to a slew of messages from Ethan each more romantic than the last. He said he was going to take both her and Garth on a weekend trip and Anna couldn't help but be excited. He was acting like himself again though she wasn't naïve and knew he had a mountain of work to do to truly heal from what happened the right way.

That Friday flew by and Anna was beyond grateful. She barely waved goodbye to Jamal as she ran out of the office and sped home. Her bag was packed as well as Garth's and they waited patiently for Ethan to pick them up. He arrived right on time and smiled happily at her. She kissed him passionately like she hadn't seen him in weeks and Ethan couldn't help but pull her closer.

Anna didn't mean to start anything she just wanted him to feel just how much she missed him, but as Ethan picked her up and led her to her bedroom she knew they'd be late. An hour later they were finally on the road. She couldn't shake the goofy grin on her face as Ethan kissed her knuckles.

They made their way up to the mountains and Anna gasped at the beauty. The stars littered the sky as they pulled up to a quaint cabin. "This was my grandfather's. He built it with some of his buddies. Eliza and Jo sometimes use it, but I haven't been here since I was a teenager. I wanted to visit and share it with you." Anna walked up to him and caressed his cheek. "Thank you," she said across his lips and smiled before giving him a peck.

They quickly unpacked before heading out to the back porch. Ethan laid down a blanket and they had a picnic underneath the stars. "This is so beautiful," Anna sighed happily. "Yes, you are." Anna felt like something was different with Ethan. She hoped that he had taken her advice and sought out some mental health care, but whatever it was it worked for him. After dinner she rested her back on his chest as he sat behind her.

She laid her head on his shoulder and just listened to nature. The weather was uncharacteristically warmer and they took full advantage of that. Garth eventually joined them plopping down and meowing away. Ethan pet him happily as he smiled at the present moment. He was going to put all of his energy in caring for a woman that looked at him as though he hung the moon. She saw the good in him and that's what he needed to surround himself with.

That night they made love multiple times and Ethan still couldn't get enough. She begged him to let her sleep which caused him to laugh. He relented and listened to her light snores as she slept on his chest. He wasn't looking forward to the Valentine's Day Fundraiser, but he knew it was for a good cause. He would have Anna with him and hoped Tiffany wouldn't be a nuisance. He found his eyes growing heavy as he listened to the sounds of crickets and smiled. He could do this. He could ignore the voices and bury the pain deep until it was no longer an issue. He pulled Anna closer to him and held her tighter as he fell into deep slumber.

The weekend they spent in the mountains was one of Anna's favorite memories of them as a couple. They hiked and fished and did all the things her mother deemed "White people shit" and it was a blast. Anna found herself smiling and laughing more than she thought she ever had in her life. Ethan was definitely an onion with various layers but she loved all of them.

She realized on their last night in the cabin as the worshipped one another's bodies that she was hopelessly in love with him. She thought she'd be frightened, but she couldn't allow her anxiety to take over. Anna leaned into the love she had for him and let it take over. She wasn't ready to tell him just yet, but she knew it was there and realer than ever.