Anna (Go To Him)

Chapter 23

Our relationship newly rekindled, John and I became nearly inseparable again. In fact, I found out from him that Dot and Paul had connected at Alan's party, something I'd missed completely as I disappeared with John following the Quarry Men's set to work out our differences in a shadowy alcove behind the house. Confronting Dot about the rumour at a lunch date a few days later, she sheepishly broke down and confessed that Paul had kissed her at the party. He'd called her the next day to ask her on a date, to which she'd enthusiastically agreed.

I was thrilled. Dot and Paul getting together meant that we could wrangle double dates, with my parents being none the wiser. If Dot and I travelled together, we could meet up with our boyfriends wherever we needed to, since they were always together anyway. We scheduled a few of these dates throughout the remainder of June, both couples essentially ignoring each other as Dot and Paul got to know each other and John and I worked out the new boundaries of our relationship.

At the end of our first double date, the four of us parted ways on the bus, with Paul getting off at Dot's stop to walk her home, John and I curled up together in the back seat. When we disembarked on Menlove Ave, I looked toward home reluctantly. "I don't wanna leave you!" I whined, wrapping my arms around him.

He leaned his head down and began kissing and nipping at the sensitive skin on my neck. It felt so good, I leaned into him, not caring what the neighbours would say. As my heart rate increased, I felt his hands sliding lower, rubbing and caressing my lower back, hips, and arse. He returned his mouth to mine and kissed me deeply, his tongue probing for access, which I happily granted. When he broke away, I found myself breathless, desperate for more. While we had managed to sneak away for a serious snog during Alan's party, we had yet to find time or place to make love, a fact which my body was well aware of.

"Annie. Annie. Don't go home yet, Annie." John whispered to me, between kisses. "Let's go. To my tree."

I pulled away in confusion. "Yer tree? Is that a euphemism?" I teased.

"No, ye sassy wench, my tree. In Strawberry Field. It's warm tonight. It'll be private."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "What time is it?"

"A bit after 10:00. Yeh've still got 30 minutes."

"What if we're late?"

"Well, you and Dot missed the bus. Tough shit."

I giggled suddenly, feeling reckless.

He grinned, seeing something in my eyes. "Come 'ead!"

I scampered after him as he grabbed my hand and dragged me down Vale Road. We snuck down the darkened street, giggling conspiratorially. When we passed the turn-off to Strawberry Field, I gave John a quizzical look. "Where are ye off to?"

"Gotta pick something up fer us."

He parked me on the pavement on the Vale Road side of his secret trail to Mendips, promising to be back in a flash. He loped down the trail into the woods. True to his word, he returned a few minutes later, carrying a thick plaid rug. "Right. Onward?"

I nodded, peering at the rug curiously. Taking my hand again, we skittered through the moonlit night, disappearing into the leafy trees near the Strawberry Field boundary. John hoisted me over the wall and we landed in another world. The night closed in around us, the shrubs and trees forming a tight knot of impenetrable greenery. It was so quiet, I could hear insects humming, punctuated by the rapid trill of a nightingale. I drew close to John, feeling a little intimidated by the dark and its noises. But he wrapped an arm around me and clicked on a torch, which had been hiding under the rug over his left arm.