8. Anevae

Iwoke feeling refreshed and excited for the day. The thought of seeing Maeyve again invigorated me. Once I got out of bed, I dressed and gathered supplies for our adventure.

After making some coffee and a small breakfast with my diminishing food supply, I sat down to eat. The thought of needing groceries reminded me that I hadn"t checked in with my sister in a couple of days. Pulling out my phone, I texted her.

How"s it going? Still unpacking?

I"m only like halfway through! I hate to say it, but maybe I should have listened to you… This is ridiculous!

How"s your stuff coming along? My luck, you"re probably already done and ready to gloat.

I would NEVER gloat about the fact that I finished early yesterday because I was smart and downsized a bunch.

You"re such a liar and so RUDE! Why do you have to be like that?!

If you"re already done, maybe you could help me?! Please?

How the hell did you get done so fast anyway?!

I"m done because I DOWNSIZED. You really should have listened.

And I would help you, but I have plans. I went down to the neighbor"s house yesterday, and she"s showing me around today…

You"re doing WHAT?! Are you stupid?! This person could be a serial killer or something!

What the hell are y"all going to do? Frolic through the meadows and pick daisies?

Would you listen to yourself?!

She"s extremely nice, and we talked for hours. She said she"s seen every inch of this forest and offered to show me around.

So you ARE going to frolic through the meadows and pick daisies.

Are you nuts? You don"t even know her!

Did you go into her home?!

I"m glad you"re telling me where you"re going and who you"re going with so we"ll know who to blame when you go missing.

I love you and appreciate your concern, but we are grown women. Let me make my mistakes, just as you"ve made yours.

I can take care of myself, and I"m not going into all this unprepared. I"m bringing my bear mace and a pocket knife. Nothing is going to happen to me.

When I met this woman, there was an immediate connection. I wouldn"t have gone into her home if I hadn"t felt comfortable. There"s something about her I can"t explain.

Again, I love you, and I"ll let you know when I get home.

With a heavy sigh, I shoved my phone into my pocket and finished my remaining breakfast. Eiri wasn"t wrong, but she wasn"t there when everything happened; I knew deep down I could trust Maeyve. Even thinking about the gorgeous woman, butterflies were erupting in the pit of my stomach.

After breakfast, I had about ten minutes until I was supposed to meet Maeyve at her cabin. Being late was one of my biggest pet peeves, and it made me anxious. I rushed to put my boots on and find my jacket, keys, and backpack.

As I wrapped up, I burst through the door, rushing to my SUV. Pressing the button to unlock the vehicle, I reached for the handle when I realized I had forgotten to lock the front door. Frustrated with myself, I stomped back up the steps. I didn"t need to worry about it being this far away from town, but it made me feel more comfortable. When I was absolutely sure I had locked the door, I returned to my SUV and hurried off.

Turning onto her driveway, I glanced at the clock again. 8 a.m. on the dot! After I parked, I grabbed my backpack and approached the front door. As I raised my hand to knock, the door swung open, revealing a smiling Maeyve dressed in all black. Her clothes were tight, accentuating her pear-shaped physique, making it hard for me not to stare at her again.

Straightening myself out, I greeted her with a cheery smile, "Good morning!"

She smiled brightly. "Good morning. Please come in while I finish packing my bag."

I sat on the couch, waiting patiently. When she was done rounding her things up, she dropped her backpack by the front door and grabbed her boots to sit next to me so she could lace them up.

As she finished, she grinned at me. "Are you ready?"

When I nodded, she smiled and grasped my hand. As soon as our hands connected, that same tingling sensation surged through my body again. If she felt it, she didn"t react. She pulled me off the couch toward the front door, grabbing her backpack so we could head out.

Maeyve locked up and then walked up beside me as I peered into the tree line. "What are you looking at? Or are you looking for something?" she asked, studying the tree line alongside me.

"I was just waiting for you." Turning to her, I asked, "Did I tell you I saw a fox the other day? It was black with some orange and a tail that was tipped white. I"ve never seen one like it before." She met my gaze, concerned etched in her features. Why would she be worried about that?

The look was gone as soon as it had come. "That"s interesting. I"ve seen foxes in the area, but never one like you described. Anyway, there"s a lot of stuff I want to show you, and we don"t want to be stuck in the woods with only moonlight leading the way. Are you ready?"

"Absolutely!"

"Perfect! Well, let"s introduce you to my neck of the woods!" Grasping my hand again, she dragged me out to the tree line.

The first place we stopped was an aquamarine-colored, milky lake near her cabin. Creatures beneath the surface were causing bubbles to break the surface tension, and a large fish jumped, creating ripples across the water.

A little further along, we came across a large meadow filled with flowers just beginning to bloom. It was my favorite spot throughout the whole adventure, and it smelled amazing.

We found a spot in the meadow, clear of flowers, so we could eat lunch and relax for a while. I was pleasantly surprised when Maeyve pulled a blanket out of her pack for us to sit on—the ground was still damp from the rain the night before. Thankfully, the sun was high in the sky, and there wasn"t any sign of clouds that would threaten our time together.

When we finished up our lunches, we continued our expedition. True to what she"d told me, we saw rabbits, birds, squirrels, deer, and foxes.

As the day wound down, we headed back to Maeyve"s. The sun had just disappeared behind the trees when we reached her cabin. I stood there awkwardly, watching the colors of the sky change. I knew I should get going home.

"I should –" I began to say.

"Would you –" she said at the same time.

"Oops. Go ahead," I said, looking back at her and encouraging her to go first with a smile.

She let out a nervous laugh. "I was going to ask if you"d like to keep me company for a little longer. I was thinking about making some beef stroganoff if you"re interested?" When she was done speaking, she bit her lip and had a hopeful look in her eyes.

My eyes grew wide, and I swore my heart stopped. "I, uh, feel like I"ve already taken up so much of your time today. I should –"

"Nonsense! I"ve enjoyed spending time with you. Seriously. Please?" she asked, holding her hand out to me with big puppy dog eyes and a pouty lip.

I grabbed her hand with a smile. "I"d love to."

She led me into the house, and I settled onto the couch while she got to work. I hadn"t noticed the day prior, but there was a half-wall that allowed you to look directly into the kitchen so I could talk to her from where I was.

When the scents of the food hit me, I let out a low groan. "That smells delicious."

Maeyve looked up at me with a smile on her face. "Thank you! It"s one of my favorites. Speaking of, what"s your favorite food?"

"Lasagna, but I love anything with noodles or potatoes, really."

After my response, she turned her attention back to the food. "Interesting! What"s your favorite drink?"

I let out a small laugh and raised one of my eyebrows as I asked, "Are we talking alcoholic or non-alcoholic?"

"Hmm. How about both?"

"Ooh. Let"s see. If I had to pick something non-alcoholic, I"d probably say Diet Dr. Pepper or cream soda. As far as alcoholic drinks, I"m stuck between a good margarita and a Malibu sunset. Both are really good, but I"m a rum girly. What about you?"

"I love apple juice, and I"m not really a big drinker, but I"m always down for a good margarita," she said with a smirk.

"Hmm. That"s interesting. Okay. How about your favorite movie?"

She stopped stirring the food and glanced back up at me. "I haven"t really watched a movie in a long time."

My mouth dropped open, and my eyes grew to the size of saucers. "Seriously? Oh, man. I know exactly what we"re doing one of these days! I have a huge movie collection. You"ve gotta see my favorite – ‘The Queen of the Damned." Ooh! And ‘Inside Out!" I know, I know. ‘Inside Out" is a kid"s movie, but it"s sooooooo good!"

She let out another nervous laugh and went back to stirring the food. "That would be fun." Then, she glanced back at me through her eyelashes. "Does that mean you want to spend more time with me?"

My heart stuttered as I took in the way she was looking at me. Biting my lip piercing, I nodded. When I released it, I whispered, "I"d love to spend more time with you."

A smile spread across her face, and she returned her focus to the food again. I stared at her for several moments, wondering what was going through her head.

When dinner was done, she served us each a plate. We sat opposite each other on the couch in identical positions again.

After blowing on the piping hot food, I took a small bite. The flavors exploded in my mouth as soon as it hit my tongue. My hand covered my mouth as I chewed the food.

Looking at Maeyve, I said, "Oh my god. This tastes amazing! I"ve had beef stroganoff before, but this is the best one I"ve ever tasted!"

"I"m glad you like it," she said with a smile before taking a bite of her own.

"I don"t just like it; I love it! I"ve eaten so much fast food over the last few weeks. This is a nice change. Most of my meals at home have been quick and easy since I don"t have much in the way of groceries. My parents brought me enough to get through my first week. I"ll probably head down to Havenridge the day after tomorrow. My sister just moved into an apartment down there."

She tilted her head to the side as she finished chewing. After swallowing her food, she asked, "How many siblings do you have?"

Between bites, I answered her, "I just have the one. We"re two years apart, and we tell each other basically everything. She wanted to come with me when I told her I was moving out here. She prefers city living, though, so she got the apartment in Havenridge."

"What"s her name? If you don"t mind me asking."

"It"s Eirian, but we call her Eiri for short."

"That"s a really pretty name. I"ve never heard it before."

"Our parents didn"t want something common for either of us. I"m not sure where they got our names from."

"Well, they"re both beautiful."

I blushed as I met her gaze. "Thank you. I"ve never met someone named Maeyve, but I"ve heard the name several times. It fits you."

"Thank you."

"You"re welcome. Do you have any siblings?"

"No, I don"t think I do. My dad took off before I was born, so I know nothing about him. My mom never had any other children."

"I"m so sorry about your dad."

"It"s okay. From what I"ve heard, he wasn"t a great guy. Anyway, tell me about your parents."

"Well, I"ve always been pretty close to my parents. My mom was a stay-at-home mom, but my dad was a workaholic. Throughout my life, they"ve always supported me in my endeavors. When I told them I"d be moving out here for work, they were concerned. They tried to convince me not to move out here at all."

"Why?"

"My parents have always been very protective of me. I went through a really rough spot while I was in college, and they had to help me put the pieces of my life back together. Thankfully, I wasn"t far from home at the time. Moving out here, I"m over a day"s drive away, so they can"t save me if something bad happens."

"I"m sorry."

"It"s okay. It"s in the past, and I"m not the same person as I was back then. I"ve done a lot to make myself more comfortable and confident; I don"t need my parents to save me from everything anymore."

"That"s good to hear. It"s a great way to look at things."

"It is." I looked down at my empty plate and then back up at her. "I should get home. I appreciate everything today."

After taking the last bite of her food, she reached to grab my plate. "Let me go put these away. I"ll be right back."

When she returned, she sat on the edge of the couch. "Would you, um, like to come over again tomorrow? There"s another place I"d like to take you."

"I"d love that! I"m enjoying spending time with you."

"I really enjoy spending time with you, too."

"Should I meet you here at the same time as today?"

"Sounds perfect." Smiling, she rose from the couch and offered me her hand. Taking it, she helped me off the couch and walked me to the door.

After putting on my shoes, I wrapped her in a quick hug and said, "Have a good night. I"ll see you in the morning."

"I"ll see you in the morning."

The entire drive home, my stomach was full of butterflies. Being around her, talking to her, it all felt so natural. She made me feel comfortable like no one else had before. The day had been perfect, and I found myself giddy about seeing her again.

When I got home, I went into the kitchen to grab some water. Walking past the sink, I glanced out the window. The floodlights were on, and the black fox sat just inside the tree line again, staring intently at me. When I reached for my phone, it scurried into the darkness.

After a few minutes of hoping the fox would return, I gave up and went upstairs to get ready for bed. Despite my exhaustion from the adventure with Maeyve, my mind was stuck on the beautiful creature. I was amazed to hear that Maeyve hadn"t seen it, especially because she"d been in the area for so long. The fox wasn"t a pup and seemed comfortable in the area, which led me to believe it had been around for a while.

Before heading to bed, I took a quick shower and then texted my sister to tell her I was okay and had made it home safely. With my eyes heavy, I crawled into bed and quickly drifted into a deep sleep.