Vulnerable

Two Months Later

“Honor, where are you taking me?” Landon asked me. I smiled and looked back at him.

“You’ll see.” I said and grabbed his hand, and dragged him through the woods. A few minutes later I knew we were close, because I could see the DO NOT TRESPASS signs that I had put up. I looked back at Landon and he looked like he was trying to figure out why I had dragged out into the middle of the woods.

“Alright we’re close, so close your eyes.” I said and he did.

“You better not make me walk into any trees.” He said, and we both started laughing. A few minutes later, we arrived at our final destination.

“Alright, you can open your eyes now.” I said. He did and gasped. He looked at me, and smiled.

“What is this place?” he asked me. I smiled again.

“This is my secret hide out.” I said. “I come here when I feel lonely. I don’t know any of my family, so this is the closest thing that I have to feeling like I’m at home. That I have a family, you know?” I said, and he nodded.

“It’s beautiful Honor, kind of like you.” Landon said, and I blushed a light shade of pink. He chuckled and then stopped.

“Can we go inside?” he asked me. I laughed and nodded my head yes, and he dashed inside, kind of like a kid at Christmas, when they are opening up their presents. Never knowing what would be inside. Something that I had never experienced, the orphanage doesn’t have a lot of money to spend.

A few seconds later Landon’s head popped out of the door way. He looked around until he spotted me, sitting on a log.

“Aren’t you coming in with me?” he asked, and I nodded yes and walked in. He was already off, exploring the rooms. There wasn’t very many, but enough to keep him occupied for a quite a while.

After he was done exploring, he found me in the living room/ kitchen. He looked amazed to me.

“This…..is awesome Honor, really it is.” He said and plopped down next to me on the love seat. I nodded, as he put his arm around my shoulder.

“So-o-o-o-o, why did you bring me here?” he asked after a few minutes of silence. I shrugged my shoulders.

“I figured we were friends enough, and I have never shown this to anyone else, so I thought, why not Landon.” I said, and he smiled.

“I’m glad you did.” He said and hugged me.

Two months later

“Hey Honor, can I ask you a question?” Landon asked me. We had become pretty good friends. Rather close actually, and we told each other just about everything, so this wasn’t out of the ordinary.

“Ask away Land.” I said and plopped down on the love seat in the log cabin. By this time, we had put in a portable T.V., and we were watch re-runs of the Teletubies.

“So you know how the dance is a few weeks away?” he asked me. I nodded my head.

“So who’s the lucky girl?” I asked, slightly jealous. I had formed a mini crush on Landon, but he doesn’t know. At least I think he doesn’t.

“I was actually kind of wondering if maybe….well…you know….” He said, and I’m pretty sure I looked really confused, because I was.

“Huh?”

“Will you go to the dance…ha-ha….with me…?” he asked me. By now my heart was doing flip-flops in my chest, and I’m sure that I was blushing so hard, that I was most likely as red as a freshly painted fire truck.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yup.” He said, and I nodded my head probably a thousand times. “Cool.” He said, and then he lent over and kissed me.

“LANDON!” I whispered/yelled to him.

“What?”

“What am I going to wear!!!” I panicked, and he just laughed.

“Landon?” I whispered to him.

“Yes?” he whispered back.

“One, why are we whispering, and two, um this is gonna sound kind of awkward, but are we, well you know…going out?” I asked him.

“Do you want to?” he asked.

“I don’t know. Do you want to?” I asked him back. Then he kissed me.

“Does that answer your question?” he asked me.

I simply nodded my head.

The Dance

Ever since we started going out, Landon had avoided me in school, and I think I know why. I think that he is ashamed to be with me in public, romantically. He didn’t care what people thought when we were only friends, but now that were a thing (not that anyone knows, because he denies it when ever it is brought up), he avoids me completely in school, but out of school he’s all lovey-dovey.

“Landon why are you doing this?” I asked him after he told another person that we only came here as friends.

“Doing what Honor?” he asked me, completely oblivious to what I was talking about.

“That!” I said. “Why won’t you tell anyone we are dating?” I asked him. He turned pink.

“I can’t Honor, do you know what people will think of me?” he asked me. That felt like a nest full of bees stinging you all at once.

“Please Landon, if I mean anything to you at all, you’ll kiss me right now. Right here in front of everyone.” I said. He stepped forward and grabbed my arm slightly. He lent in and kissed my forehead quickly so no one would notice.

“You know that’s not what I meant.” I said. I was getting frustrated, and honestly I was hurt.

“Hun you know you mean the world to me, but you know that I can’t do that. My rep with go way-y-y-y-y down.” He said accenting on the way part. I snatched my arm away, and looked him straight in the eyes.

“Well then you just lost the best damn thing that ever happened to you.” I said. “And I hope you’re happy about it.” I said with tears in my eyes, threatening to fall down my face. I turned and ran out the door.

I ran to the only place I knew where I could go, where no one could question me, or ask me what was wrong. I ran to my log cabin.

I ran past the lake that was on the way to the cabin, and there was a pure while swan in it. I didn’t know if it was a sign or not, but suddenly it felt like a weight was lifted off of my shoulders, like I know that every thing was going to be alright even thought it didn’t feel like it at the moment.

I didn’t know how he got there before me, but when I got to my cabin, there Landon sat, on the stairs, looking down.

“H-h-how….wh-wh-what…. Why are you here? How did you get here before me?” I asked backing up against the nearest tree.

“I found a short-cut a few day ago.” He said, and started to walk towards me. I went to flinch back, but the tree got in the way.

“Honor, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m sorry for hurting you, I really am.” He said. “I want you back.” He said, and I sighed.

“Landon it’s not that easy.” I mustered up the confidence to say. I looked him in the eye and frowned. I think he really was telling the truth.

“Please.” He whispered. I sighed and nodded my head. He sighed too, and picked me up bridal style.

“Lets go, we have a dance to attend to.” He said, and I giggled, like a little school girl.

I could say that at that very moment I had a happily-ever-after, but that’s not the end to my very life story, my happy ending came at the dance, when the lights were dim and we were dancing. Landon did something remarkable then, he lent down, and kissed me.