Sail to the Moon

It was a cold and harmless night where Katrina lived. The snow glimmered under the street lights that could be found several miles from one another. Hardly any lighting was given and many people living where she lived had to rely on the moon to guide them home aside from all other given sources of electricity such as car lights, flashlights.

Katrina preferred the natural source.

Andrew knew this as well.

Andrew was not the most pleasant influence for someone. He had done drugs, he has drank alcohol, all of which Katrina hadn’t done in her life and never planned to. Andrew thought she was the purest being that could hold innocence. Katrina just thought she was a burden to the world because of her innocence Andrew said she had.

Their relationship had been the sturdiest out of everyone else’s they’ve seen and witnessed. They embraced how easily they could converse or how simplistic it could be to be close to one another physically. Because of this, many thought they had been in a further-grown relationship as being girlfriend and boyfriend. They had said every day that they are just friends and the closest the opposite gender could be without have a family relation.

Sometimes when Katrina thought back on all these experiences, it bothered her endlessly. Sometimes she would lay awake at night for hours with only the moon shining through her window, grunting at the frustration it brought her.

How could they not see we are just friends? She always wondered. Or
Why can’t they just leave it alone?

Katrina would even sometimes fantasize how her life could be without Andrew. There would be more prosper in her ongoing life, but she then thought if she left Andrew, she wouldn’t have that permanent shield from wrong. She wouldn’t be protected from outsiders.

Perhaps that was all he was for after all—to be Katrina’s reliable friend to fight off what she was dearly afraid of. She did consider him her best friend even when he abandoned her in mid-sentence to get high somewhere else. It flattered her to know he would at least not try and persuade her into doing what he had while also not being close enough for her lungs to be troubled from bypassing smoke.

Andrew thought what it would be like to actually be Katrina’s boyfriend. He imagined when he sat on his bedroom’s floor what it would be like to touch her affectionately, but every time, she would crack and turn to ash as if she were made out of porcelain glass. He would snap awake from his tantrums of being unable to picture what could be with Katrina and go to the kitchen and make some sugary tea. He found that ever since Katrina introduced him to tea, it was a remedy for whenever he was stressed. He loved her for her caring nature that seemed as simple as her ABCs. It was like Katrina was his personal drug that was more special and unique than any other. She brought him feelings that couldn’t even compare to what he bought off the streets. She was amazing to him.

Tonight, Andrew decided to stop by Katrina’s house knowing she would be awake dreaming of what waited behind closed doors and that meant the snow, the chilling air, and her favorite, the moon. He had always remembered since the day she told him that her ideal date would be outside when it was winter when there would only be the moon and fog surrounding whoever was with her. The day she told him was when he got too deep in trouble with the dealers, got beat up immensely, and went to her house because he was afraid.

After patching up the new wound on his forearm, she told him to shush. She said everything would be alright.

Then when gently leaning against Andrew’s chest, she told him.
He never forgot, and figured tonight would be perfect. They weren’t a couple, so to say, but he wouldn’t want any other guy taking her to her ideal spot of romance. He wasn’t planning on starting anything new with her, fulfilling his nightmare where she would sever into ash and pieces. He just wanted her to appreciate what he could offer.

Finally approaching her front door with one last gust of warm air blown at his gloved hands from his mouth, he pulled out his key given to him by Katrina that very day he got beaten up and was told about her fantasy area. She said, “If this ever happens to you again and I’m not awake, I want you to have this. You can come in here, wake me up and let me tend to your wounds and I’ll let you sleep in my bed with me, hun.”

Andrew never used the key unless he ran out of food at his place or needed a place to crash for the day before Katrina came back from college. She always knew when he would come because the air smelt mustier, the majority of her tea was gone, and the toilet seat had been left up. He was always reckless enough to not care.

Withering the key into the slight hole, his foot had grown prickly and had fallen asleep. This added to his stress already. First he was worried she was asleep after all and would not want to go with him anywhere, but now his foot could be a factor in so much unhappiness.

With a “click”, the door unlocked and he pushed it opened gratefully accepting the wind of hot air being blown at his frozen nose and cheeks. He stepped in making sure to close the door silently and quickly.

Just as he was about to take a step in the direction of Katrina’s room, he heard what sounded like a closet door being shut lightly. Who else was here? Andrew asked himself.
Thinking of the first thing that came to mind, he responded by doing what the initial thought was: running to her room and tackle anyone who wasn’t Katrina.

With frenzied breaths escaping his lips, he saw that no one was in her room after all. Not even Katrina was on her bed. So who is in the closet? Andrew thought next.

Taking careful steps, he advanced on the door that looked to be a closet.
He heard a little whimper emit from behind and that’s when he quickly responded by opening the hollow door.

“Katrina, what are you doing?!” Andrew looked rather dumbfounded than surprised.
The young lady was crouched on the floor with a water gun in hand and a terrified look brandishing her usually calm expression. Sweat was shining on her forehead and bare arms that grew from her tank top.

She seemed unable to answer out of fear and instead stood to hide herself in Andrew’s torso. He acknowledged her little whine before finally allowing tears to flow freely from her eyes.

“Andrew,” she hiccupped, gripping tighter to his shirt. “I-I thought you were some killer!”
Almost falling short to his standard, he managed to hold back the little laughter he had and pat back her greasy strands of hair loose from her bun. He imagined they were soft before any of this happened.

“Katrina, shush.” He quoted. “Everything is going to be alright. No one else is here but me, I promise you that… I won’t hurt you.”

Taking one more deep breath, Katrina looked up at Andrew from beneath her eyelashes. Standing tall, she also just stared straight at Andrew’s green eyes.

“Andrew,” she cleared her throat. “I’ve had bad experiences with people I didn’t know almost coming into my house. When I was younger, there were these men working on my house, giving improvements, and they parked their truck outside my house when I was getting ready for school. My dad had been coming to drive me to school that day. I was getting overwhelmed with the vehicle waiting outside my house and decided to call my mum to inform her. And then I saw a figure walking towards the door.” Katrina’s clutched Andrew’s hand at this moment. “I ran into the bathroom crying hysterically with my mum still on the phone. There was a tap on the door and I answered stupidly, ‘Hello’. There was no response and I figured that was the end. I was so afraid to say anything else that my mum got the impression I was being taken and so she hung up to call the police. In the meantime, I was praying the door would hold anyone back considering it was the only door that had a lock aside from the front door. I called my dad… and I heard his ringtone.”

“Your dad was the person who came in the house?” Andrew stated more than asked.

“Exactly; I could barely function in school because I was all shaken up.” Katrina sighed closing her eyes. “You coming here tonight were like a replay of that moment. You’re such an idiot!”

“You’re the one that gave me the key!”

“I don’t care; you should have just said when you entered that you were here.”

“You were already in the closet by then.”

“I should have been able to hear you. You know how I’m superhuman.”
Andrew chuckled and embraced Katrina in a brotherly hug. “You wish you were superhuman.”

…

“Where are you taking me, Andrew?” Katrina asked like a child.

“Somewhere I know you’ll enjoy.” Was all he said.

“But its freezing, Andrew; can’t this wait until morning?”

“No.”

…

Andrew feeling proud of himself let a small smile grow on his lips. He bit down trying not to get overexcited.

In front of the two best friends was an open field secluded from any street lighting and was only revealed to natural lighting. The grass was covered by a somewhat thin layer of snow and fog was like a bubble surrounding them.

Andrew watched Katrina’s expression with the little light given, as it changed from confused, to curious, to stunned, and lastly happy. She turned with a genuine smile and raised her gloved hands to her mouth childishly.

“You brought me to my favorite place!” She nearly squealed.

“Of course I did. Tonight was just the night and no other day this week would have been more perfect in my perspective.”

“And you didn’t even smoke once around me… Thank you, Andrew.” Katrina hid her emotions that usually showed by her eyes as they averted to his ratty shoes.

They both decided to sit on the snow and look up at the moon. Katrina being the person she is actually didn’t sit on the snow but on Andrew’s lap. You’re picky, he said with a laugh.

“So Andrew,” Katrina began shyly, which wasn’t like her whenever she was around him. “Why exactly did you, um, bring us here?”

Andrew knowing where this was going slyly kissed the flushed part of her cheek and said, “I just knew you would like it.”

“Yes, but I said before I wanted my hubby to bring me here, not my best friend.”

Andrew’s eyes stared at hers and the smile that was on his face disappeared.

“I figured it would be more special with me because I am your best friend and maybe when you are older and have a husband, your ideal place would change. That is why I took you.”

“I doubt this area would change at all, Andrew. I thought you would know that…”

“Apparently I didn’t.”

Losing his temper the first time that day, he lightly pushed Katrina off his lap, stood, and began speed walking in the opposite direction.

What is her problem? He thought. I did something good for her and yet she doesn’t even appreciate it at all.

“Andrew!”

Here comes the sympathy calls. He growled. Just keep walking.

“Andrew, please!” Katrina raised her voice so that it broke off at the end unintentionally.

After a short moment after listening to the footsteps increase in sound, a dainty hand surprised him by gripping his elbow to turn him around.

“Andrew, please just stop walking away from me.”

“Why should I?” Andrew shook his head furiously and in disbelief. “I did something from the bottom of my screwed up heart and yet you don’t even see the significance surrounding it!”

“Andrew, you have to understand, I always do that! Even when I was younger I never made anyone happy in a situation like this. Back then I never apologized, but I’m trying to now because I know you’ll never give me the second opportunity. This would be the end of a friendship that could last more than a million years!”

Katrina violently wiped away her tears.

“I have nothing left to say…” Andrew whispered, raking a hand through his tussled hair.

“Good.”

And with that, Katrina stood on her tiptoes to place her mouth on Andrew’s. It was a strange feeling that both of them felt surge throughout their body, but worse for Katrina considering this was her first kiss, while Andrew had kissed many before, but never a best friend.

Katrina who was endlessly lamenting her own kissing abilities, perked up straighter when she felt an arm wrap around her lower waist and Andrew kissing back.

I actually did it, he almost yelled. My hands are on her, she is not cracking or turning to dust before my eyes.

Pulling apart abruptly, seeming as if Katrina couldn’t handle anymore self-critique, she stared up at Andrew from underneath her eyelashes.

“Does this mean we’re moving on?”