Eyes of Winter

Annie sat outside Cafe du Parc off of 14th avenue. The sun was shining high in the blue sky and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves above her. She glanced at her watch. It was just after noon and she had class in little over an hour. Glancing at the nearby window, she quickly ran her fingers through her chestnut colored hair. She looked down and adjusted the white shirt she wore under her light peach colored cardigan, making sure it wasn't too low cut.
After smoothing out the wrinkles in her pale teal, ankle length skirt, she rested her chin on her hand, stirring her cappuccino. It shouldn't surprise her that he was late, it was practically a requirement of his job. She took a sip of the cappuccino.

"Annie!"

She looked up and promptly wiped the foam from her top lip, licking her finger before waving. He was hard to miss with his dark hair and thick five o'clock shadow, wearing a gray pair of jeans and a black v neck t-shirt.

"Brock, hey!" She tilted her head as he leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it." She said.
He adjusted her cardigan so that it covered her exposed tank top strap and sat down across from her, giving her a lopsided grin.

"Me too. But I can't stay long. Sorry. It's work."

She sipped her coffee, holding the cup with both hands. "What adventures did you find yourself in this time?"

He smiled, signaling to the waitress. "You know it's-"

"Classified." She said. "Right, right. Man of mystery."

"Trust me. You're better off not knowing. Plus if I told you, I'd have to kill you."

She rolled her eyes. "Just don't mess up my face."

He reached over and pinched her cheek. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Are you going to come over tonight? I'm making spaghetti." She said.

"You know I wouldn't miss it but I have work tonight." He replied.

Annie tried to hide her disappointment, but it was evident. "Come on Annie, don't be like that."

"I know, I'm sorry. It just seems like we never have any time together. All you seem to do is work. Will it kill you to take a day off?"

His eyes flashed. "Well, we can't all live off daddy's money, can we?" He snapped.

Annie bit her lip and set her cup down gently. "Right. So, I've got to go. I...have class in fifteen minutes." She threw down the cash for her bill and picked up her purse and violin case.

"What?" Brock asked, holding his arms out. "Come on Annie, don't be like that."

"I don't want to fight. I'll call you later." She turned and walked towards her bicycle.

"Annie!" He jogged after her.

She continued walking until her caught up with her, grabbing her by her upper arm a bit tighter than was comfortable. "Come on Annie."

She turned to face him with a huff. "I have to go Brock."

"I shouldn't have said that." He said.

When she refused to look him in the eye, he took her chin and forced her to look at him. "I'll make it up to you. I promise." He said.

She fought the urge to roll her eyes, giving him a quick nod. He smiled and planted a rough kiss on her lips. "That's my girl."

"I'll see you later." She said quietly, mounting her bike.

He watched as she pedaled towards the National Monument Park, before getting into a black SUV that pulled up.

OoOoOo

She unlocked her studio and pushed the door open, sounding a small chime. She pushed it shut and locked it behind her.

Turning on only the lights in the studio, she made her way out the back door to the tiny terrace. The space was nearly completely enclosed on all sides by different brick buildings attached to the small shopping district. The only way out was through her studio, a narrow alleyway blocked of by a tall iron gate, or up the ladder onto the roof of the tall lawyers office to the right. The ground was all slate pavers, making it especially slick when it rained. A small round table with an umbrella and four chairs was off to her left, while a fire pit was to the right. Above, several strings of lights hung from one wall to the other. It was her second favorite place next to her condo.

She sat on the edge of the fire pit, pulled her violin out of its case and began to warm up for class. Moving the bow over the strings, she closed her eyes as a sad melody filled the air. So entranced in her song, she was unaware of a pair of brown eyes watching her from the rooftop.

He watched as her fingers gently worked the strings of the violin, her arm moving back and forth.

The sound of the music had a calming effect on her and allowed her to clear her mind. Then the bell rang, cutting her song short.

"Miss Annie!!"

She smiled at the sound of her students and rushed into the studio to let them in. "Hi guys!" She beamed. She pressed her hand to her knees and lowered herself to their level. There were five children, three girls and two boys, between the ages of 7 and 11. "What do you think about practicing outside today?"

The youngest, a little girl named Nya jumped on her tip toes. "Can we?!"

The other children agreed. "I thought you would like that idea. Come inside and get your instruments." She held the door open as they walked in waving to the parents who sat waiting in their cars, and then closed the doors.

OoOoOo

He leaned over the edge of the rooftop and watched as she sat in front of the children, placing herself directly in front of him. In her hands was a large cello. She placed the cello between her parted knees and tapped the bow on a small black music stand. The children readied their bows.

"Nearer My God to Thee." She said, and began the first chord.

He became entranced by the movement of her body, and the way her hair fell into her eyes, which were closed. Her brow was slightly furrowed in concentration.

"Asset, do you copy?" Came the voice over his earpiece.

He sighed and pushed himself up quietly, making sure not to be heard. He pressed the tiny button. "Da."

"Meet at rendezvous point for your mission. Over and out." He leapt off the roof, disappearing in the shadows.

OoOoOo

The sun had long since set by the time her last student left. She flicked the lights off and locked the doors. She unchained her bicycle and began to walk it in the direction of her home. The air was slightly humid and smelled of impending rain.

Her stomach rumbled and she began to rack her brain about food, since she apparently wasn't going to be cooking for two. Lightning flashed in the distance. Biting her lip, she debated whether to get take out or just play pantry roulette, which never played out in her favor.

Thunder rumbled, startling her at its sudden closeness. She quickly opted for take out and headed in the direction of the restaurant.

OoOoOo

"Hi Ling!" Annie said as she pushed the glass door open. The smell of Asian cuisine practically had her foaming at the mouth. Loud music that she could only guess was being sung in Chinese, blasted from a radio in the kitchen.

The aging Chinese cook lifted his cleaver in a wave and smiled. "Annie! So nice to see you today! Mai was just asking about you." He turned his head and shouted in Chinese over his shoulder. A few seconds later, a short little Chinese woman waddled out from the kitchen.

"Annie! You have been busy? We haven't seen you in weeks!" She held her hands up with a smile. Annie leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"I have! I've been meaning to stop by, but..." She shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "You know."

Mai waved her hands dismissively. "What you want to eat?"

"What you want to eat, Annie?" Ling asked.

Mai rolled her eyes and shouted at him in Chinese.

Annie laughed. "I want the number-"
"18!" Mai guessed.

Annie nodded. "You know me well!"

"Where's that boyfriend of yours? He so handsome!" Mai asked, ringing up her order.

Annie handed her some cash. "Who? Brock? Oh...yeah. He's working tonight."

"You lucky to have a man like him! He take good care of you." She said.

Annie feigned a smile. "I hope so."

Mai handed her the bag of food. "Be safe! It looks like a storm coming."

"Thanks Mai." She pushed the door open. "Bye Ling!" She called over her shoulder. She turned the corner and stopped. She turned and looked around. "Dammit!" Her bicycle was gone. The chain has been cut and was laying on the ground by the telephone pole she'd secured it to.

Thunder rumbled loudly and she jumped. Mumbling another curse, she began the three block walk back to her condo. She hated storms. They had been something she'd feared since she was a little girl. She quickly placed her headphones on and cranked up the music.

She blew out a sigh as her thoughts shifted once more to Brock. They'd been together for the better part ofa year. But she felt as if they barely knew each other. And he had such a tendency to get angry over the stupidest things. If she wore a shirt that was too revealing or red lipstick, she was in for a bad night. He would make mean sarcastic remarks until she changed.

She glared up at the sky as it opened up, deciding to flood the streets at that precise moment.

"What the hell." There was no point in running back to Mai's. Either way she'd get soaked. She resumed her previous thoughts.
He had a good side...sometimes. But mostly he was...rough. If another man spoke to her or so much as sneezed near her and she said 'bless you', you could almost bet they'd be walking away with a bloody nose at best. And then they'd spend the rest of the night fighting until he left or she kicked him out. But he was so charismatic and always had a way of making it up to her.
A bright bolt of lightning struck ahead, so close she swore she could feel the heat from it. The power in the city died, leaving her in darkness.

This was the stuff her nightmares were made of. She screamed and began running. She didn't see the white SUV barreling down the road that she'd just stepped onto. She saw a blur of movement out of the corner of her eye and looked up. Before terror could register, she felt herself being tackled from behind and thrown to the opposite side of the street.

She landed hard against a mailbox, knocking the wind out of her. As she gasped for air, a dark figure kneeled in front of her.

"Are you alright?" The man asked.

She could barely make out a pair of blue eyes looking down at her. "I can't...b-breathe!" She choked.

"Вы дышите." He said, looking her over.

"What are you saying?!" She was becoming hysterical.

"If you can talk, you can breathe." He replied.

She suddenly felt as though she would throw up. If it hadn't been so dark outside, she would have seen darkness creeping into her line of vision.

"Can you stand?" He asked.

"I can't-" her eyes rolled back and she passed out.

Cursing to himself in Russian, he looked around before lifting her up in his arms.

OoOoOo

Annie sat up with a gasp as she was suddenly dumped into freezing water. She jumped up with a cry, looking around in confusion.

The balcony door was open and she could barely make out a figure perched on the ledge. When she rubbed her eyes and looked again, the figure was gone. She scrambled out of the tub and over to the open balcony. Whoever he was, he was gone.

"Brock?" She called, discarding her soaked clothes. She grabbed her robe andlooked around. Nothing was out of place. She looked out the window. Outside, the storm seemed to be building up again. She pulled the robe tightly around her waist and made her way out into the hallway

"Brock?" She rounded the corner and screamed, nearly falling backwards. A pair of strong hands gripped her arms, setting her straight.

"Woah!"

"Dammit you scared the crap out of me!" She cried, smacking his arm on instinct.

He chuckled. "Sorry! What's got you all jumpy?"

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Nothing."

He took a stand of her hair between his fingers. "You took a shower without me?"

Unsure of what had just happened, she decided to not mention it. "Yeah well, you made it perfectly clear that you had to work tonight, so I wasn't going to wait up." She tried to walk past him but he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Come on Annie. You aren't still mad about that are you?" She could smell alcohol on his breath.

She bit her tongue, choosing not to start a fight as she was suddenly very tired. Forcing a smile, she looked up at him. "No." She placed her hands over his and rubbed them. "No..."

"Come on. I'll take you to bed." He said, leading her back towards her room.

She bit her tongue to the point she could taste blood. They walked into the bedroom but she stopped in the doorway, spinning around to face him. "Yea, about that...I think I can take care of that myself. There's a blanket on the couch downstairs and lotion in the bathroom." She shut the door in his face.