Freshly Bitten Apple

Her legs danced far above my head. She swung them sweetly to and fro, parting them gently and briefly and then crossing them back. She poked her head over the edge. "Why did you say those things? I took you out for ice cream hoping maybe we could have a nice time. Thanks for ruining it." She disappeared. Her form passed through the cracks of the two by fours that made up the tree fort.

"I'm sorry, really." I attempted to be sincere, but again my mouth ran amok. "I just wanted to know if maybe I wasn't the only boy you'd done... what we did... with...." I was getting sloppy. She didn't say a word. Footing myself on the bark of the tree, I began climbing.

"Are you apologizing? Do you really think that... of me... that I would...?" She struggled too, and she began to sob. When girls turn on the water works, it's all over. I needed to say something valiant, something heroic. Something that would make her smile, or laugh, or do anything but cry. Girls cry and guys grovel. I don't make the rules, just natures way I guess.

I crawled up to her. She was crouched down hugging her knees, face buried in her blue hot pants. Should I touch her? Would she pull away? What now? There we were, in the apple tree again. This was where I yearned to be again, for the last week at least, I'd wanted nothing more than this. But Jill was in tears and I was speechless. The two of us were surrounded by branches that crowded out the sky and any possible passing eye. This was our place, and I hated to think of anyone but us being there. Now I can think of a hundred things to say that would have made her lift her head. But at the time, nothing seemed right.

We sat there for what felt like days. She gently sobbing, and me caressing a strand of her blonde hair. I'd hurt her. I felt horrible. But at the same time I felt wonderful. Wonderful because I was there and she was too.

Then, as if a passing angel, an apple fell exactly between us and rolled to nudge Jill's bare foot. She peered down at it, through her tears, then up into my eager eyes. "That's strange." She stopped sobbing, whipping her hair back to face me. She snatched up the apple and thrust it into my hand, closing hers over it. "Strange. No ones up here but us. This is our place, and nobody else's." She squeezed the apple tighter. "You believe me, don't you??"

I wanted to. I needed to. Nothing would've been finer than to believe her. But that snot nosed kid at the birthday party... His face kept winking at me. I pushed it away and took a bite out of the freshly fallen apple that had just become a token of potential trust between us. I looked deep into her teary eyes, searching for truth. It was there, abundant, overflowing and pure.

An amazing and exhilarating flash pulsed through me. My flesh rippled and my hair stood on end. The intensity of it was so real I jerked as if someone had run a cold spoon up my spine. All doubts left me at that moment. "Of course I believe you." That was all I had to say and suddenly I felt free. Freer than I had been for weeks. Somehow I knew she was innocent and pure of any of my sneaking suspicions or jealousies. 

At that moment nothing else in the world mattered, only Jill, me and that apple tree. She held out her hand and I planted the freshly bitten apple in her palm. She brought it to her lips and sunk her pearly white teeth. A bead of juice trickled down her chin and hung there for an instant. She was beautiful. Her eyes fluttered and she let out a soft giggle. She brushed away the drop with the back of her hand.

"You sure are pretty." Pretty was an understatement. She was magnificent.

"You aren't so bad yourself, cutie." She took another bite, looked down at her feet, then back into my eyes. How blissful. "Let's be more than friends. Let's be us."

I wasn't quite sure what she meant but it sounded just swell to me. She could've told me she hated me at that moment and it would have sounded divine. She bent forward on her hands and knees, like a cat, stretching her back, and came inches from my face. She blinked, like the old classic beauties in the black and white movies, then closed her eyes entirely. Her jaw jutted forward and her lips pursed. She wanted a kiss, she needed a kiss, and I was the luckiest boy in the world. I drew a breath, closed my eyes, turned my head away for just a moment, then dove into the best kiss of my life. We'd kissed before. This time was different. This time meant more. It was wet and delightful, tender and pure, warm and altogether natural and sweet.

We laid back into each others arms, looking up into the apple tree. Sunbeams crept through the canopy of golden apples and emerald leaves and glistened gleefully. There are moments you remember all you life. This was one of those moments.

Content to just lie there in the warm breeze, we didn't speak. With some people, in order to be comfortable in their company, there had to be running dialogue. Not with us. Whatever heaven was like, I'm sure this was close. There had to be apple trees in heaven.