Stepping off the plane, Anna felt her mood lift. The past year had been truly hellish with a promotion, a difficult office move and some really ugly internal politics. Okay, the promotion had been nice. Unfortunately, the same day she went home to celebrate the news, her boyfriend called to tell her he'd been transferred and was relocating to Hungary the following week.
Since he didn't see the value in maintaining a relationship over such a distance, and for an unknown period of time, he rather awkwardly broke up with her, and she fled back to her creativity. Her theatre group happily took her back in, and she rediscovered her love of writing. She also fell back on some longtime online friendships, as it was becoming harder to remain active with the friends she had shared with Jarrod.
Four months earlier, she had followed through on plans with a young friend to take a road trip through the Appalachians. While the trip was something she'd always wanted to do, it had taken Tina to talk her into actually doing it. What Anna hadn't known was just how devious the younger woman could be.
Tina had convinced two of their mutual friends at the chat site to join them. Seeing Brad and Darren outside baggage claim had been startling; at least until she heard Tina's crazy cackle behind her. Knowing the massive crush her friend had on Darren, Anna realized that she shouldn't have been surprised. Suddenly it dawned on her that they had met up in Brad's hometown, and she felt really silly.
She pulled Tina aside, hissing, "Did you two set this up?"
"Sort of, but, not like that." Tina tried to straighten out her story while Anna glared at her. "Look, it's been a few months since what's-his-face left, and we thought you needed to get out for a while. Is it so bad that you're here with friends?"
Before Anna could bite her head off, Tina added, "Besides, you know you've always wanted to chat face-to-face with Brad." With an impish wink at her friend, she added, "You've got that chance now, so take advantage of it and have some fun."
Of course, Tina was right, and it really had been a fun trip. The ladies teased Brad about his obsessive need to maintain sole driving responsibilities. Since they weren't going to be doing anything else, they sat in the back seat and sang along with the radio... badly; they fell back on their shared theatre background and recited full scenes from favorite plays; they did what they could to make the guys laugh, and when that failed, they threw raisins at them. That usually managed to get Darren to do something stupid, which would make Brad laugh.
Anna loved the sound of his laughter.
Things had been interesting for the two of them on that trip. Though she and Brad spent half their time flirting outrageously at the chat site, being in physical proximity they recognized that this was something altogether different; they arrived at an unspoken agreement to relax and use the time to get to know each other. Watching Tina and Darren carry on their own shy flirtation was highly amusing as well.
At the same time, the younger woman wasn't sure how far she wanted to take things, so hotel rooms were shared by gender. Anna didn't mind; her own wounds were still healing. While she knew that Brad wouldn't push her, she didn't see any need to add to the temptation they were both already feeling. She was also aware that Tina wasn't ready to share a room with Darren.
They'd been on the road for five days -- Tina and Darren still flirting shyly while Anna and Brad continued to grow closer -- and were settling into their latest hotel before a quiet dinner when Anna's phone rang.
"Who is it?" Tina asked as Anna checked the caller ID line.
"I'm not sure. I don't recognize the number." Accepting the call, she asked, "Hello?"
Tina stood by as her friend acknowledged her identity, then listened to rapidly spoken and highly accented English in silence. After several minutes there was a whispered 'good-bye' as Anna turned around, her face beyond pale.
She closed her phone and dropped to the floor, shuddering and sobbing.
Reacting purely on instinct, Tina found herself holding her friend, trying to console her. When Anna wouldn't stop crying, she reached for the room phone and called the guys.
"Brad? I think you need to come here."
He could hear the faint sounds of someone crying in the other room. "Tina? What's going on over there?"
"I don't know. Someone called Anna, and now she won't stop crying."
"I'm on my way."
They hung up and Tina opened the door. After slipping the safety latch into position to prevent the door from locking, she returned to Anna. Her sobs had diminished, although she was still weeping. It wasn't long before the door opened and Brad came in, Darren on his heels.
The tall man immediately went to one knee, pulling the despondent woman to his chest. Cradling the back of her head in his hand as she wrapped her arms around his neck, he sat down and tried to calm her.
He looked up at Darren, communicating to him with a slight movement of his chin. The younger man turned to Tina and suggested, "Tee, maybe we should go ahead and have some dinner."
"What if...?"
Darren interrupted her question. "I think Brad will be able to take care of things here." He placed an arm gently around her waist, guiding her to the door. "She's in good hands."
With a concerned look at her friends, she agreed and allowed Darren to walk her out.
When they were gone, Brad tenderly kissed Anna's forehead, her eyes and the tip of her nose. Wiping her tears, he asked, "What happened? Who called, Anna?"
Exhaling with a shudder, she snuggled further into his arms. "It was the US Consulate in Hungary. Apparently, Jarrod never took me off his 'In Case of Emergency' contact list." She got up, looking for some tissue, and returned to find Brad had moved from the floor to the small sofa. Slipping back into his arms, she whispered, "I was just told that he was killed in a car accident last night."
He felt as though he had been hit in the gut with a sledgehammer. "Oh shit, I'm sorry, Anna," he murmured. All he could think to do was hold her, rocking gently, while caressing her hair and kissing her ear, the back of her neck, anywhere he could reach, really.
She was so soft in his arms, yet the niggling thought kept returning, 'I thought they had broken up. Why is she so upset about a guy who left her?' He wanted to understand, having decided months ago that he loved her.
"I'm sorry," she murmured into his chest. "You can go get some dinner if you want; I know you're hungry. I'll be okay."
He pulled her to him tightly, raising her tear-stained face to his. "I'm not going anywhere, Anna." With a gentle kiss, he added, "I'd be happy to call for room service if you're hungry."
"I don't want anything, thanks."
They stayed on the sofa, nestled together, without realizing the time. It wasn't until Brad noticed that his arm had fallen asleep that he even tried to look at his watch. The slight movement of his arm jostled her head enough to wake her.
