Draw Me A Picture (30 page)

All the words William had spoken to her the previous evening re-played in her mind, especially his little speech at the piano; while Michelle did not like the idea of being physically distant from him, she had to admit it was a courageous thing to say, and so straightforwardly. It was as if he did not want her to be offended and thus carefully explained his reasons. Michelle remembered that he had rubbed the back of his neck quite a bit. Biting her lip, she thought about William with only a towel on and found herself rubbing the back of her neck as well.

“Must walk,” she said to herself. She did so along the narrow path, enjoying how the weak sunlight kissed the very tops of the trees as the sun rose higher. The mist moved strangely as it evaporated, like a slowly writhing dance. Sighing, Michelle moved forward, her eyes bright with her own contented musings.

SHOWERED AND dressed, William stepped out into the hall, whistling. He knew a silly grin graced his face but didn’t care. Deciding to dress a bit more casually he’d donned khaki slacks, a green mock-turtleneck and boots; he hoped to walk around visiting various Vermont sights with Michelle most of the day. A rousing energy coursed through his veins this morning, energy that needed to be worked out. In a positive way, he reminded himself; one that did not involve making babies, just yet.

Walking up to Michelle’s door he spied the note she’d left; his smile broadened as he read it.

“Must get out. Walking on the lake trail. Love you. (That part’s for William if anyone else reads this.)” Chuckling, William took the note and slid it into his pocket. The whole house seemed quiet; what could be better than an early morning walk? William couldn’t think of anything, especially when Michelle was out there, begging to be found. At least, that’s how he viewed it. Smiling, he went downstairs; locating a warm coat, he went out, searching for his ladylove.

The lake appeared deserted. Looking around, William wondered if Michelle had already walked back to the house. Looking up into a nearby maple grove, a bit of blue caught his eye; it was high off the ground... in a tree. William stepped towards the grove, a look of incredulity on his face. As he approached the ‘lake’ shore he could see more clearly Michelle’s form, up in one of the thick branches; she sat about twenty feet off the ground. She apparently hadn’t seen him yet.

“Ahem,” he said, clearing his throat.

At the noise Michelle looked down; she stared at him for several seconds before a smile spread over her lips; the warmth of her expression made its way down through the cold air to William.

“Hello!” she said, smiling. “Sorry... I almost didn’t recognize you without a suit on.” William smiled.

“I could go put one on for you, if you like,” was his response. Michelle chuckled at the idea.

“No way,” she said. “You look great. If you wait a second, I’ll be right down.” She reached over to grab a nearby branch.

“Michelle,” came William’s voice. “Wait there. I'm coming up.” Surprised, Michelle looked down at him; William was actually climbing up to her. She beamed.

“How cute is this?” she thought.

It had been quite a few years since William had been up in a tree. Still, there was something about grasping the large, unbending limbs and hauling oneself upward that was quite satisfying. He managed to get up without incident and perched rather comfortably on a branch right next to Michelle. Finally close to his fiancée, William smiled down at her guileless face; she made a pretty picture in her white hat and blue coat, sitting against the bright, red leaves as they moved in the breeze. Her eyes appeared bright with fun; her nose and cheeks looked pink in the cold air.

“She’s so full of life,” William thought. Just seeing Michelle up in a tree was like getting a shot of adrenaline; he’d immediately wanted to climb up and join her.

“Good morning,” he said.

“To you as well,” she returned. “Did you sleep alright?”

“Like a log,” William answered; the affection is his voice was unmistakable.

The leaves rustled in the chilly breeze around them. The two climbers looked out over the lake for several minutes, watching the wind ripple the surface of the water; several dozen yellow aspen leaves flew onto the water with each gust. The whole scene appeared serene, but alive. It felt like an old way of life was falling away, being replaced with hints and promises of a new beginning.

“When would you like to get married?” William asked.

Michelle looked at him, her cheeks turning a bit pink.

“Tomorrow,” she said, smiling shyly. William chuckled.

“So would I, love,” he said, softly; he found her hand with his. “Realistically, though.” Michelle looked thoughtful for several moments.

“I don’t have anyone really to notify, besides my uncle,” she began. “I don’t have an employer to arrange with. I could probably pack all my things in two hours and move if I had to. I suppose I would only need about two weeks plan the wedding.”

“Two weeks?” William asked, surprised. “Don’t weddings usually take longer than that to arrange?” Michelle smiled at his expression.

“Maybe for Princess Diana’s wedding they did,” she said, trying not to laugh. “I’ve always hoped for a wedding that is beautiful in its simplicity.”

William looked relieved at her words.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” he said, frankly. “So, you want to plan it yourself?” Michelle nodded, smiling. “Thank God,” William said, letting out a short breath. “When my mother saw the ring on your finger last night I could actually see her formulating plans that very second. I was deluged with visions of being dragged to photographers and cake sampling and picking out silver patterns and bridesmaid’s gowns...” He stopped, seeing Michelle laughing into her gloves.

“Please stop!” she begged. “No, no. None of that. Good grief...” She wiped tears of merriment from her eyes. “I meant what I said; beautiful, but simple.”

Making sure he had a secure foothold, William leaned over and wrapped one of his arms around Michelle’s waist. He kissed her face, pausing to smell her hair.

“You are a gem; do you know that?” he said in a low voice. “So, the ceremony… are you thinking of having it in New York? Is there anywhere you’ve always wanted to go? What about Italy?” Michelle laughed; her fiancé’s expression struck her as ‘adorable’. He seemed bent on making her dreams come true. Most of them already had come to fruition, beginning with meeting him.

“Do you have a preference, William?” she asked him, kissing his cheek. Her fiancé shook his head.

“No,” he said, smiling. “Anywhere… anytime would suit me just right. I would like to take care of the honeymoon, however.” Michelle blushed and looked down, biting her lip.

“I have no problem with that,” she said, glancing up at him. William was very tempted to give her as many kisses as he could fit in while sitting in a tree; his warning of remaining ‘distant’ floated back to him and he withdrew reluctantly away from the warm, sweet-smelling Michelle.

“Now, getting back to our plans… is there anywhere you’d like to go for the honeymoon?” he inquired. “Paris? Venice? Just tell me... I’ll find out sooner or later, you know.”

Michelle smiled at her boots for a moment, thinking. No one had ever offered her a no-holds-barred vacation before. Names of locations only heard of clouded together like an impenetrable mass in her mind. As Michelle pondered the question, it occurred to her that William must have been to a great many places in the world already. A honeymoon was unlike any mere vacation; ideally it should be held at a location previously unexplored, for both of them.

“Where haven’t you been?” she asked, looking up at William. He saw through her attempt to change the subject.

“Answer the question, minx,” he said, leaning closer. The look in his eyes invoked an odd feeling in Michelle, and not exactly an unfavorable one; perhaps stalling wasn’t the right tactic.

“Someplace private,” she said, gingerly. “A place where no one would bother us; where we could talk and go walking, you know... like we’re doing now.”

William looked pensive for several moments. He did not think Michelle was being deliberately obtuse, but was hoping for a simpler answer, like Florence or Bali. The subtle point implied by her words did not escape him, however; his lady clearly preferred solitude, though with him; William had no problem with that suggestion whatsoever. In fact, he found it preferable to any other situation that he could think of. He rather disliked crowds of people. Looking up, he found Michelle watching him with an uncertain expression.

“It would be too easy to just say 'Paris' or ‘Rome’...” she continued; her gentle tone caught William's attention. It was clear to him that Michelle did not wish to offend him with her vague answer. “I know you've probably been both those places already...”

William nodded, a slow smile of understanding spreading across his face. Her consideration touched him greatly.  

“How about Scotland?” he said. “I’ve actually never been there.” His fiancée appeared momentarily surprised at the suggestion; the bright expression in her eyes told William it was a good guess. “Not in the cities, mind you but there are some charming villages to stay in; we could drive around and walk. Though, it not exactly warm there….”

“That sounds perfect,” Michelle said sincerely. She had not even thought about going to the top portion of the British Isles, but suddenly the idea appealed greatly: cold, clear air outside, a warm fire on a hearth inside where they could cuddle... stormy coastline and long, low hills to walk over. She looked at William; he grinned at her triumphantly.

“Told you I’d find out,” he said. “Your face says it all.”

“You wouldn’t mind going there?” she asked, searching his eyes.

“Not at all,” he said; his tone was one that told Michelle as long as she was present he’d be having a great time. Blushing deeply, she looked back at the lake again.

“I like this,” William said, after awhile. “We should have all our important discussions in a tree.”

Michelle smiled.

“It’s one of my favorite things to do,” she admitted. “It’s kind of juvenile, but if no one’s looking I’ll do it. I love sitting up high and looking out over all the other trees; it’s relaxing and it feels safe.”

“It’s not juvenile,” William said. “In a public park it may not be so appropriate, but this is nice. When I saw you up here I thought it was a fantastic idea; I was immediately compelled to join you.” The earnest tone of William’s words caused Michelle to laugh, softly.

“I’m glad you did,” she said, earnestly. “As nice as it is sitting up here alone, it’s far better when someone you love can share it with you.”

“True,” William agreed. “Well, what do you say we go back?”

“Why; are you cold?” Michelle asked, her voice teasing. William raised an eyebrow at her.

“Not with you around,” he said. He waited for her to blush; it didn’t take long. “I want breakfast, love,” he continued. “Unless you can magically make it appear here, I think we should go ‘rustle up’ something ourselves.”  

Michelle took especial pleasure in attaining the ground first.

“You’re slow,” she called up, watching William pick his way down.

“You’re just smaller,” William defended. “You’re able to squeeze your tiny frame through these branches quicker.”

“Maybe I should get you a ladder...” Michelle suggested, biting her lip; her eyes held laughter as she looked up at her man. William gave her a narrow look.

“Maybe you should start running,” he said, ominously. Seeing the look in William’s eye Michelle took his advice, stumbling a bit in her haste to get away. Swinging down to the ground a few seconds later, William smirked at her retreating form.

“Not this time, love...” he murmured.

Michelle could not run as fast as she normally did; laughter hindered her breathing; she halfway hoped she’d see William slip and land on the throw rug again. Rounding the corner of the house, she could see the kitchen door and ran towards it. She only made it a few feet before someone grabbed her from behind; she was lifted up in the air and found herself looking at William’s back. Her fiancé paused, taking deep breaths and smiling as he held a squirming Michelle over his shoulder.

“William!” she protested, trying to catch her breath. “Put me down!”

“Not a chance,” William said, cheerfully. “Ladder indeed... little minx. I am going to carry my prize around the victory circle, thank you very much.”

Opening the kitchen door with one hand, he brought his ‘prize’ in; he walked about a little before setting her down. Michelle was winded and giggling softly; her eyes watered a little but she looked very rosy with the exercise.

“You... unfair,” she managed to say; she leaned against a wall and pulled off her hat and gloves.

“Here, let me help you,” William said, grinning. “You look like you're going to fall over.” Michelle gave a soft snort.

“Maybe I wouldn’t be if someone hadn’t gone all Tarzan on me.” William chuckled. He stood in front of Michelle and proceeded to unbutton her coat. As he did, he had to look down at his hands; he grimaced. His fiancé was wearing that pretty, red shirt again, her fair breast rising and falling as she breathed.

“This was a bad idea,” he thought, concentrating hard on the last coat button. Watching William’s face, Michelle wondered at the slightly pink color suddenly shadowing his neck; he seemed to be uncomfortable. Glancing down, Michelle blushed herself; she saw one of the buttons between her breasts had come undone. William helped her off with her coat and turned away, presumably to drape it over a chair. Taking the opportunity, Michelle quickly buttoned her shirt up to an appropriate level again, feeling embarrassed. She hadn’t meant to overly tempt the guy. William removed his own coat, laying them both over a chair-back.

Turning around, William spotted Michelle walking around one of the kitchen counters, looking for an apron. He noticed her shirt was buttoned up and smiled.

“Smart girl,” he thought, looking at her affectionately. Watching his fiancée, William was struck by how gracefully she moved; she seemed very comfortable in the kitchen. Once, years ago, he’d brought the daughter of a well-respected judge up here to meet his mother; she stayed less than two hours. His mother had made it a point to be as formal as possible; the girl had nearly cracked under her stern scrutiny. In stark contrast, Michelle was walking around his mother’s kitchen, carrying a basket of eggs, humming to herself as naturally as if she were in her little hotel room.