Chapter Eight... This Is Our Little Secret
After Anton finished his brunch (which he continuously complimented me on), we clean up the dishes together. We walk into the front room together and sit side by side on the long tan couch.
We sit in silence for what could not have been longer than a few minutes until Anton brakes it. "Mara?"
His eyes are a soft, a shy blue that nearly makes me blush."Yes?" Anton chews on his lower lip, as if he's not sure what to say next. I give a grin. "It's ok, Anton, I don't bite."
He chuckles at my words. "Well, I'm quite curious to know about you. I mean, I would feel weird not knowing you at least a little bit. I'd rather us not think of each other as strangers, seeing as we don't know how long this will be going on.."
I pat his knee reassuringly. Inwardly I'm grateful that he doesn't finish that sentence. "Truthfully, that does sound like a good idea, given the circumstances." I wait a moment before continuing. "Where should we start?"
"I think that we should start with ourselves, somewhere easy, right?"
I nod in agreement. "Yes, that makes sense." I think for a moment. "Well, my name is Mara Sky Evans, to start with."
"Sky? That's a pretty middle name," Anton comments.
"Thanks," I say, blushing a little. If only he knew what it stands for.
"I think I remember you saying that you had turned seventeen recently?"
Did I? Probably. "Yes, I turned seventeen years of age three months ago."
He nods his head. "You're very young then." He whistles as he thinks of something. "You must have been one impressive soldier if they allowed such a young woman to go out into the battlefield that quickly."
I take into consideration what Anton just said. "Yeah, I guess so. But want to know why they let me in so quickly?" He waits attentively for me to continue. "I lied about my age and was able to tweek some of my papers in order to match what I said."
Anton looks at me, confused. "How old do you claim to be then, Miss Evans?"
"Um, nineteen years old, soon to be twenty."
His mouth gapes open in surprise. Thinking a moment, Anton finally breaks into a grin. "That's actually pretty impressive. I thought that that only happened in stories and films."
We both laugh. "Anton, this isn't some unrealistic story, this is reality."
"It would make for an interesting story though." I shrug, causing him to stick his tongue out at me.
Giggling, I can't help but smile at this silly man. Suddenly it strikes me. "How old are you? Since we're on the topic."
"I am twenty years old. I'll be twenty-one in a few months, though."
Anton is an adult? Rather, a young man. I'm sure he mentioned his age to me before, but it seems to have slipped my mind. Anton is only three years older than I? He looks as though we could be the same age. Although, that stubble is giving him a bit of an older look.
I shake away what I know will turn into a silent conversation with myself. I look back up at Anton. "I told you my name," I say, somewhat meaning to switch topics. "May I know yours?"
"On one condition: no laughing."
"Why would I laugh at you? You had the chance to laugh at my cliche American name but didn't."
Even if he does have a funny name I still wouldn't make fun of him for it. Playfully I shove his shoulder. "Cmon, let's hear it."
"Alright, alright. My name is Anton Niklaus Dieter Reiker-Schreiber. But I prefer Anton Reiker, it's much shorter and faster to say."
Wow, I thought I had a long name! "Anton Niklaus Dieter Reiker-Schreiber," I say, testing it out. I smile. "I like it, it suits you very nicely. Niklaus, I've always quite liked that name."
His eyes light up. "Really?"
I nod. "Yeah, it's one of the names that is strong yet sweet, ya know?" I can see him think about what I just said further.
Finally, he gives me a goofy smile, shining his bright white teeth. "That's mighty kind of you to say," he says, trying his best to sound like a southern American. Somehow he managed to sound more like a foreigner who was drunk.
I burst out laughing, joined two seconds later by his laughter. "In between breaths, I say "I think that was the best thing I've heard all week." When we both calm down, I can't help but stay smiling. It seems weird to be smiling, almost as if it's been months since I last smiled this much or laughed this hard.
Things have been so scary and rough, I thought that I wouldn't laugh or smile as much as I just did. I look over at Anton and he's smiling as much as I am. He turns to me, his smile still just as big. He studies my face, and then finally says, "I never noticed that you have dimples," he says, going back to German.
"I got them them from my mom." Probably the only good thing I got from that woman. I nearly cringe, thinking about my family. "I really hope my family is ok, I miss them."
Anton gives me a sad smile. Then he does something unexpected: Anton gives me a hug. For a moment I am taken by surprise, but then I hug him back. Please don't cry, Mara, please don't, not in front of him.
We both pull back, but I still feel his warmth on me, which makes me feel nice. I feel like I should say something, but I don't know what...
"Tell me about your family," he gently encourages.
I want to be careful with what I say, as well as how much information is given. Anton seems trust worthy, but what if information is accidentally said? We are still strangers, and I can never be too sure, even if I do want to completely trust him.
How can I find the right words to describe my family? It's easy to talk about my father and brother, yet what words can I find to describe my mother? I can't talk about a loon without sounding like one.
I bite down on my lip as I try to think of the words to describe each family member accurately. "Well," I slowly begin. "Back home, I lived with my brother and parents. My father is a veterinarian. He's loved animals ever since he was a child, so gentle and caring of them. We share the same red hair. Like father like daughter." I grin, thinking of my father. Anton gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. "I have a brother, his name is Ryan. He was my inspiration to join the army."
"How old is he?"
"Twenty-three. Not too much of an age difference. He has soft sky-blue eyes with redish-blonde hair. We look, for the most part, alike. My brother and I are very close, we grew up basically at the hip." I begin to reminisce, talking about the good times with my brother, how when we were little we used to play in the dirt and spend hours upon hours on 'adventures'.
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