It Was No Accident - Me Finding You

I met Reed about six months before we got drunk and ended up in bed together.

June 16, 2005. It was a beautiful Thursday, the skies were clear and the temperature was just right. Why do I remember it so well? You tend to remember the day you meet a guy who you blew you away by being everything you thought he wasn't. Plus, it was also Reed's 24th birthday.

I had only found out the night before that I was being pulled to some function that my father's boss was having, I didn't find out until I came down the stairs in my usual 'boring business party' clothes that the party was actually Reed's birthday party. "What kind of loser has his parent's throw him a party when he's 24?" I shrieked as I stomped my way back to my room to change into something 'young lady like', as my father called it.

At 18, I wasn't in the mood to spend the night hanging out with my parents when there were so many parties happening now that school was almost over. I cursed Reed and his parents and my parents too as I changed. Since it was pretty warm out and the party was being held in their backyard, I decided to go with something a little simple. I slipped into a light blue halter sundress with few tiny darker blue flowers throughout the material. From my closet I pulled out a pair of 3 inch black sandals and slipped them on. I knew my feet would be hurting by the time my parents let me go home but I didn't care. I pulled my hair out of the fasteners that I had it put up in and let it hang down to my shoulders, I stood staring at myself in the mirror for a while before I decided to pin a little bit back. Happy with the results, I grabbed a sweater before I left my room, just in case it got cold unexpectedly.

Once we got tot he party, my parents went off to kiss my father's boss' butt and I wandered around. I always thought that my parents had money but just wandering around outside the Johnson's house made me fell like I came from a poor family. But I didn't care about that, I didn't want to be there and the fact that their wealth was on display for all the world to see made me not like them even more.

I thought I would find at least one person I knew but as I wandered around I realized that I didn't know anyone and there didn't seem to be anyone close to my age. I felt so out of place standing there in their backyard. I was in the middle of wishing I was home when I heard laughing coming from beyond the bushes. I was almost afraid to go check it out but I figured it wouldn't be any worst than trying to look like I was having fun.

Trying not to scrape myself, I held back the bushes in my way and stepped towards the laughing. "Owww!" I cried as my hair got tangled in the low hanging branch of the chokecherry tree.

"Uh huh, looks like the parents sent a spy," one of the guys called out as the others laughed.

"Guys shut up," a voice snapped from my left. "Here let me help you there."

I turned to eyes towards the guy who came to my rescue. The first thing I noticed about him was his hair, unlike most guys I knew, he wore his hair down to his shoulders. At first I was taken back by it but as I gazed at him longer, I found myself liking it. I didn't say anything while his fingers loosened my hair from the branch. "There you go," his eyes slid to mine and my heart skipped a beat. He tucked the strand of hair he rescued behind my ear, "You should be more careful."

He turned and picked on the beer bottle that was sitting on the post next to us before he started back to his friends. I just stood there, frozen in place, trying to calm my heartbeat down while I wondered if I should just go back to the other side of the bushes. I was in the middle of that debate when he stopped and turned back to me, "Come on berrygirl," he smiled as he held out his hand.

I followed him over to where his friends were sitting around on huge rocks, I didn't know why they were there but it was cool the way they were set out. Maybe they are supposed to be for sitting?

His friends continued their chatter with him jumping in every now and then. I wish I could remember what they were talking about but I don't. All I remember is the cold beer that he handed me when we joined the group and feeling so nervous while I sat by him and wished he would accidentally brush up against me.

"So berry girl, what's your name?" He leaned in to me, almost whispering that in my ear.

I bit back a shiver that ran through me, "Amberlynn."

"Amberlynn?" He nodded, "I like it but I also like berrygirl."

Staring up at him, I wanted to say something witty but I could only think of stupid things to say.

A smile spread across his face, "Mind if I call you Berrylynn?"

I shook my head, he could've asked to call me anything at that moment and I would've said it was ok; I liked the idea of him having a nickname for me. It made me feel special for some silly reason.

He started to say something else when an older woman came through the bushes. "There you are Reed! Your father wants you to meet some people."

The guy beside me sighed, "Yes Mother."

I turned to him, "You are Reed?" Suddenly the 'loser' comment I made at home came back to me and I blushed.

"Yes I am. And as you know it's my birthday." Reed smiled, "Care to give me a birthday kiss before I go and face certain death?" I shook my head and his friends laughed. "No?" He pouted, "Not even a little one right here?" He touched his finger to his cheek.

I laughed, "And if I do that you'll turn your head at the last minute."

"Damn it," he joked. "You got me, I would do that." Smiling, he gazed at me. "Well, I guess I should go join the party," he rolled his eyes when he said 'party'.

He turned towards his friends and started to say something when I leaned over and kissed his cheek, "Happy Birthday Reed."

Slowly he turned his head back towards me, his eyes were wide in surprise. "Sneaky," he said before he leaned in to kiss the corner of my mouth, taking me by surprise. "I'm sneaky too."

We all joined his parents party not long after that. And we remained out there for most of the night. Every now and then I would find Reed at my side, he would say something funny and walk away before I could reply. When he wasn't at my side, I found myself watching him as much as I could without being too obvious.

Later that night he came over to me, I was talking to my parents. "Excuse me Mr & Mrs Sands, I just need to speak to your daughter for a moment." He held out his hand to me and I slipped mine into his. I could see the sheer joy in my mother's eyes as Reed lead me to a spot not far from the bushes I slipped through earlier. We made small talk for a while, the whole time I was afraid that he would slip off again. When I noticed he was looking around, I asked him what was up.

"I'm waiting," he said.

"For what?"

"For..." he looked around and then moved towards the bushes. "Come on Berrylynn."

Reed held the bushes open for me and I made it through without getting caught. It was a lot darker back there than it was earlier, the only light came from the moon that was high in the clear sky. Reed led me over to the rock we sat at before, he leaned against it and took hold of both my hands, his thumbs gliding softly over my soft skin.

"What are we doing back here?" I asked.

He shrugged, "I just wanted to talk without everyone watching and wondering."

"Oh, what did you want to talk about?"

Again he shrugged, "What ever you'd like to tell me about yourself."

We started to talk about our life now, the goals we have and what we wanted for the future. I found out that Reed had a degree in business which is dad thought going to school for was a waste of money because he already had a position at his company ready for Reed. I learned that his mother wanted him to wait a while longer before going to work full time, 'she wants me to live life before it gets sucked out of me like it did my father I guess'. He told me that he had no intentions of being a trust fund baby, even though the money that his grandparents gave him access to when he turned 21 was enough to keep him entertained long after he was gone. "I want do something more than be wealthy Amber," he pulled me closer to him.

"What do you want to be Reed?"

He gazed down into my eyes, "I want to be happy. I just have to figure out how to make that happen."

We stayed hidden behind the bushes for the remainder of the night. It wasn't until we heard his mother calling from the other side that we even remembered that there was a party for him going on.

Just before we walked out from our hiding spot, he stopped me. "Thank you for coming tonight Amber, I don't think it would've been as much fun without you here." He leaned down to kiss my cheek and I turned my head, my lips brushed against his. He drew back a little and gazed down at me, I smiled up at him and closed the distance between us.

****

If I say that first kiss was magical, would you believe me?

Back in the present, I had my eyes closed and my fingers against my lips as I remembered being so wrapped up in his kiss that I didn't even hear his mother when she came through the bushes. I smiled, I knew Reed was going to be a big part of my life that night. I just didn't know how big an impact he would make on it.

"What are you smiling about?" Reed's sleep deepened voice pulled me out of my dreamlike state. I could feel myself blushing as I opened my eyes and saw the same look in his eyes now as the first moment we kissed.

"Thinking about your 24th birthday," I knew there was no point in pretending I wasn't thinking about him, he seemed to know it.

A smile spread across his face, "That was the best birthday ever Berrylynn."