“Mmmhmm. I was on my way to your place but if you’re busy…” she trailed off smiling at their little game.
“I can come over,” he said quickly, no longer playing the game. His comment reminded her of his reluctance the last time she’d mentioned coming to his house.
“Do you not want me at your house?” she asked bluntly. She was done playing games.
“No… it’s not that… it’s just I don’t want you to have to go traipsing through the woods. It’s much easier for me to come to you,” he stumbled through his excuse.
“I’ve already traipsed,” she replied as she pulled to a stop in front of the old barn. “I drove straight here from work. Should I turn around?”
There was a pause before he answered. “No, just give me a minute, okay?”
“I’ll be right outside,” she answered before he clicked off. She felt her stomach drop. Had she made a mistake in coming here? There was no turning back now.
She stepped out of the jeep and walked around to the small front yard looking up at the old barn. The red paint had faded to mere streaks in the grains of the wood. The structure looked as if it could be a hundred years old, although the metal gambrel roof looked fairly newer. A large set of double doors dominated the front of the fa?ade with a similar loft window located just above it.
The barn itself was surrounded by woods. Any pastureland that may have once bordered it was now consumed by forest. There was a small lawn around it that was dotted with wild flowers. She wondered how many years it had been since this building had actually been used as a barn. At the moment it seemed quite out of place in the middle of a forest.
As she paced anxiously waiting for Aaron to appear she saw a spark of light flash in the woods. She stopped walking and stood transfixed as another and yet another little light exploded along the tree line. She stared into the forest as tiny little lights began appearing everywhere. She’d never seen anything like it.
“You look as if you’ve never seen lightening bugs before.” Aaron’s voice startled her and she spun around to face him.
“Lightening bugs?”
“Fireflies,” he clarified.
“Is that what they are?” she asked with all the wonder of a child. He smiled at her excitement.
“You’ve really never seen them?”
She shook her head emphatically. “Never,” she confirmed, turning back to watch the lights. “It’s beautiful.”
“They’re just getting started,” he told her. “There’s a great view of the woods from the loft.” He gestured toward the large window near the barn roof. “If you’d like to come in.” He sounded almost shy in his invitation. Maggie smiled up at him.
“I’d love to,” she said as she slipped her hand into his.
They walked to the small side door hand in hand. Aaron reached for the handle and pushed the door open, gesturing for Maggie to step inside. She crossed the threshold and looked around, taking in the high arched ceiling with exposed wooden beams. She was surprised at how beautiful it was. She’d never been inside a barn before, but this one was not like any she’d seen in movies or on TV.
The concrete floors were swept clean, without a trace of hay or dirt. A large rug covered a good portion of the central floor space along with a small couch, coffee table, and an old-fashioned TV complete with the “bunny ear” antennae on top. Maggie had never actually seen one of those in person. To her right she noticed a ladder leaned against the wall leading up to what she could only assume was the loft area he’d mentioned.
Across the room was a series of wooden partitions dividing the far side of the room into three sections. She imagined those had at one time been horse stalls, however, each section now served as a make-shift room in this large open space.
One area held a very small rounded refrigerator, a deep basin sink, and a very small antique stove that must have been from the 1950’s. In fact, Maggie realized as she looked around the room, all of the furniture appeared to be circa 1950. A single barstool and high wooden table completed what Maggie realized was the kitchen. She noticed that the next partition had been filled with shelves to provide a sort of pantry. The shelves were filled with a variety of canned and dry foods as well as dishes and cookware. Maggie glanced over her shoulder to see Aaron still standing near the doorway watching her cautiously as she explored. She smiled at him before turning back to walk farther into the room.
The final segment revealed a small single bed with a nightstand and plain wooden dresser. The nightstand held a lamp and a pile of books. Curiosity drove Maggie into the small bedroom where she reached for the first book on top of the stack.