Jungfrau

Annabelle is in Switzerland visiting Robin. She is feeling much better after telling him how angry she became by a doctor suggesting she had Borderline Personality Disorder. She has no idea yet what Robin feels about the diagnosis she received and rejected. How will the rest of their time together go?

These are the previous parts in Annabelle’s story:

• Who Is She Waiting For?
• Why Is She Waiting?
• Where Is He?
• What On Earth Was He Thinking?
• Do You Think He Is Coming Back?
• Why Are You Worrying?
• Secrets And Darkness
• Coffee And Croissants
• Just Friends
• Tears
• Frustrated
• His Letter
• Strained Relations
• Blackwood Gossip
• The Older Sister Act
• Complicated
• Tense
• Getting There
• Dinner Conversation
• We Need To Talk
• Hurting Ourselves
• We Hide What We Hate About Ourselves
• Not So Easy
• A Letter For Dean
• Wounds That Don’t Heal
• Time To Let Go
• Tame The Wild
• Burdens
• Needs
• Back To Blackwood
• Alone
• Jealousy
• Trust
• Responsibility
• Caring
• Goodbyes
• I Don’t Know
• Plans
• Support
• No Regrets
• Liquor
• New York
• Truth
• Dare
• Nasty
• Home
• Relief
• Evasive
• Still Fighting
• Abandonment
• The Song That Dean Wrote
• Anniversary
• Happiness
• Lights
• Festive Cheer
• Prayers
• Those Parted
• Thrilled
• Diagnosis
• Research
• Resolution

Robin kissed Annabelle and promised to be back before noon, leaving her to go back to her room and find her swimsuit. Despite being disappointed that she was not with Robin, Annabelle enjoyed every moment of her time in the hotel pool and spa.

She felt a certain relief after finally being able to share with someone the burden she had carried for two months. Floating on her back and staring up at the ceiling she took pleasure in the thought that Robin surely disagreed with what the doctor had said as much as she did. He knew her better than to think she was crazy or some kind of freak. She had just been through a lot of stress. Surely, Robin understood that.

What Annabelle did not realize is that Robin had found that the diagnosis Annabelle had received made a lot of sense. He kept on thinking about the information he had read on websites that explained the characteristics of Borderline Personality Disorder. So much reminded him of Annabelle. It also provoked his thoughts, and within himself Robin felt resolved to think of what would help Annabelle.

Robin kept his promise to be back before twelve o’clock. He had already been up to Annabelle’s hotel room and dropped off a bag of clothes he had brought back from his flat.

Annabelle wrapped her arms around him when she saw him and whispered, “I missed you.”

“Did you enjoy the spa?” Robin asked.

“Oh yes, the pool was empty.” smiled Annabelle.

“Everyone will be out on the slopes. It’s a perfect day for skiing. Blue sky, the snow at the weekend has made it ideal. It will be very crowded when we head up the mountain. But you are going to love the views.”

Sharing a cable car with a group clutching their skis and chattering away in German, Robin held Annabelle while she became more excited by the scenery the higher they climbed. “It’s so beautiful!” she murmured.

“You are!” Robin squeezed her waist closer to him.

Annabelle leaned back against Robin resting her head on his shoulder, “Thank you for loving me.”

He nibbled at the tip of her left ear, “Thank you for loving me, and for forgiving me”. Robin was right about the crowds at the top of the mountain. The restaurant was packed and they were told it would probably be at least a half hour wait before there would be any room to sit down.

While they waited, Robin walked Annabelle around the views from the summit. “Do you speak any German?” asked Annabelle.

“Enough to get me by at work. My French is much better. Skiing in Val d’Isère and summer holidays in the South of France gave me plenty of practice. I didn’t really get to use my German outside of school.”

Annabelle laughed, “You sound so upperclass sometimes you know! My goodness I’m in love with a toff!”

“A penniless toff! The worst kind!” Robin grinned, “But it’s been good for me though. It’s helped me realize what is most important in life, who is most important in life. I hope I don’t ever take anyone I love for granted again.” Robin kissed Annabelle’s smiling lips.

“Is your German good enough to tell me what the name of this mountain means in English?”

“Jung means young. Frau means woman. Jungfrau, young woman, or most would say “virgin” or “maiden”. You can read that in the tourist leaflets.”

Annabelle raised an eyebrow in amusement, “Why would you call a mountain a virgin?”

“She is white with snow, pure and dazzling. And I believe it’s also to do with how hard it is to get up here. She is inaccessible, impossible to conquer or ravish.”

“Like me you mean?” she laughed.

“You are certainly dazzling. But I conquered you, and claim you as mine.”

“I let you conquer me. Anyway, I like being yours. Penniless or not, you make me feel on top of the world!” Annabelle raised her arms and breathed in the cold air.

Robin tugged her into him again, “I am never going to abandon you.”

“Not until some other dazzling jungfrau comes and steals you away from me?” Annabelle teased Robin.

“Never!”

Annabelle pulled away slightly staring out at the view, “Don’t make promises that can easily be broken.”

Robin reached for Annabelle’s hips, “Belle, I am not going to abandon you.”

Annabelle scooped some snow from the top of the rail in front of her and blew it from her hands, “Robin, it’s almost two years we have been living separately. What if you found me a burden again? What if I dragged you down like I did before?”

Robin gazed into Annabelle’s eyes. “You are mine jungfrau, all mine. I am a stronger person than I was before, I understand more about what matters now. I need you in my life Belle, for better or worse. If you fall, I would carry you.”

Annabelle gazed at Robin with a slightly suspicious air, “All I know is that without you life is cold. But with you, I feel warm and snug inside, even up here. I am afraid to lose you Robin. But I don’t want to end up breaking you again. I would rather you be safe from any damage I might cause.”

“I guess I’m going to have to prove that I am not going to let you down. I am not the spoilt rich kid who has never faced hardship before. I am tougher now and I am never going to abandon you.”

“You keep saying that Robin, but you don’t know what the future may bring. Life can get really stressful.”

“I can face anything with you Belle,” Robin frowned at the doubt in Annabelle’s eyes, “Come here, I am going to have to find a way to make you believe in me.” Robin turned his back to Annabelle and patted the side of her legs, “Jump up!”

She responsively leapt onto his back and laughed as Robin walked through the snow muttering to himself, “What are you saying about me?” she cried.

“She doesn’t believe I’m strong enough to carry her if she falls. She thinks I would abandon her and leave her out in the cold.”

Annabelle kissed the back of Robin’s head, “I believe in you…it’s life that scares me.”

“Don’t be scared! Together we can conquer anything Belle!”

“You are crazy!” Annabelle screamed aloud.

“Crazy about you!” he cried out in reply, before dropping Annabelle onto her back gently and throwing himself into the snow besides her.

“Snow angel,” yelled Annabelle sliding her arms and legs.

Robin did the same, and called out, “I am going to keep my promises to you jungfrau!”

________________

You can read the next part of Annabelle’s story here:

Unselfishness

Kim, the creator of Writer Side of Life has given us some great writing prompts. Several of them appealed to me, but I have only chosen one to work on for now, because I am still playing catch up with blogging, after my trip to Australia:

Free Creative Writing Prompts

I chose a prompt under the ROMANCE section: 3. Who is she waiting for?

Photo by Thiago Matos from Pexels