Page 81 of Beyond our Forever

“What thing?”

“Not see me anymore,” I reply, hoping for a hit.

“Bruce, I have never felt so alone,” she begins. “Without the children at home I had time for myself, to think, but you’re what I need… your light is missing. Say you came looking for me because you forgive me, because you forget what I did, what I said, what I thought.”

I don’t care about anything else, she has spoken the magic words. The spell has been cast.

“I’ve never left you alone.” I need to say this. “You’re always on my mind, that’s the reason I was shopping with Angelique, for all those gifts.”

“It was you?” she asks, in her hazel eyes a mix between confusion and a bit of happiness, I dare to say. “You’re full of surprises.”

Oh, love, you have no idea. Hope blooms inside me.

“Of course it was me. At first, I was waiting for a miracle, because I didn’t understand, baby. Then I got the message, you needed more than words. I did everything for you, for us. To grant your wishes, your dreams.” She opens her beautiful mouth to say something, but this is important, so I continue. “I was blind and stupid, for a long time lost too. But you’re my home, my lighthouse, your light brought me back.”

Her eyes are full of tears, fuck it. I’ve made her cry, again.

“I was lost too…” Two fat tears run down her cheeks.

“Don’t cry, love, I want you to be happy.”

“Now I am,” she states before kissing me.

She has chosen me, she has heard the plea of my soul that screams at her to choose me. Choose me, not only because you can, but because I am everything you want. I am ready to give you even my life, just choose me.

In my life, I think I have never crossed a room more quickly. Before she can think twice herself, I take her face in my hands and kiss her.

I kiss her with everything I have, with everything I am, leaving no doubt that she is the owner of my life, and nobody else can take her place. With each touch of my tongue on hers, letting her know that I don’t care about anything but savoring it, enjoying it. But the thunder echoes in the silence reminding me that there is no time to waste, we have to get the fuck out of here.

“Haven’t you seen the news?” I ask her as she packs a few things into a carry-on suitcase. “Ilythia, the city is under a tornado alert.”

“I’ve been busy for days,” she excuses herself. “It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re doing something you love. I was also waiting, waiting for you.”

“Love.” My hands slide through the soft strands of her dark hair, I’m ready to continue, until the flash of lightning illuminates the room.

The time is up.

The rest has to wait. It’s time to run.

Suitcase in hand, we reach the foyer, opening the door, horrified when we see the blackened sky and the twirl approaching.

The wind is so strong it almost knocks us down. We won’t be able to reach the car. We should go back.

Despite the panic that runs through my veins, my brain continues to function. I know this house down to its foundations, that’s why I chose it to be our home. The structures can resist, I have faith that they can, they were reinforced, that must be more than enough.

“To the pantry, Ilythia,” I shout. “Now.”

That small room is the safest at the moment. It faces the hill where the house is located, it has no windows and the ceiling is a concrete slab that will not move with the force of the impact. As an additional point, we will be quite far from the glass wall, which constitutes the greatest danger right now.

We have barely closed the door, securing it with a chair, when the lights go out, plunging us into the darkness.

Ilythia’s body hugs mine, seeking safety.

“Easy, here we will be fine,” I say, stroking her back, only covered by the thin gray shirt.

She sighs, until she seems to have remembered something and gets down to work.

“The pantry was the smartest place,” she boasts, proudly. “Here we have everything, even some blankets we were supposed to donate to the shelter.”

---