Page 5 of Beyond our Forever

As I walk downstairs, I think back, my mind filling with memories, the only thing I have left.

And our relationship couldn’t have begun in a more wicked way.

Fifteen Years ago…

My brother was yelling for me—what the hell was up with him?

“You have a visitor,” he informed me as I walked into the living room.

“Really? I’m not expecting anyone.” I frowned as he smirked at me.

But then, like a scene from a slow motion film, reality unfolded before my eyes, frame by frame. My mouth dropped open as I stared, not believing what I was seeing.

He was there.

The guy from the party last night, the same guy I spoke to for over three hours. The one I’d laughed and joked with between beers, as I’d told him about my life, just chit chat, nothing major.

“Bruce,” he’d introduced himself. “Bruce Leighton.”

“Tell me, Bruce, which one of your famous namesakes are you like? The Hulk, Batman, or The Boss?”

My flirtatious banter was rewarded with a beaming smile. How handsome he was when he smiled, he could light up the entire city.

And somehow, he made that smile seem just for me.

“That, gorgeous girl,” he replied, “you’re going to have to find out for yourself.”

I had to admit I loved the way he’d been bold enough to approach me and the fact that when I told him my name was Ilythia, he didn’t reply in the typical way. Some referred to the Spartacus series, others asked how to spell it, but the simple truth was that my parents wanted something special for me, something that made me unique.

And now Bruce had come looking for me, so there I was, standing in the middle of the living room of the small house that I shared with my brother and two other friends. He was wearing a light blue shirt, washed jeans, looking even better than I remembered, and holding a small bouquet of colorful flowers in his hands. Nothing fancy, just a simple bouquet of the kind sold in any supermarket, but I still thought it was a romantic gesture, and strangely touching as no one had ever bought me flowers before. Never.

No one had ever turned up at my house just to see me.

Ever.

Definitely a first for me, suddenly I was grateful that I’d taken a shower a short time ago and brushed my hair so it wasn’t its usual crazy tangle, and had put on a simple dark blue cotton dress that was reasonably presentable.

Nothing spectacular, but presentable.

“How did you find me?”

I’d used every excuse in the book to avoid giving him my phone number, the only information I disclosed was the name of the street where I lived.

“Well, luckily this is not a very long street,” he explained. “So I knew at some point I’d find you.”

Truth was, he’d found me in more than one way, and with those words my destiny would be sealed.

“How long did it take you?” As always, the first thing out of my mouth was sovereign stupidity.

“Just over three hours,” he admitted, looking down at the ground, a slightly shy smile on his face. “May I use your bathroom?”

“I’ll show you the way,” my brother said, as he gave me one of his teasing looks. “Good to see you bring a boy home for a change.”

“This one I did not bring,” I replied. “This one came on his own.”

“Hey, I’m still here,” Bruce protested as Warren ended the conversation by patting him on the shoulder.

It might look like he was joking around, but Warren—three years older than me—was very protective, so I knew that on the short walk to the bathroom, my brother would be giving Bruce more than a warning. Poor man, if he didn’t run after that it would only be by divine grace.

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