Page 44 of Redemption
“They were everywhere... before. A ticket could take you anywhere. To see anything. An escape, even for just a little while.”
She squints her eyes at the waning light, almost like she’s imagining them still flying over us, oblivious to the fact that, instead of staring at the sunset as she is, I’m basking in her, imagining that it’s me taking her wherever she wanted to go. It didn’t matter where; I’d always follow her.
I turn on my side, lifting my hand to her hip, and then trailing my fingertips higher along her stomach, taking pleasure in the fact that not only does she allow my touch, but that she’s mine. Ours.
What would life have looked like if the virus never happened? If she didn’t make the trek all the way down the east coast on the slight chance there would be something at the end of the road waiting for her? My life certainly wasn’tall sunshine and daisies beforehand. I had a job. A career. A house. Friends. Family. Even had a few lovers. But fulfillment was never on the table. I was content but never truly satisfied. Never truly happy... until Aly.
I can’t imagine my life without her. The warmth and excitement she brings to our group every single day with just her smile—you can’t find that just anywhere. It’s rare. An extraordinary circumstance to find—who I consider to be—my soulmate at the end of the world. One who also loves my best friends. The odds are astronomical.
“Where would you go? If we were still able to, that is.”
She sighs, bringing her arms up over her head and arching her back into the stretch, accentuating her curves beautifully while drawing my eyes to her hips, her chest, and her fingers as they dig themselves into the sand above her. Her head tilts whimsically as she thinks for a moment on the many possibilities, while all I want to do is pull her into my arms and try to make all her dreams come true.
“It wouldn’t matter...,” she replies with a dismissive shrug.
My eyebrows furrow. “There’s no place in the world you’ve always wanted to see?”
She shakes her head opposingly, but a tiny grin lifts the side of her mouth.
Curiosity takes hold, and I poke a finger at her shoulder. “Come on. Humor me. It’s just a game, after all. Where’s the one place on Earth you’d love to visit if you could?”
Her shoulders lift again, only now her smile’s grown, illuminating her entire face as she turns her gaze to mine. “It wouldn’t matter... because I’d be with you.”
Unable to hold myself back any longer, I reach for her, my palm to her jaw, turning her towards me. Our lips meet, electricity sparking between us with the overflowing passion I have for this woman. My hand follows the curves of her body, the physical map of my obsession. The woman of my dreams and my waking hours. My end and my beginning. My everything. “You’re so fucking perfect, sweetheart.”
My fingers sink into her hair, pulling her closer and allowing me to show just how much love I have for her. She melts into the kiss while pulling at my shoulders, demanding even more. My tongue traces the seam of her lips, begging for entry, needing to taste her, to feel her everywhere. Her mouth opens on a gasp of ecstasy, and I press my tongue to hers, feeling her entire body tremble as we explore the expanse of one another, lost to our love and devotion.
The sand shifts, and a moment later a solid body conforms to my back, a heavy arm draping over both of us as lips connect with my shoulder. The soft pressure traces up to my neck, leaving goosebumps behind, before hovering with bated anticipation and soft, confident declarations. “We will always be with you.” Angling his body over mine, his mouth collides with ours, mingling so seamlessly with our kiss I can’t tell where one person ends and another begins. The slight scrape of his stubble scratches at my jaw and cheek, creating the perfect friction just before he bites my lip, drawing back enough for me to see his face.
Cole.
“Always,” he repeats, a promise in the words that shakes my soul with the realization that it’s all I’ve ever wanted.
A new shadow stalks just beside us, bending down and coming closer before settling on the other side of Aly. Ourkiss pauses as a large hand reaches over her, squeezing my shoulder as he nods and vehemently agrees, “Forever.” He leans down and looks deeply into Aly’s eyes before capturing her lips just as passionately as I had a moment ago. Together we form a single unit. One family. One life. One future.
“I love you,” Aly says to the three of us surrounding her.
“And I will always love you.”
Pain shoots up and down my back, a blazing trail of agony carving its path along my nerve endings, jarring me back to reality.
Ooooh. Fuuuuuuccccck.
I can confidently say I haven’t felt this awful in fucking...ever.Everything hurts. My head. My neck. My back. Even my eyes hurt like a sonofabitch. It’s like I’m waking up with the world’s worst hangover after also having the shit kicked out of me.
And then getting run over by a bus.
Filled with elephants.
Big, bulky, woolly mammoth ones.
I go to swallow, but it’s like glass shards scraping their way down my throat, and my head is pounding so hard it could probably give an HBCU college drumline a run for its money.
Can I get a redo? Hit the home button and restart the level? No one should ever have to wake up like this. Fucking horrible. Do not recommend. Zero stars.
It’s difficult, but I force myself to open my eyelids and try to figure out what the hell happened. While I can proudly say that one of my eyes is at least functioning properly, the other is on vacation, choosing not to work when I really need him inthe office today. Everything is black on that side, and my eyelid simply won’t budge at all. Crusted closed or swollen, I have no idea. It’s just fucked. Absolutely FUBARed.
That’s just lovely.
