Page 87 of The Sky in Summer
Every mile feels like ten. This messes up the mood for Dove and Noble. Damn. Well, maybe it can be reclaimed if they are able to move past the hiccup and reboot. Dove can, I bet. She’s the mellow one. But Noble is another thing. Despite her descriptions. I don’t know.
Why doesn’t one of their keys work? It doesn’t make sense. Did I do something to mess up the door? Maybe. But she said the key, so I don’t know how that could happen.
Thank goodness I’m here. I take a left at the entry to the property. It always looks beautiful driving up to the house. But at this time of day, in late October, it’s especially stunning. Between light and dark, right as the sun is setting, the mountains look purple. The trees take on more golds and deeper greens. It is peaceful, and glorious as far and wide as I can see. Coming over the last rise in the road, the house comes into view.
Where is their car? Where are they? Oh, I see him. Noble sits in a chair at the far end of the porch, legs stretched out, back to me. A cowboy hat is tipped over his face. He must be using EarPods, because he doesn’t turn as it comes closer. Where’s Dove? I park and get out. Searching for the house key, I call to him as I reach the steps.
“Noble! The cavalry has arrived! What happened?” I call in a loud voice, over the background sound of the rushing river.
“Well Miss Peaches, I had to get you here somehow.”
I come to a stop and feel the electric rush spreading through my body. Rowdy. The tall figure rises, loses the hat and turns. The sight of Van and his wide smile flicks a switch and immediately brings tears. My bottom lip quivers with emotion. He sees my reaction, touches his heart and comes to me. His own tears glimmering with the dying light in the sky.
“I couldn’t live without you.” He says it softly, believably.
“You couldn’t?”
“No. And all the words I didn’t say, I hated myself for it.”
“I hated you too,” I chuckle through tears.
“But before I say them, I want you to know no matter how you feel, I’ll never regret I told you.”
I hadn’t noticed the matching gold bracelet in his shirt pocket until he removes it and offers it to me.
“This is the one I wanted to give you. The one with the inscription. I was too much of a coward to do it on your birthday.”
I think my heart is in a state of suspended animation because it has stopped beating.
I hold the bracelet and find the italic lettering.More than friends.Ces’t l’amour.
I look up, into pools of blue.
“It’s love, Layla.”
All I can do is nod and bite my lip as tears well. The lump in my throat blocks any words.
“Isn’t it?” he says, suddenly unsure of my feelings.
“It is,” I say with the wonder I feel. “It’s real love.”
We wrap ourselves in each other’s embrace. The touch of him, the warmth, it all comes back. This is one of the sensations we had lost. They were so many I couldn’t keep focus on just one. The feeling of an absence of joy was all I knew.
Nothing interrupts or alters the magic. It is a permanent thing, I am realizing. He lifts my chin, looking deeply into my eyes. All the things we didn’t say are spoken with a gaze. Then another long, slow kiss.
“Let’s go into whatever you have created.”
“You know about that?”
“I’m the one you did all this for. Everything she told you about her and Noble, was about us.”
It all begins to fall into place. He guides me through the door. As I step on the interior mat, the first notes of “Pure Imagination” fills the space, more magical and meaningful than I hoped for. We are invited to come into a world of pure imagination.There are smiles on our faces and they stay put. He is as enchanted as me. I wipe away the last tear.
“This is fantastic,” he says, moving into the living room.
Hands don’t let go. Now I become Eve and he Adam, this garden our playground.
“I’m still in shock. How long are you here for? How are we…”
