Glimpse Of Heaven

by: Redefining Paranoid.

Harlowe's breathing quickened. She felt nervous. Nick's gaze was intense as he sat beside her.
"Um, How would I be talking to him Nick?"

"Just like you've been talking to him all this time, I've listened to some of your conversations, or at least your side of them," Nick mumbled, looking down.
"Why do you refuse to admit you can see him?" He finally looked up at her, their eyes meeting in the middle.

"What did you want me to do? Tell everyone I can see and talk to my dead boyfriend Nicholas? I'm pretty sure everyone would have believed me," Harlowe told him sarcastically, Nick's eyes portraying hurt, but mostly showing he had so many things to figure out.

"No, but at least you could've told me the truth, Harlowe," Nick whispered looking down, trying to prevent the fresh tears from falling from his eyes.
"I just wanted to see him too. You have no idea how much I wish I could be the one on your position. The one talking to him."

Harlowe looked up, instinctively grabbing Nick's hand and giving it a squeeze.
"He's sitting right beside you right now," she whispered.
Nick's face turned into a smile, a weak one, but a smile nonetheless.

"He is?" Tears raced down his face. He slowly turned to his side, expecting to at least catch a glimpse of him, but no such luck. Shaking his head in disappointment, he looked back at Harlowe.
"I'll never see him again," he shrugged with a weak smile.
"I love you Joe." He added and bit his lip, trying to prevent himself from crying. Nick wasn't sure if he believed Harlowe.
If he knew all of what she spoke was the truth. But he wanted it to be real. He desired to see him. To listen to him and he knew that even if his thoughts didn't resemble reality, that somewhere, sometime, Joe would be on his side again.

"I love you too baby brother," Joe smiled looking at Nick, then back at Harlowe. "Why can't he hear me?"

"I'm not sure," Nick looked up, his eyes twisted in confusion.

"You're not sure of what?"

"Joe questions himself why can't you hear him. He said he loves you too," she smiled at Nick's sudden genuine smile.

The room turned quiet. Harlowe enjoying the presence of two of her favorite people in the world.
Joe the sight of the love of his life and the man that held on to him at his weakest moments.
Nick, enjoying his silent thoughts and constant doubts.

"How did it happen exactly?" Nick's voice interrupted the moment.
Harlowe glanced up to lock eyes with his love, him staring intently back at her, closing his eyes with a deep breath.

Blink. Deep Breath. Reminisce.

Joe kept looking at the rings. He could feel the presence of the new store visitor, but he didn't think anything about it.

"That looks expensive kid," A raspy voice interrupted Joe's ring shopping. He looked up, meeting the gaze of the man.

"Well, yeah I guess," he felt uneasy and moved a bit farther, pretending to look at other rings.

"You must really love the girl huh?" The man kept following Joe's trail, Joe feeling uncomfortable at the sudden invasion of privacy.

"Uhuh," was his simple answer, looking up at the jeweler, trying to express with his eyes what he desperately wanted to scream.
He didn't like this guy and he knew he was up to no good.

"Would you give up everything you're worth for her?" Joseph closed his eyes. He could feel the gun on his head and the gasp the employee let out confirmed it.
"Or maybe even for your brother,Nicholas? And don't you dare to something if you don't want to be part of a massacre," he said to the woman behind the glass counter.

Joe's body tensed even more. This man knew his weaknesses. He knew Joe would give it all away. Live on the streets and starve himself if it meant saving Harlowe.
And if it meant saving his brother.

"Name what you want. You have it," his voice startled himself. It came out weaker than he expected, for he always believed a moment like this would include no doubt.
He would go first for them, without a simple regret.

"Do you want to cry, pretty boy?" The man chuckled. Joe shook his head, looking straight at him.

"What do you want? My car? Have it," he shoved the keys on the man's chest. "Money? I can withdraw it. What the hell do you want so we can finish this. I'll give you whatever you ask."

"Would you even let me have her? The lady you're so crazy about?"
Joe's rage raised. This man was cynical. He had no respect, no values for life. He was taking a liking for the fear he was creating in Joe's heart.

"You can't touch her."

"And you can't do anything about it if you're dead, pretty boy," with one pull at the trigger, a final laugh and a run out the door, Joe let out his last breath.

"What?" Harlowe trembled in the cold hospital room. She had to tell Nick the story as Joe told her. That last part being the most difficult to voice.
"That is so horrible," both Nick and Harlowe were in hysterics. Their heart shattering with every breath they took.
Harlowe lunched herself towards Nick, grasping tight to his body to feel his comforting warmth.

"I'm here," chocking on his own sobs, Nick whispered in her ear.

"Don't let me go," she murmured. She soon found his warmth familiar to Joe's. That making it like a soft healing medicine to her aching soul.

"Then this is goodbye. You really don't need me anymore. Nick is here for you now," Joe's voice parted Nick and Harlowe's embrace. "I love you.
With that, he walked out the hospital door, with Harlowe hot on his trail, only to find that he was no longer there.
He was gone and this time it was forever.

Sweating, breathless and confused Harlowe sat up on the bed of the room she was so familiar with.
Joe's room.
A light snore coming from beside her, signaling her she wasn't alone.
Slowly she looked at the sleeping figure beside her. His breathing even, his slight curls at the end of his hair, the soft smile that graced his flawless face as he slept. Those little facts making a smile light up in Harlowe's face, slowly stretching her hand to trace his cheekbone, seeing that he was actually there, and that he was still hers.
It was all a terrible nightmare. One she thought she would never wake up from.

She felt him stir beneath her touch, slowly opening his eyes and kissing her hand.
"Hey there baby. What are you doing up?" She shrugged leaning her body on top of his, feeling his heartbeat beat against hers, oh so in sync.

"I understand why Nick means so much to you now. I understand you always find a glimpse of your own personal heaven on him. He's the light in your darkest days. Your strongest wall and I think that wherever your heaven lays, I will always find mine too there, because you; Joseph, mean the world to me and you're the closest thing I have to perfection.
'Cause when you look me in the eyes, I catch a Glimpse of Heaven."

Fin❤


by: Redefining Paranoid.

by: A Day After Forever;