Away From Everything We Fear

Lacey:

We found ourselves sitting at the little table in her kitchen where we had first talked to each other.

I looked up at him tentatively. “I know this probably isn’t what you expected when I asked you to come over.”

John’s head was turned toward the window watching the Arizona sun set slowly. It had almost completely set creating a striking array of oranges, reds, yellows and pinks. Another day was dying. He turned to me and let his eyes bore into mine. “I wasn’t expecting anything.” He grabbed my hand. “I like being able to just talk to you.”

On the table was a small plate of the cookies that we had made earlier that week. John smiled before taking one and taking a bite of it.

“What is it like?” I asked. He raised an eyebrow so I clarified. “What is it like to have parents like yours?”

He smiled. “I wouldn’t trade them for the world. Yeah, they have their flaws, but I honestly just love everything about them.”

I nodded. “Must be nice.” I mumbled.

“I bet your parents aren’t too bad.” John said.

I looked at him sadly. He really didn’t get it at all. He didn’t know what it felt like. I sighed not really wanting to get into it. “Do you want to go swimming?” I asked suddenly.

A confused expression took over his face. He shook his head with a small laugh, “You are so strange.”

I stood up and grabbed his hand, grinning. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

I had told John to wait by the pool while I changed into my bikini. Before going to where John was at the pool I flipped the pool’s light switch on. I grabbed us a couple of towels and made my way outside to see John laying down on one of our pool side chairs. His eyes lifted to me when I came closer.

His eyes opened in surprise. “You have a tattoo?”

I looked down at my hip bone where my tattoo was located. “I have two actually.”

He got up and made his way over to me. He rubbed his rough fingertips over my skin making a shiver run through my body. “I open at the close.” He read the tattoo. “What’s that?” He said pointing to the small detail under those words.

“It’s a harry potter reference.” I explained. “That’s a golden snitch underneath it.” His fingers traced the wings of the snitch while I continued talking. “When I was younger, and don’t think I was some depressed emo chick, because I’m not and I wasn’t, but when I was younger I thought a lot about death. And not just suicide, but like a lot about how people move on from death so quickly, last words, what it felt like, what happened afterwards. Then one day I read the final Harry Potter book and realized that all my questions wouldn’t fully be answered until I was moments from dying. I open at the close.” I repeated.

“What’s your other tattoo?” John asked.

I lifted up my hair to reveal behind my left ear. It was a tattoo that I had wanted for a long time, but like my golden snitch tattoo it had to be hidden. “It’s a tiny anchor.” I told him. This anchor was only 1 in. wide and 2 inches long, but it had a lot of detail.

“What’s this one supposed to mean?”

“Well, it has a double meaning. The first one is about my parents. You know how anchors are heavy and burdening. They drag you down, keep you planted… well, that’s them obviously. The second one isn’t about anyone in particular just my, I don’t know, hope for the future I guess? Anchors keep you safe in a harbor, they keep you grounded and remind you where you came from. It’s like I try to surround myself with people who will be those anchors. Those people that will be my rock.”

John smiled. “That’s really beautiful.”

I laughed. “No one really knows about the tattoo. I try to keep it hidden. Anyone that has seen it doesn’t know the story behind it.”

John leaned down and kissed the anchor lightly. “I can be your anchor.” He whispered into my skin.

He straightened up. I let my small fingers trace the words on his chest. We all have been degraded. We all will be the greatest it said. “I like this.” I told him.

John nodded. “Yeah, a friend told this to me awhile ago and I really liked it. So, we put it in one of The Maine’s songs.”

“And this?” I asked pointing to the equal sign on his upper arm.

“Equality for all is all I want.” He said simply.

I turned his body to read “Some People Have Real Problems” I grinned up at him. “You would.” I told him. I looked at his shoulder to see “Unos Amor”

“One love.” He said quietly when he saw me looking at it.

I tugged down his boxers slightly to see a “V” on his hip bone. I looked at him questioningly.

“I’m the fifth John Cornelius O’Callaghan.”

I laughed. “So you put the roman numeral for five on your hip… classy.”

“That’s it.” John picked me up in his arms and despite my struggle he brought me to the edge of the pool.

“Don’t even think about it, John.” He grinned and bent his knees about to jump.

I closed my eyes feeling John push up off the ground. Within seconds we were under the cold water.



John:

I felt her body tense up in my arms. With a laugh I jumped into the pool. As soon as we broke surface of the water she splashed me.

“You jerk!” She said in her high pitched voice.

I tried to make my way over to her but she kept splashing me and scooting further away. Finally, I just dove under water making my way toward her quickly. She started swimming away but I grabbed her ankle and stopped her. She kept trying to get away, but I let my other hand grab her calf. Then my hand went to her side and my other went to her shoulder. I brought her up to so that we could both catch out breath.

She bobbed on her the tip of her toes to keep her head fully above the water.

“You’re so short.” I teased.

She shoved me. “That’s only because you’re a giant.”

I grabbed her hands and brought them around my neck where she laced her fingers securely around it. Her body bumped against my lightly. I lifted up so that her entire upper body was out of the water like mine and so that our wet bodies were pressed tightly against each other’s.

She smirked before leaning in to kiss me. I walked forward until we were at the edge of the pool where I pushed her back against the pool’s wall. She let go of my neck and eyed me silently. She placed her palms flat against my chest and looked up into my eyes.

All joking was pushed aside.

I bent my knees so that my face was level with hers and inches from her lips. I placed my hands on either side of her head. Keeping her right where she was, right where I wanted her. I leaned forward letting our noses bump.

She opened her mouth to say something. She looked terrified. I took a step back.

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “It’s nothing. I just—” She bit her lip.

“What is it?”

She leaned forward and kissed me, almost desperately.

She pulled away. “I love you.”

I grabbed both her hands and pulled them together so that they were resting in mine.

“I love you too.”

“What’s going on?”

We broke apart to see an older woman looking down at us incredulously.

“Oh, hey mom… we were just swimming.” Lacey said nervously.

She glared down at us.

I didn’t think this is how I would meet her mom.