Love Walks In

When you conquer the 1,200 miles that separate you and the person you love the most on this planet, it's almost a guarantee that you're going to feel on top of the world and hopelessly enamored.

And that's exactly how I felt as I sat on the porch swing at a rented cabin next to the girl I had fallen in love with. A playlist of our favorite songs crooned softly in the background, and the orange light of the setting, swollen sun illuminated the entirety of the beautiful little haven we had, against all odds, pieced together. But no matter how beautiful the scene was, it would never compare to the absolute beauty of the girl next to me.

The August day had been warm, but the high temperatures were fading with the light, and we were comfortable able to curl up in each other's arms. Each second of that time was ingrained deep in my memory. I wanted to do nothing but cherish it. For months before, we had only been able to walk via Internet and the occasional webcam chat. We had arranged to spend an entire summer together during that time. Our goal was to travel around the United States together; the road trip of our dreams. I had bought a plane ticket to Las Vegas and, and she drove to meet me there. We rented a hotel room right away, and before we knew it, we had spent an entire three days in that room. We didn't leave each other's arms for more than five minutes.

For as much as I loved talking to her online, it simply didn't compare to the pure joy of being able to kiss my girlfriend after months of only being able to talk about it. I lost myself in the feel of her body pressed against mine. In fact, the passage of days hardly seemed to occur to me anymore, unless we say together and watched the sun rise or set together. She had changed my life, but there was a drastic alteration when we could finally hold each other close.

"Hey Elizabeth," she called softly, stroking my hair. I had my head resting on her shoulder and looked up at her.

"Hm?" I murmured.

"When we were driving through that last town on our way here, did you see those signs about the 80s festival they're having?" Iggy asked. I nodded against her shoulder. "Well, they're having a throwback prom thing on Friday, and I think we should go to it."

"What day is it today?" I asked. I sat up slightly and adjusted myself into a more comfortable position.

"It's Wednesday, which means we'll have to go shopping tomorrow to get the stuff we need."

"I think that would be-" I was cut off by the finger she pressed over my lips.

"Wait, wait, wait. I want to do it right," Iggy said. She gently pushed me into a sitting position and turned to face me. "Elizabeth, will you go to prom with me?"

A smile crossed my face, one that was matched hers. "Of course I will," I grinned as I wrapped my arms around her neck and pulled her into a hug. Almost out of nowhere, the hug turned into a slow, gentle kiss. She was the first to pull away.

"I love you, doll," she said breathlessly, still smiling.

"I love you, too."

__________

I sat, pouting in front of the mirror as my hair was tugged and shaped. Iggy had decided that we were going to treat the prom almost like a wedding, where we didn't see each other until we arrived at the gym that the dance was taking place in. I thought it was a cute idea and readily went along with it.

As fate would have it, one of my friends, Abi, was vacationing in a nearby Californian town with her family and invited me over so she could do my hair for me. I parted with Iggy earlier that morning, neither of us asking where the other was going, and weren't going to reconvene until the clock struck eight that night.

"You look nervous," Abi pointed out, her voice slightly muffled by the comb she had between her teeth.

"I dunno. Summer's almost over, and I really don't want to have to go back home. I don't want things to go back the way they were," I sighed. It was kind of selfish of me to say that, since my family was waiting to see me, but it was true. I loved Iggy, and now that we had spent time together, I couldn't imagine things any other way. Things were perfect with her.

"You've gotta come home. I'm going back in a few days. You don't wanna leave me there by myself, do you?" Abi laughed, then immediately sobered up. "I can't say that I relate to what you're going through, but you know you have to go home. You've still got two more years of high school left. And your parents probably miss you."

I sighed again. "Yeah, that's true. You're right. I hardly seen my mom this summer, and I won't be flying down there again until Christmas." I felt a small pang of guilt at the thought.

"You really love her, don't you?"

"Yeah, I really do."

"Well, if you're really excited for it, those last two years could fly by. You never know," Abi suggested. "Now, hold really still. I'm almost done."

I sat, passively, and watched as Abi used her comb to make the final touches. I bit my lip to keep from giggling at how cliche it was that I was complaining to her, my temporary hair dresser. Finally, she stood back, doused me in another round of hair spray, and admired her work.

"Looks decent," she commented with a shrug. She had teased my hair to resemble a more refined version of the struck-by-lightning look many of the rock stars of the time had donned.

"Decent? It looks incredible! It would have taken me years to do this," I laughed, poking at the mess that had become my hair. "Thank you so much for doing this for me."

"Oh, it's no problem. Now sit down and do your makeup. You have to leave in an hour."

While I applied my fair share of makeup, Abi and I chatted aimlessly about anything and everything. It was the first time we had talked in months, and I felt like I had been startled out of a daydream.

I finished a good half an hour later, then pulled on the dress I had bought the previous day. It was knee-length, dark blue, and sleeveless with a corset-like top. However, the entire thing was covered in a black tulle that made a halter neckline and was doused in green glitter. It was gaudy, and I loved it. In contrast to the relatively girly dress, I had chosen ripped up black tights and a pair of combat boots.

"Are you ready to go?" Abi asked while she munched on some watermelon.

I nodded, "Yeah, I think so."

The car ride to the gym was a quiet one filled with failed attempts at conversation and nervous giggles. I was a ball of anxious excitement, and rather than talk Abi's ear off, I kept to my own thoughts. It didn't seem to take very long before we were pulling into the parking lot of the gym that the dance was taking place in. Abi gave me an awkward half-hug before I exited the car.

"You don't need a ride home?" she asked as I was about to close the door.

"Nah. Iggy has her car," I answered.

Abi nodded and said, "Well, I'll see you when you come back home, then.

"Yup," I grinned. I closed the door and waved to her as she pulled out of the parking lot. And, with that, I walked through the doors.

I was taken aback by all the decorations that had been set up. There were tons of colored lights and silver decorations hung from the ceiling. Candles were lit on each table. People were dancing in the middle of the floor to whatever song happened to be playing while a band set up on stage. I sat down at the nearest table and played with the lace that was draped over it.

"We're going to slow things down a bit." The DJ's voice caused me to look up just to see Iggy walking into the room, donning a black, silk dress that ended just at her knees. She was wearing fishnet tights, combat boots, and a smile that was as genuine as it was beautiful. Almost simultaneously, the beginning of Love Walks In by Van Halen began to play, and the silvery lights swung over on our direction.

"You have really good timing," I laughed as she pulled me into her arms. She tilted my head up and placed a kiss on my lips.

"I'm sorry that I got here late. There was an accident, so they closed the highway down to one lane," she apologized sheepishly as I pulled her into the small crowd of people.

"Don't worry about it. I only got here a few minute ago," I said. "Now hush and dance with me. I love this song."

My arms circled her neck loosely, and hers found their way around my waist. We didn't break that form until the next song, The Ballad of Jayne, finished.

The entire night was amazing. It was great to hear some of my favorite songs played at a dance, and I even enjoyed the band that played. It was a memorable night, made even more so by the beautiful girl I had the privilege of dancing with. I loved holding her in my arms as the lights and music surrounded us.

It wasn't until we returned to our makeshift home that night that things changed.

"I have some... news," Iggy said carefully as she carried me down the hallway to our bedroom.

"Oh yeah? What?" I murmured. I nuzzled my head into her neck, kissing the underside of her jaw.

"I got a call from your parents earlier."

My head snapped up in alarm. "Really? What did they need?"

Iggy hesitated for a second and nearly stopped walking. "You're supposed to be flying back home tomorrow. They have your tickets bought for you and everything," she explained, sounding just as sad as I was beginning to feel.

"Are you serious? We don't even get one more day?" I said, my voice in a near-whisper.

"We have until noon," she offered. I knew she was trying to cheer me up, even though she was probably feeling exactly the same as me.

"We could have until the end of forever, and it still wouldn't be long enough," I sighed, looking into her eyes.

"Since this is our last night together in who-knows-how long, what do you say about making it a memorable one?" Iggy asked. I answered her by pressing a kiss against her half-smiling lips.

__________

I didn't know what time it was, but the room wasn't as dark as it had been before, which made me wonder if the dawn was beginning to break. I really could use a few hours of sleep, but I didn't want to waste any of my last hours with Iggy. Instead, I watched her peacefully sleeping face and tried to memorize everything about her before I had to board the plane later that day.

After what was likely hours of me staring and holding her, Iggy opened her eyes. She looked at me with an unfocused gaze and smiled.

"Good morning, beautiful. You're up early." She was still drunk with sleep as she rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"I have no idea," I laughed. I rolled over and checked the digital clock next to the bed. The glaring red numbers told me that it was 8:13. I responded with, "Almost time to go."

"Really?" she pouted. I couldn't help but think of how cute she sounded.

"I have to get to the airport two hours early, and I've still got to pack," I sighed as I rested my head on her chest.

"We should probably get started on that, then," Iggy said. I vocalized my distaste with a groan, which made her laugh. She kissed the top of my head. "What do you say about a shower first?"

"Will you be accompanying me?" I grinned. She laughed again.

"Well, of course. What do you say?"

I sat up and pulled her with me. "I say, let's get going."

__________

The airplane ride was a long, heartbreaking one. It tore my heart out of my chest to have to kiss her goodbye at the airport. My throat was clenched with emotion the entire way.

Getting home was just as hard. It was nice to see my family again, of course, but I still missed Iggy. Everyone was still busy with their summer affairs, and I retreated to my room to wait for the dreaded first day of school. It was a shock, to say the least. I was so used to spending every day in Iggy's presence, and then all of a sudden I was by myself. I was going to miss being able to talk to her in person rather than having to revert back to instant messenger conversations.

The first thing I did when I got home was send Iggy an email telling her how much I already missed her and asking her to send me my Tool hoodie, which I had accidentally left with her, as soon as she got back to her house.

I got my response almost immediately: "I'll send it out right away." The next few days I waited for Iggy to return home by playing guitar and making plans to see Abi when she got back from her vacation. It was three days before a knock sounded on my door and my stepsister walked in.

"There's someone waiting outside for you," she informed me. I set down my guitar and stood up.

"Outside?"

"Yeah. They're in the driveway," she said.

"'Kay. Thanks, Em," I said as we both stepped out of the room. She gave me a faint 'mhm' and disappeared out the back door. I slipped quickly through the kitchen and out the side door to the driveway.

There, sitting on the trunk of her car, was Iggy, complete with a huge smile on her face and my hoodie on the tip of her finger.

I could hardly contain my excitement and let out a squeal of joy as I ran over to her. She lifted me up, kissed me, and spun me around in her arms.

"Oh my god, I've missed you so much," I exclaimed breathlessly as she set me down.

"I missed you, too, and it hasn't even been a week yet," she smiled, and kissed me again. We spent a few seconds just holding each other before we spoke again.

"Why'd you come? Not that I mind, of course. It just seems out of your way to come here before going back home," I said, taking her hand in mine.

"Special delivery." Iggy grinned and pointed to the hoodie that had been dropped on her car. I couldn't help but giggle at that.

"Come on inside. I wanna show you my room. Then we can do whatever until you have to go again," I said excitedly, pulling her into the house.

"I love you, you know that?" she asked with a smile.

"Of course I know that. I love you, too." I turned around and pecked her on the cheek. She smiled brightly.

"Good."