Let It Be Perpetual

He said we’d talk it out. He said a library would be the perfect place in order to keep our yelling to a minimum. He said everything would turn out fine. He said a lot of things that left me hoping for the world when all I got was a pebble.

Seeing him there, in his trademark black leather jacket with his tousled brown hair sent my heart to aching. I thought I was strong enough to deal with being near him again. Apparently, I was wrong.

“Hey, Ellie.” He said my name with a smile. I tried to keep the squirming butterflies at bay, but still they erupted in my stomach.

“Hey.” My voice sounded so small. I hated that.

Our meeting was nothing like I’d imagined it’d be. Instead of waging a word flinging match, we sat there staring at one another over a bare wooden table, not a word passing between us. Too much had happened and there really wasn’t much to say.

All I had were questions, but I was sure he couldn’t answer them. Why did my family lie to me? They said it was to protect me, but I knew the truth and it was sitting right in front of me. Why I trusted a thing he said to me, I’ll never know. Ian was a master storyteller. Still, I gave him my trust and even then he only told me half of the truth.

Without my consent, tears began to fill my eyes. I stood up quickly, almost knocking down the chair I’d sat in.

“Excuse me,” I whispered, trying to pass him while shielding my bloodshot eyes.

A hand gripped my arm.

“Stay with me.” The statement was simple. I looked into his bright green eyes and noticed that he had tears of his own. As one started to fall, I took my hand and brushed it away. He leaned into my palm, a hand of his own keeping it in place. Suddenly he stood, and took my hand in one of his.

“Let’s go.”

Without waiting for a response, Ian led me by the hand to the double glass doors at the front entrance. Once we were outside, the air was cool and brisk, but there was a fire inside us that burned bright, keeping us warm. We started out walking, but soon we were running, running away from everything that left us vulnerable and broken. We reached the park rapidly, breathing heavily and smiling. I felt his arms wrapped themselves around me, and soon I found his breath falling against my cheeks as his head hovered over mine, his mouth over mine. His eyes searched my own as he closed the distance between our lips. My eyelids fell closed as his lips met mine in a breathtaking harmony. Our lips moved together easily as my hands entangled themselves in his hair. We moved through the empty park, opting for the secluded wooded area. As we stood there together, the fall leaves crunching around us, I broke away.

“We can’t do this. You said…”

He shook his head, cutting my thoughts short. His hands cupped my cheeks as his thumbs drew circles on my skin.

“Don’t run from me.” He rested his forehead against my own, closing his eyes. “You can’t run from me.”

He opened his eyes. Kisses brushed my forehead, my cheeks, my eyelids.

“I don’t want to run anymore.” I whispered.

His mouth was to my ear when he said, “Then don’t.”

Our lips entangled again, as did our bodies. All I could taste was him, all I could feel was him. Slowly, we lay down in the bed of leaves. Not wanting to waste this moment, our kisses slowed, carrying with them all of the feelings we hadn’t been able to share. Breaking the kiss, he held me close to him. I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

“Stay with me. Baby, stay with me.”

I wasn’t aware of how badly I wanted to do exactly that until that moment, looking into his eyes as he spoke those words.

“Give me a reason to stay.”

My head was again on his chest, facing away from his face.

“Do you know what perpetual means?” He didn’t give me a chance to answer. “It means lasting for eternity. What we have here is perpetual. Ellie, I have no idea what this is, us, going to be. I have no idea what’s going to happen tomorrow, next week, or next year. But I do know that I love you. And I can’t see living tomorrow, next week, or next year without you.”
I sprung up quickly, my eyes finding his. He sat up as well, the two of use silenced by his profession.

“Are you implying that you can’t live without me?” I asked, unsure if I heard him correctly.

“That’s exactly what I’m implying.”

Soon our bodies drew closer, our foreheads touching, our fingers intertwining, and our breath intermingling. Distance was something we knew all too well about, so we left none between us.

“Love is a stupid emotion,” I whispered.

“It’s a weapon wielded by cupid.”

“He’s stupid then too.”

“Well, he brought us together, and for that, I think he’s brilliant.”

I smiled.

“I love you too you know.”

He chuckled.

“Now I do.”

There was a pause.

“I love you, Ian.”

“I love you more.”