The Runaway
1/1
Warmth had surrounded her, made her lighter than she ever believed she could feel. This man, this beautiful soul, that had literally skated into her life, saved her so quickly. She wanted to resist him, wanted to resist those bright blue eyes and that pearly smile that was so full of life, but how could she? He was home for her now, no matter how much her parents had resisted his tattooed arms or his pierced lip; no matter how much she had resisted his so freely given love. He didn't love often, he'd told her, but that was a lie. He loved so fully, so incredibly, that she didn't know if he even knew what hatred might be. She didn't think he did.
The closet he had ever come he imagined was the night he proposed. He was down on one knee in a beautiful starlit park, sweet peonies surrounding them on either side, and everything he'd told her was filled with such sincerity that she wanted to say yes, to stay with him forever. He could so easily be her everything, could be the one she'd spend forever with. He had made her trust, had made her believe in a love so blindingly true that even she could not deny its existence. But she had been scared. She had spun around in her turquoise gown, feet slamming against the pavement before she could even say "I'm running again" and that was exactly what she was doing. Hatred for her would never have entered his mind, but she suspected hatred for the man who had broken her so, hatred for the hesitancy she approached everything with, was nearly boiling over. Nothing could have been more beautiful and she'd run as fast as her feet would take her. Her pretty little glass slipper never slid off her foot, and she'd never given him a way to find her again, once she had boarded a plan the next day.
It was better for him that way, she decided. If she left now, she could prevent herself from hurting him more in the long run. No matter how much she fought it, she knew it would end in her breaking his heart. She would shatter the beautiful man's heart, ruin his passion just as the man before him had done to her. She could not, would not, be that person. If she were the reason the light in his eyes was extinguished she wouldn't be able to live with herself. That was why San Francisco had seemed like such a good idea, all the way around the country. She'd started over there, had just been building her own life, when her sister called. She thought that her younger sibling should know her almost-fiance was lying in the hospital, inches from death. He'd blew through a stop sign- something he never did, she knew- and had slammed straight into a tree trying to avoid hitting the approaching minivan. If he had, they said he probably would have killed the baby in the backseat.
As soon as her feet touched down in Biddeford she was sprinting, right back the way she had come to escape months ago. He was half-conscious when she reached him in the hospital bed, looking bruised and bloody, but with a spectacular lack of machines that she had been preparing herself for. He was in the ICU after all. When he saw her, he smiled, so bright and wide, despite the circumstances.
“I love you, always,” he said, voice weak and tired, but strong.
“I love you too. I’m so, so sorry. You’ve always been home to me. You’ve been amazing and I let my fear drive me away.” She needed his forgiveness desperately, knew this was the first time she had truly loved anyone. She’d felt infatuation before but now that she knew what real love was, she could recognize what her past was not.
“I… Stay with me, just for tonight. Hold me one more time?” he pleaded and she realized it then, why there were no machines, where they were no nurses scuttling about. “There’s nothing left to do.” When she went to lie beside him she realized his arms didn’t move to wrap around her as she expected, and he didn’t react to her trying to wind their fingers together.
Fighting back tears, she wrapped her body around his and pressed their lips together, sweet and innocent, just like it had been in the beginning. Her hands rested quietly, one on his neck, the other on his cheek, as she pressed gentle kisses to his face.
“You saved me, you know. I’ll never forget our love.”
The closet he had ever come he imagined was the night he proposed. He was down on one knee in a beautiful starlit park, sweet peonies surrounding them on either side, and everything he'd told her was filled with such sincerity that she wanted to say yes, to stay with him forever. He could so easily be her everything, could be the one she'd spend forever with. He had made her trust, had made her believe in a love so blindingly true that even she could not deny its existence. But she had been scared. She had spun around in her turquoise gown, feet slamming against the pavement before she could even say "I'm running again" and that was exactly what she was doing. Hatred for her would never have entered his mind, but she suspected hatred for the man who had broken her so, hatred for the hesitancy she approached everything with, was nearly boiling over. Nothing could have been more beautiful and she'd run as fast as her feet would take her. Her pretty little glass slipper never slid off her foot, and she'd never given him a way to find her again, once she had boarded a plan the next day.
It was better for him that way, she decided. If she left now, she could prevent herself from hurting him more in the long run. No matter how much she fought it, she knew it would end in her breaking his heart. She would shatter the beautiful man's heart, ruin his passion just as the man before him had done to her. She could not, would not, be that person. If she were the reason the light in his eyes was extinguished she wouldn't be able to live with herself. That was why San Francisco had seemed like such a good idea, all the way around the country. She'd started over there, had just been building her own life, when her sister called. She thought that her younger sibling should know her almost-fiance was lying in the hospital, inches from death. He'd blew through a stop sign- something he never did, she knew- and had slammed straight into a tree trying to avoid hitting the approaching minivan. If he had, they said he probably would have killed the baby in the backseat.
As soon as her feet touched down in Biddeford she was sprinting, right back the way she had come to escape months ago. He was half-conscious when she reached him in the hospital bed, looking bruised and bloody, but with a spectacular lack of machines that she had been preparing herself for. He was in the ICU after all. When he saw her, he smiled, so bright and wide, despite the circumstances.
“I love you, always,” he said, voice weak and tired, but strong.
“I love you too. I’m so, so sorry. You’ve always been home to me. You’ve been amazing and I let my fear drive me away.” She needed his forgiveness desperately, knew this was the first time she had truly loved anyone. She’d felt infatuation before but now that she knew what real love was, she could recognize what her past was not.
“I… Stay with me, just for tonight. Hold me one more time?” he pleaded and she realized it then, why there were no machines, where they were no nurses scuttling about. “There’s nothing left to do.” When she went to lie beside him she realized his arms didn’t move to wrap around her as she expected, and he didn’t react to her trying to wind their fingers together.
Fighting back tears, she wrapped her body around his and pressed their lips together, sweet and innocent, just like it had been in the beginning. Her hands rested quietly, one on his neck, the other on his cheek, as she pressed gentle kisses to his face.
“You saved me, you know. I’ll never forget our love.”