The child, the Wild and the Morbidly awkward Introvert

Reunion

People were screaming, shouting and chanting. The room was in chaos; the lights were off and occassionally someone would knock into me and leave me flailing awkwardly. I knew the other two were somewhere close by but was unsure where exactly and had started using my clutch bag occassionally as a weapon. Dissappointment kept threatening to deflate me, repeatedly telling me that I had completely missed my chance to see him. It was ironic actually; the person I had known even before I knew and the person I had spent so long with was suddenly a stranger and I was now no more than just another crazed, batty fan who would be completely ignored. My fate was inescapable but for the first time in my life I was willing to let myself feel the pain and cry if need be. Picking my way through the crowd, I strode awkwardly over to an open top balcony, letting the cold air bite at my skin. I gritted my teeth and ended up sneering at the distant lights beneath me; from where I stood everything looked like a black velvet cloth covered in jewels. I wanted it but I knew it was just a silly illusion, like a lot of things in my life had been so far. I did not care that the watery mess my eyes had become was probably destroying my eyeliner and hair; the silence gave me a chance to breathe.

Sensing almost soundless footsteps approaching me, I felt my hair stand on end and gritted my teeth tighter. The wild wind brough the fragrances of coffee infused with minty-pepermint freshness tinged by something clean and aquatic, infused by a sweet undertone that made me feel like something painfully hard and cold had crushed my heart.

The footsteps moved closer until they were directly next to me; out of the corner of my eye I picked out an undone silk tie flapping in the wind before it was tucked into a pocket.

We stood motionless and in wait; our state of mourning more than was possible.

"It's very cold out here." The painfully familiar silken purr forced me to turn my head though my face was twisted the other way and I was holding my breath.

"You'll freeze."

I forced myself to turn and look into his eyes; his blazing gaze burnt my soul and liquified my heart. "I don't care." My voice was strained, verging on an emotion I had long since banished.

He nodded slowly and I was shocked to see the tears in his eyes. "Then I don't care if I freeze either." He quickly turned to look ahead of him and the moon painted him silver; he looked like a mythical creature.

I closed my eyes and sighed.

"Sorry." Our voices were oddly mingled; wrapped around one another in sombre notes of sadness that filled me with an agonising coldness.

He spoke first. "It wasn't your fault."

"It wasn't yours either." My lips twitched into a broken smile.

He surprised me by agonisingly gently taking my chin in one of his gloved hands and softly, slowly, fluidly forcing me to gaze up into his eyes as he watched me from under his glossy eyelashes.

"Stop doing this to yourself Cora. Can't you see you're a beautiful person and it is breaking me apart to see you like this."

I felt my lip tremble.

"You couldn't have known. It was unluckiness on our behalf."

I almost sobbed.

"This doesn't have to be what finishes you. Look at how much you fought through. Why must you succumb to this?"

I found myself moving towards him, suddenly helpless. "What do you say we do instead?"

"I say we carry on. We live for ourselves and for him. We give his memory the best thing ever."

I managed a broken smile.

He smiled back, equally brokenly as he tentatively, questioningly and very gently bent slightly to secure his lips over mine.

I shuddered and found myself pressed into him; melting against the heat and sure firmness of him and turning slack with relief; I had wanted this without realising it.

He deepened our kiss, shifting to move me closer to him before gently pulling free to trace spine-melting kisses up my neck to my ear that he paused to nibble, making me gasp and tense before he moved on to press his warm lips against my forehead and I closed my eyes and held my breath, savouring the moment.

"I have a question." He asked, gently moving away, lacing his fingers through mine and using them to tug me against him before tenderly taking my face in his hands and gazinv into my eyes with fiery passion sparkling in his eyes with a hint of cheeky shyness.

"What kind of question?"

"It involves you. And me. And possibly more than just a lifetime."

I chuckled softly, making him grin wolfishly.

"And you know....you giving up your name....kind of taking mine and putting up with me-"

I rolled my eyes dramatically.

"Coraline Smith. Would you be kind enough to do someone-something as....wrong as me the honour of dating me?"

I felt my eyes burn as a too-big smile stretched across my face.

"Is that a n-"

"Yes." I managed helplessly.

"Yes what?" He teased.

"Yes Sparrow...Stone. I am more than willing to court something-someone as wild as you and would want more than nothing to spend the rest of my eternity sharing your eternity with you...."

He had slowly slipped a hand onto my wrist.

I watched him smile at it shyly before lacing the fingers of my hand through his and lifting our intertwined hands to kiss my fingers. He then lifted our interlocked hands where they could sparkle in the moonlight and watched in awe.

I was relieved; my past struggles forgotten and the future spread before us both like an unexplored boulevard full of sweetness.

    The end.