Sitting on the couch with our legs wrapped around each other playing footie. His forehead connected to mine and his fingers barely touched the skin on my arm as he runs them up and down slowly. Our noses brush up against each other making the cold room feel warm and my heart beat faster. The butterflies were awakened in my stomach making me inhale slightly as quietly as possible. Our eyes connect and his gaze snuck peeks at my slightly parted lips. His fingertips ran over the side of my face while his thumb traced my bottom lip. He tilted my chin down and left the first tingling peck on my forehead. His hand was now behind my ear laced in my hair and his lips had left another tingling peck on the tip of my nose. The tip of his nose replaced his lips on mine while his lips curled into the faintest smile.
"I love you" He whispered finally connecting our lips in the most exhilarating and passionate kiss. His breath-taking and soft lips slowly moved trying to savor the feeling in this magical moment. He pulled away and looked in my eye leaving a chaste peck on my lips for good measure.
"I know... it will be hard..." He started but I didn't want sappy dialogue to ruin this movie-like moment.
"I love you and you love me... let's leave it at that." A stray tear left the corner of his eye. I reached up swiped my thumb across his cheek. This was hard for me yes, there is no doubt I will never recover from this but it can not be easy for him either.
Leaving the person he truly loves for someone so heinous and spiteful all to make his family happy. He asked me to wait until the contract ended in 2 years' time...
But I was hiding a secret...
A secret that would make him crumble into ashes and be swept away by the wind. A secret that would make him abandon all his moral obligations to stay by my side.
Was it selfish for me to keep this from him?
Yes! But sometimes in life, you pick your battles and I waved my white flag a long time ago.
"I want to live in this last moment with you so let's stay up for as long as we can before you have to leave tomorrow morning." I gave him my most genuine sad smile to try and persuade him everything is okay. He knew the truth behind it but accepted defeat as well.
"Anything for you" He replied laying back and pulling me to lay on his chest. His heartbeat is my favorite song. His strong arms are the only safety I had... Yeah had... Past tense. I started to tear up hoping I could just disappear now. But I knew that wouldn't happen. It never works that way.
He reached for his phone when the sound of an incoming message alerted him. He read the message and started crying. The emotion I couldn't quite pinpoint seeped from his eyes in salty water droplets.
"She back out... and you need to fight for me. Don't give up. I will pay for all the treatment costs. We will go to the courthouse tomorrow morning and get married but please... never hide anything from me again." I felt like a brick wall had hit me straight in the sternum taking all the air and life out of me, teasing and taunting me with them in front of my gasping body reaching out for them.
"How did you know..." That was the only thing I managed to say. He handed me his phone to see a message from his brother stating that his soon-to-be wife backed out of the contract and the medical records I had sent him in case they were needed.
I covered my mouth and started to cry from relief. I didn't want to leave this world with a broken heart and I only wanted to fight this disease with one person I thought I was going to lose.
"I promise never I mean ever to hide big information from you again" We sat up and he kissed me.
