North and South

How Bizarre

Erin's fingers shook around her coffee cup as she sat on a bench in the cold outside the facility. It was peaceful here. What if he didn't want to see her? What if he didn't want to go home with her? She'd spoken to him on the phone and he sounded well and he sounded eager to see her. But that was different from actually seeing her.

Erin stood up as she heard footsteps. She felt tears catch in her throat as he smiled at her shyly. She'd missed him so much. Her heart physically ached seeing Graham standing in front of her. He looked brighter somehow. Glowing almost. Was he even real? Erin sighed shakily blinking her tears away.

"Y'alright? You look good." She said softly.

Graham smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. I feel good. You look good too."

Erin swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Graham. I'm really sorry. I know I've said it and wrote it a million times but I shouldn't have walked away I just...I just didn't know how to stay and see you like that. I mean if anything ever happened to you...I can't."

She wiped away her tears and Graham looked at her softly.

"You had to. I didn't really give you much choice. I was really fucked up Erin...I still am...I mean I always will be. I'm not-I'm not easy to be with and I don't expect anything from you. Thanks for being here with me now and the whole time I was in. Your letters really...helped and I kept your poems too. I read them all. Every day."

Erin felt an overwhelming surge of love crest over her like a wave.

"I love you Graham. I don't want to love someone because it's easy. I want to love someone because it feels right. They're all about you. Every one. We should go soon Graham if you're ready. It'll be dark soon."

Graham blushed and Erin hesitated as she reached her hand across the space between them. They hadn't touched physically since that night she'd held him to her to keep him in this world.

"Take my hand."

Graham gently slipped his hand into hers and he closed his eyes at how warm and comforting that simple touch was.

Erin and Graham drove to the lake house in relative, peaceful quietness. Simply enjoying basking in the presence of the other once more.

Graham and Erin stood on the porch. The same porch they'd stood on kissing passionately, tearing clothes off in the heat of the summer when their love had only began to bud. Now as they stood side by side in the dark chill of the winter Erin wondered if their love would survive the harsh cold. The tender green shoots of their tentative love at the mercy of the frost.

"It's almost Christmas. You should spend it with family." He whispered quietly.

Erin glanced at him with a soft smile.

"You are my family Graham."

Graham gazed at her his brown doe like eyes widening. A light pink blush dusting his cheeks.

Maybe there was still a chance to fix this.

Graham and Erin sat on the sofa not touching or close to on another and Erin turned her body to face him.

"I'm just going to tell you now. You don't ever have to talk about it ever again. What happened that night or where you've been for the past 3 months unless you want to."

Graham smiled and nodded eagerly.

"Thanks. There was so many things I wanted to tell you about. But I didn't know how or if I should. It wasn't you. None of it was because of you. It's just...something that's always been inside me. A darkness."