Feels Like Home

I'm Free!!

                                                                              Feels like home, part 1

I throw on my beanie and boots, rushing out the door. It is raining, dark and intimidating, but I am not deterred.

I am running to him. It isn't far and it is faster on foot. I can't wait another second to be near him.

The rain beats down. I am drenched. Blurry eyes from the weather and my tears mixing together make it harder to see, yet I do not slow down.

I must get to him, feel his warmth, see his smile.

I smile, bigger and broader and more joyful than I have in a long time, maybe bigger than I ever have.

I'm running. My legs are screaming, but I can not slow down. Not since I got a text followed by a location.

Jake: I'm free, love.

I didn't take the time to respond. I just left toward him, toward my home, toward my future.

The streets were full of people as I ran past. Cars honking, their lights like shimmering stars. It is beautiful. Everything is beautiful in the midst of a dreary world because he loves me.

I am almost there. My lungs are burning, but my heart won't let me stop.

Suddenly, the woods appear. I know I should be cautious, but I run without abandon into the trees. There is a small path. Slowing down a little, very little if I am honest, I work my way through the woods.

A clearing appears and then I see it. A tiny cabin, simple and pure. Made of logs and stones it wouldn't be acknowledged as anything special to most, but to me it looks like heaven. It is where he is. It is where I belong and I haven't felt that before.

I run again. With a smile I can't control. My heart beating faster, not because of exertion.

At the door there is a little overhang that keeps the rain from falling on me, not as if it matters. I am a mess. My makeup is destroyed. My long sable hair is sticking to me. My clothes are soaked and clinging to my body. It is at this moment I realize I shouldn't have been so impulsive. I will finally get to meet him, but I don't want to do it looking like this. All of my previous confidence is fading. I take a few deep breaths, trying to figure out what to do, while absentmindedly smoothing my hair. Should I go back home, make myself presentable and come back looking much more...acceptable? Our first meeting should not be like this, I decide, and turn around to leave.

Then I hear it, a soft footstep followed by another and another.

I feel it, a soft breath on my ear, an arm around my waist.

I smell it, honey and woodsy and something else more inviting than I can explain.

Turning toward him I see the most intense cobalt eyes staring into mine. We stand there for a moment, not moving, barely breathing, though my heart is beating fast. His arms are warm and his smile matches mine. It is full of the joy of a dream coming true. Breaking eye contact, he puts his chin on my head and draws me closer, wrapping both of his strong arms around me, enveloping me in his affection. He breathes deeply and his heart slows down a bit, calming me. I hear the rain pounding and the wind screaming through the trees. I know the air is cold, but I have never felt warmer in my life. It is the comfort that starts in your soul and warms the world around you.

He pulls back, his arms still wrapped around me tight and he locks onto my eyes again. I am perfectly happy. I could stay here forever, in his presence. I don't need food or water, no bed or shelter, as long as he is here with me. As long as he loves me with the love I can see in his eyes, the world around me could fall apart.

"We should go inside, get you dried off. I have a warm fire and hot coffee." His voice is deeper than I expected and he speaks these words in a low rumble as if he is afraid to break the silence. He lightly touches my cheek with the back of his fingers moving some hair out of my face. I remember my appearance and start to fidget.

Stuttering, I begin to apologize,"I ran out the door so fast to get here, I look..."

"Like the dream that I have waited for an eternity to come true. Like the answer to my prayers. Like the most beautiful thing I have ever, ever laid eyes on," he interrupts.

I blush then look up, meeting his eyes once again and finding nothing but truth in them.

"Shall we go inside? Let me help you get warmed up. Then, we can talk. We have all night, all week, all of our lives to be together, if that's is what you want. I am free, finally free." He takes a deep breath and pulls me in tighter once more as if he is afraid I will vanish. I hear a low chuckle. "Well, not exactly free," he continues, "I am completely and utterly at you mercy, though I am delighted to be there."

I smile, tears forming in my eyes. I am beyond in love with this man and also completely at his mercy. I reach for his hand and intertwine our fingers. He leads me toward the door and toward a life with him, one I thought would never happen and in a way that is better than I ever imagined.

As he opens the door to lead me inside, the light from the cabin permeates the darkness. It fills the air around us with comfort and hope. This little log

cabin that seems nothing on the surface holds so much for my future, and I love it. It feels like home, not because it is warm and cozy on a cold night, which it is, but it is home because he is here. I sigh in contentment and step into the cabin pulling him in behind me, into our future.