• A Blackbird's Serenade • (GxG)

"L'amore Dice Ciao"

Omniscient

Memories are sacred as they are precious.

With time, they erode away or warp in shape. And in their fragility is a distinct vulnerability. The assessment of what stays with a person and what fades. The things that require no effort in remembering and those that seem so easy to forget.

She could remember the childlike laugh of her youngest sister, and the green of her middle sister's eyes. She could remember her mother's unforgettable smile, for it wasn't revealed often, though the rest of her features had withered with time. She could remember the good times where her family had felt like a family, though it was often overpowered by the nights of her father shouting and the nights of her mother despaired from his absence.

She'd forgotten the details of her old shoebox of a bedroom, and all the big dreams that lied within it. She'd forgotten her sisters' scent, though she could never forget her mother's. And she'd forgotten just how afraid she used to be, despite her constantly masking it with an exultant smile and infatuating persona.

"I'm nervous Tee..." The whispered admission came with the squeeze of her lover's hand as she watched trees and buildings swoosh by from the passenger seat.

Glancing over in understanding, with her other hand on the wheel, Tiana gave a squeeze back. "What kind of nervous?"

They were almost there, and it seemed as if she was rethinking her decision to come with each passing moment. Remembering all the things she'd spent the last five years trying to forget was overwhelming to say the least.

Her stomach knotted and her chest felt heavy. And honestly, Journee felt a bit scared.

Of what? She wasn't sure... But among the list of things she was doing due to her newfound lack of weight and fear, this one was by far the most formidable.

"Baby..." Tiana called softly once receiving no answer. Bringing their hands to her lips with a glance to her right, she rubbed her thumb along her lover's skin to pull her from her thoughts. "Talk to me. What kind of nervous?"

"I don't know..." her head shook with a glimpse down at her lap. "It's like I'm panickin' on the inside, in my head... And my heart's poundin' and my chest feels tight, but I don't exactly wanna turn back..."

Nodding, the woman responded. "You anxious."

"Yes," Journee exhaled a breath laced with relief. "I don't know why though, I want to go..."

"That don't make it no easier though baby. If anything it makes you twice as nervous because it's somethin' you've decided," she explained with her attention on the road. "This ain't no small step you takin' but it sure as hell is an admirable one. And it's more than okay to be anxious and nervous honey. It's okay to be scared..."

In awe of how her lover always seemed to read her mind without an ounce of effort, Journee glanced at Tiana, her gaze laced with multiple emotions.

On the other hand, Tiana wasn't sure how, but she wanted to support Journee in the best ways she could. In the best ways she knew how. She wanted the woman to know that she was there, and always would be, for whatever she needed. She wanted her to know that she'd have her back, side, front, and everywhere else. That she wasn't going anywhere, and that Journee was nowhere near alone.

And in turn, Journee had felt it just as so.

She felt every bit of Tiana's love and support, and couldn't possibly thank the woman enough for it. It was one thing to speak it, but to Journee, it was entirely another to show it. And so precisely at that. She marveled at how, but Tiana simply never failed to stun her.