Promise Me Forever

Chapter Two

My heart is aching with every second I breathe, but I have to be strong when I am around our baby girls. Jenny and Jill have seemed to believe in what their uncle Tony said about their daddy needing to sleep in hospital to get extra strong. They kept asking if their daddy is going to be a superhero when he wakes up. I sit next to Nick and hold his hand just so I can feel him. He's breathing, his chest moves up and down, his body is warm, he's alive but it hurts as if he were dead. I start reading the chapter to try and distract myself from seeing him like this.

We met when I was twenty-two years old, and you were twenty-four. So young and so unaware of what lied ahead. We started dating almost immediately because it was truly love at first sight. At first glance, we instinctively knew that there was nobody else for us but each other. We met at a festival where our friends ditched us to go dancing. Both of us are more of the 'dance alone in your room' type of people so we met at the taco stands having drinks. I was enjoying the music from afar and you joined in. We both wore light blue and found that hilarious. (Nick): "Hey. Look at that. We are matching! Or is it twinning that people call it nowadays?" (Michelle): "I admit that it is quite the coincidence. Although, I honest don't believe in those" (Nick): "What a coincidence? Neither do I! Everything happens for a reason or has a purpose. Otherwise, there is no point to living" (Michelle): "Precisely!" We smiled at each other because we could feel the connection between us even then. We saw a plane in the sky and talked about how much we wanted to travel. (Michelle): "No way! Chicago deep-dish pizza? You really want to try that?" (Nick): "Well it beats going all the way to Mexico for the tequila and tacos" (Michelle): "They would taste like heaven there since that is where they are from!" (Nick): "If that is the case then why are you against deep-dish pizza if they are known to be the best from Chicago?" (Michelle): "I have nothing against Chicago, but I like my pizza to be thin crusted with loads of cheese" (Nick): "Not even the stuffed crusted pizza?" (Michelle): "Thin crusted with loads of cheese! Loaded with feta!" (Nick): "You monster!" (Michelle): "How so?" (Nick): "No other toppings except cheese? Pepperoni? Jalapeno? Olives?" (Michelle): "Hell no. Put olives on my pizza, and it goes on your face!" We laughed together for hours. We completely forgot that we had originally gotten there with friends. Although, our friends were the ones who forgot that we had been there in the first place! It was not an official date, but you might as well have said that it was. That was what it felt like. The music changed to Rock and people were crowding by the stage even more than earlier. After a few shots, we had been talking about all kinds of things. (Michelle): "You have to trust me on this one, okay? QUEEN is the best and that is not held up for negotiation!" (Nick): "What about KISS? They are really great! You cannot tell me that they are not" (Michelle): "They are good, but have you heard Bohemian Rhapsody?" (Nick): "Have you heard Rock and Roll All Nite?" (Michelle): "We Will Rock You!" (Nick): "Beth!" (Michelle): "Don't Stop Me Now!" (Nick): "I Was Made for Lovin' You!" We were now standing inches away from each other's faces. Hot and flustered, heavy breathing, the tension so thick that not even a chainsaw could cut through it. I wanted to kiss him. He wanted to kiss me. In this moment, we no longer cared who won the debate. All we could feel was the rising heat between us. (Nick) "By the way, what is your name?" (Michelle): "What was that now?" (Nick): "A gentleman should at least know the name of the beautiful woman he is about to kiss" (Michelle): "A gentleman?" We remain frozen in one place. Eyes focused on each other's lips and our breathing only increasing in intensity. (Michelle): "Michelle. My name is Michelle, and yours?" (Nick): "Stunning name for a stunning woman. I'm Nick" Before we could even say 'nice to meet you', our mouths had already eliminated the gap between us. I was never one for public displays of affection, but I didn't care if anyone was watching us. I wrapped my hands around his neck, and he around my waist as if the tiny bit of air between us was too much. A song or two or seven were played as we kissed but that moment was all ours. Time didn't even exist in it. It was just Nick and I, no one else. Finally, once we stopped to catch our breath, we remembered where we were. Luckily, everyone was so drunk that they could not care less about what we were doing. We could not stop smiling like mischievous high school kids. He took my hand, and we went for a walk. (Nick): "So, tell me, what is your favourite festival food, Michelle?" (Michelle): "Waffle cups with ice cream and chocolate sauce. Why?" (Nick): "We are going there for our next stop. Since we cannot travel the world right now, why not start with taking trips around the festival?" That was one of the first times that I ever saw the sweet and kind side to Nick. He could be hot and heavy or kind and gentle or strict and firm, but so could I. We were only beginning our love story, but it was off to a fantastic start. Once we ordered our waffle cups, we found a place to sit down (which is uncommon when you are at a festival with thousands of people). Nick looked over at me and his eyes sparkled with all the lights around us. (Nick): "So, we have Chicago and Mexico on the list. Name another place you would like to see in the near future" (Michelle): "How about London?" (Nick): "No way! I would love to go there one day!" (Michelle): "Not to meet some hot woman with a gorgeous British accent, I hope" (Nick): "There is more to a woman than her beauty. I want a woman with goals, passions, ambition, someone who loves to engage in witty conversation... like you" (Michelle): "Your charm really knows no bounds, Nick Johnson" (Nick): "Likewise, Michelle Sawyer" I might have forgotten to mention that we had exchanged full names mid-conversation. Who would have thought that not too long after, I would be Michelle Johnson? (Nick): "Tell you what, here is my number. If you are ever in the mood for some adventure in the future, just give me a call" I could have given mine too, but his friends called him over, and that was the time for all of us to leave the festival. It was strange to think but it felt like we had already known each other for years. I wondered what we would be up to the next time we made plans.

That was the first chapter, and it felt like I was reliving the memories. Then I looked at Nick and put my hand on his again as reality smacked me so hard that I would have no teeth left if it were literal. (Michelle): "I love you, Nick. You are incredibly strong. That is how I know you will wake up. Our family needs you. I need you. Always" I leave a kiss on his forehead and ended up crying in the car during the entire drive home. Once my eyes were no longer soaked and red, I went inside.