International Legends

Chapter 40 - Leo

"I love you," she says, holding me.

After our morning love making, we are knee-deep in one of our "I love you," conversations. Somehow, these conversations always seem to last longer than the love-making.

"I love you too," I say, caressing her.

"We couldn't spend everyday like this, could we?" asks Naomi, looking at me.

I trail lazy circles into her back with my fingers.

"We should get ready," says Naomi.

"I know," I sigh, stretching my arms out.

A darkness suddenly takes over, enveloping everything. There's the howl of a hellish scream and the sounds of groans - the dying wails of what appears to screaming babies.

Hell is coming and there's nothing we can do.

"What happens when this is all over?" asks Naomi.

I turn to face her, feeling a deep sadness that is coming from her, and I sigh.

"What if we find out that we are sick of each other and there's nothing we can do but get along everyday, not knowing what to do with ourselves?" she asks, staring at the ceiling. "What if we find out our habits are too much for each other, and you leave me just like Axel left Ozara for Mitski?"

I laugh.

"Mitski is gay," I say. "She told me on one of our excursions."

"That means, she might actually be crushing on Ozara!"

The two of us laugh at that, but our laughter is interrupted by what appears to be a demon in the corner. He is staring back at us, flashing his yellow eyes at our naked forms. I suddenly feel very nervous, and I don't feel like a good Christian at all. If we aren't doing this right now, would we be safe from them?

I feel like a hypocrite as the waves of the boat crash back and forth, nearly throwing Naomi back on top of me. I shield her with my arms as the demon appears to get closer, snarling all the while, looking as if it wants to consume us.

Suddenly, with another flash of lightning, the demon is gone and everything is back to normal. I should have known this would happen, especially with a Death Angel onboard. We should've been more careful.

"Sorry everyone," says the voice of Carmen onboard. "It appears that we had run into a rough patch of weather but don't worry, we should be making it through the storm in no time. In the meantime, relax. If you tune your station over, you'll hear some Smooth Jazz playing on the radio."

Sure enough, there was, and the quiet sounds of the saxophone filled the room, easing our nerves.

"I can't tell you if we are going to stay together forever," I say, looking back at her again. "I only know that right now we are two people who are insanely happy. Whether or not we can make a parallel universe relationship works remains to be seen but you know what? I see a woman that has been through so much and continues to remain strong for everyone."

I look at her. Really look at her, feeling as if my words really are the truest of all.

"We are young," I say. "Alive. Even if we don't know what the next 20-30 years will bring, we will still be friends. I will always be there for you, checking in on you, making sure that you are alright. I'll always be your cheerleader."

She buried her head in my chest and asked, "Promise?"

Feeling her head along mine, I kiss her forehead.

"I promise," I say.

Lightning strikes again across the sky.
...

I decided that we should have a dance before the wedding and so the rehearsal dinner was planned. It took a lot of effort to plan this ahead of the event.