words

Already Home

05/27/2016
inspired by A Great Big World's Already Home

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"Are you sure this would work?" She says quietly, hugging him one last time.

"It's us. It will work." He smirks as he holds her closer, committing her scent and beauty to memory.

"I...I'm not sure what you mean." She whispers against his chest.

"Oh, come on. You were freshman and I was a senior when we started dating." He couldn't see her face, but he could feel her smile. "We've always been fighting against the odds, haven't we?" For a moment, they stay quiet amongst the many noises of the airport.

"I wish that the world was filled with more people like you." She finally says as she pulled away, but not letting go of his warmth. He simply looks down at her, smiling with genuine love and beauty and oh goodness, does this have to be happening?

"...me too. But then that would mean me dating more than one person. Wouldn't want that happening." He jokes, his voice light with laughter. She laughs, a clear beautiful sound and he feels like he is going to rip apart now that he knows he won't be hearing that for a long, long time.

"I love you. So much." She wraps her arms around him again, standing on tip-toes so that she could put her chin on his shoulder.

"Me too..." He winds his arms around her waist and holds her tight, afraid that if he let go, she'll be gone. "I really, really love you."

They smile at each other, giddy and happy.

"Promise me you'll wait for me until I'm home?" He whispers against her neck.

"I'm already home." She says slowly, balancing the words on her tongue.

"You won't be leaving." He raises an eyebrow but doesn't let her see it.

"You will." She sighs. "I know this seems weird, but being with you. That's home." Her words ring loud and clear between them and he can't stop the smile creeping up.

"That's not weird. That's love." They finally release their death grips on one another and he smiles.

"Then love must be weird." She scrunches her nose and he falls in love with her again.

"When was it not?" He arches an eyebrow and brought his gloved hands up to cup her face and she falls in love with him again.

"Oh gosh, kiss me one more time." She hangs onto his arms and whispers those words almost desperately.

"I'd kiss you forever." He confesses, and she knows that his statement is clear: he loves her.

"Shut up and just do it." She commands, and he understands the hidden meaning: she loves him.

There's no one else in their world except for them when their lips touch. If that kiss lasted a century, they wouldn't have known. It was the airport's blasted speakers announcing his flight that broke them apart.

"Wait for me until I come back home?" He says, almost trembling as he picked up his backpack.

"Don't think I wouldn't even if you didn't ask." She whispers, squeezing his hand.

"I'll miss you." He laces their fingers together and he could feel the goodbye on her fingertips.

"I already do." She almost sobs, but thinks better of breaking down.

He walks away, but not without looking back with a sad smile and a hopeful heart.

She stays and sees him disappear from her vision, but not without feeling that she's been ripped from her other half.

All they have now is the ghost of the other and the promise that binds them together.

If that promise is enough to give them a flicker of hope in the darkest days of their life, then this is enough.

Because they're already home.