Adoring Love

19

Peter
I walk into our hotel room and hang up my coat. I see Liz's shoes on the ground and listen for her. Not hearing any movement, I walk to find her.
I check the bedroom, the balcony and the kitchen and finally find her in the living room, her nose in a book. She looks up when she sees me and smiles.
"Hey."
"Hey, Liz. What're you reading?" I ask.
"Well Nikki recommended this. It's called Me Before You. I'm not sure if I like it yet." she says shrugging.
"I thought you were going to read less." I say, sitting down beside her. She sighs and falls back against the couch in defeat.
"I can't resist!" she exclaims. I laugh and shake my head.
"I'm joking. If reading makes you happy then, read. I'll buy a whole library for you if that's what really makes you happy." I tell her.
"I don't need books to make me happy." she says shaking her head and smiling.
"Then what else can I do?" I ask.
"Sit with me." she says shrugging.
"It would be my pleasure." I say, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.
"What makes you happy?" she asks.
"This. Why don't you read to me?" I ask.
"Oh! Can I read you poetry?" she asks excitedly.
"Yes please." I tell her. She jumps up from the couch and runs into the bedroom, coming out later with the book that I read from the night we slept in the same bed. I watch her flip through each page, skimming it and move on, not satisfied with that poem.
"Aha! This is one of my favorites." she says, opening to a page. She nestles herself against my body again and I wrap my arm around her again.
"I imagine. When I do, I can only think of you,
How your smile spreads to your eyes, Making me want to live in the moment forever.
I imagine, That we walk on paths, Unknown to us, Filled with fear and excitement, Winding with happiness that is constant. I imagine
That we see the dawn, Bursting with resplendent hues, And birds soaring in the sky,
Inviting us to hum along. I imagine That we break rules, Do things our own way, Travel the world, To leave our traces. I imagine A cold winter night, In your arms, Watching the snow,
Sitting at the window.
I imagine
The story of us
Has no end
Or beginning,
But continues like the universe. I imagine
I could fill your heart, With all my love,
So that we know a love, Mysterious to this world. I imagine And wonder, What you would imagine, With a smile extending to my eyes."
Her beautiful voice is soft and gentle, putting me in a trance. I watch her mouth, her lips. The way she barely moves them as she reads.
"Did you like it?" she asks, looking up at me.
"Oh yes. Will you read some more?" I ask. She turns back to her book and flips through.
"Okay this one is strange. It reminds me so much of Esme and Carlisle's relationship." she says. "So actually listen this time."
I look down and surprise and see her glaring up at me jokingly. Our faces are so close that our I can smell her flowery shampoo.
"Yes ma'am."
"As I gaze into his liquid gold eyes,
Poetry radiates from his warm soul
His lips brush mine and I soar through the skies
Passion seizes me; I loose my control

An amalgam of thoughts pierce through my mind
There is love, trust, yet I feel petrified
I know destiny; our fate's intertwined
But what if he's a dream, one I'm denied?

A thousand years I could spend with those suns
Amid his presence I've conquered all realms
I've witnessed beauty that forever stuns
And have basked beneath his forest of elms

Then and there, I grasp truth with clarity
He's in my arms; there's no obscurity."
"Wow. It's so strange. That was in this book?" I ask with surprise. She nods, smiling.
"I never did like poetry until I heard it come from your lips." I blurt out. I blush as soon as I say it and glance down at her to see her gazing up at me.
"I mean, I always thought poets only wrote about depressing things." I say, trying to cover up what I said.
"There are shorter ones as well." she whispers, still looking at me. I gently brush a piece of hair away from her face, my fingers running along her jawline.
We lean in toward each other, her hand wrapping around the back of my neck. Right as our lips are about to touch, her phone rings. We jump away from each other and she stands up to answer her phone.
"Hello?" she answers breathlessly. There is a slight pause.
"Gavin." she says looking shocked again. "Hi."
She walks into the other room and i lean my head against the back of the couch. Sighing, I run my hands down my face. What have I gotten myself into? She's still with Gavin. For a reason I cannot fathom. She deserves so much more than him. So much more than me. I jump up when I see Liz walk back into the room.
"Hey." I say awkwardly.
"Oh my gosh. I can't believe I forgot I even had a boyfriend." she says, her hand on her forehead.
"Had?" I ask.
"Have. Damn it!" she says with frustration.
"It's fine. It happens. You've been away for a long time-"
"But I shouldn't have forgotten." she says, sitting back on the couch.
"Maybe you subconsciously remember but didn't want to remind yourself." I say, not quite sure where i'm going with it.
"Maybe. I mean I guess things haven't been the same since I found him cheating on me."
"Why did you go back to him?" I ask curiously.
"Because there's just so much history. I don't know. It seemed like a waste to throw it all away." she says sadly. "He really does love me."
"Do you want to know my definition of love?" I ask.
"I'm guessing he doesn't qualify?" she asks.
"Love is giving someone the power to destroy you, but trusting them not to. You gave him that power and he didn't use it wisely. Elizabeth, you have to forget what you feel and remember what you deserve. And you don't deserve to be treated how he treats you."
"I don't?" she whispers.
"No. He doesn't truly love you." I tell her. Her eyebrows furrow and she looks down.
"Love...is strange." she says.
"Indeed. But once you find it with the right one, it's beautiful." I tell her.
"Have you ever found it?" she asks.
"Yes."
"Did she love you back?" she asks.
"I'm still trying to figure that out." I tell her.
"Tell me more about love." she says. I grab her poetry book and her hand.
"Let's go to the balcony."