Adoring Love

24

The room looks the same as when I left it, yet it was different. It gave me this strange sense of deja vu as I walk through the dark studio. I don't remember how I got here or when, but I feel a pull. Like i'm supposed to do something. Be somewhere. I follow this pull down the hallway of the studio.
I stop at the end of the hallway and watch as the door to my left slowly creaks open. I feel the pull guide me into that room and I walk into the room illuminated in red lighting.
My heart races as I step further into the dark room. I gasp when I hear the door slam shut behind me. I quickly turn around and see Gavin standing there with his shirt unbuttoned, revealing his chest.
"Gavin?" I ask. He smiles at me slowly.
"Hey, beautiful. I've missed you." he says sweetly. I feel myself blush and the corners of my mouth turn up in a smile.
"I love you babe. To the moon and back." he says, walking toward me. I smile wider and look down. When I look back up, I see him walk around me. I turn around and gasp when I see him kiss another girl.
I squeeze my eyes shut and when I reopen them, I see Peter with the same girl that Gavin was with, except this time, the girl is only wearing a bra and panties.
"Peter." I say with disbelief.
"You really thought I would love you? You're not good enough. I mean, guys like me don't have time for girls like you." he says, swinging his arm around the girl's shoulders.
"But Peter-"
I jump and close my eyes when I hear a gunshot. I open them to a totally new scene. I am outside now, in the middle of a field. I look down at the bloody gun in my hands and then look at Peter's limp body lying at my feet. His blood pools around my feet and I gasp as he stares up at me helplessly before taking his last breath.
"What did I do?" I whisper, dropping the gun. I kneel down beside him in his blood, wiping the hair from his face while leaving blood stains on his skin.
"Peter." I whisper, gently shaking him.
"Peter!" I shout.
I jolt up from my bed covered in sweat, the sheets sticking to my body. I wipe the tear from my eyes and pull my knees up to my chest. I put on my glasses and glance over at Peter who is still sleeping and I smile. And then I remember my dream, and my smile slowly turns into a frown as I muffle my sobs with a pillow.
"Liz."
My eyes snap over to Peter who turns in his bed, his eyes still closed. He takes a deep breath in and smiles softly.
"Elisme...my love." he mumbles. Wait. Did he say Elizabeth or Esme? He mumbles some more, most of it is incoherent.
His eyes snap open and they meet mine. I gasp with surprise and watch as he sits up and runs a hand through his tangled hair. He seems to notice my puffy red eyes and he quickly gets out of bed and sits on the edge of mine.
"Lizzie, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asks. I sigh and smile through my tears.
"It's stupid. It was just a dream." I tell him. He grabs my hand and squeezes it gently.
"Well if it came from your head then it can't be stupid." he says. I laugh bitterly.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks. I look at our hands, fingers intertwined and then glance back up at him.
"It was just a nightmare."
"But I want to hear what it was about." he says gently.
"Most of it was nonsense. Gavin was there with a woman, and then Gavin was you, and then there was a gun in my hand and you were laying in your own blood at my feet." I say in one breath.
"Wow. Jealousy really is the green monster." he says jokingly. I giggle and shake my head.
"No, but seriously. What scared me the most was the thought of losing you." I admit to him, looking down so that my hair covers my tear stained face. His fingers find their way under my chin and he nudges my head up to look at him.
"Don't be afraid." he whispers. "I'm not going anywhere."
I chuckle and shake my head.
"For some reason, I can't bring myself to believe that." I tell him. He looks at me, slightly hurt.
"You don't trust me?" he asks. I sigh and pull my hand away from his, my skin feeling cold as it parts from his warm skin.
"What'll happen after filming ends? After we leave our little bubble in this hotel room. You forgot about me ten years ago, what makes me think you won't do it again?" I ask, tears forming in my eyes.
"Just because we don't talk, doesn't mean I don't think about you. I was just trying to distance myself." he says.
"Why?"
"Because I knew I couldn't have you. You were with Gavin." he says sadly.
"But you'll be so busy once we are done. With all of the interviews and the job offers that'll come rushing in-"
"I'll never be busy enough to not miss you, Elizabeth." he says, grabbing my hands again.
"What are you trying to say here?" I whisper. He leans closer to me, his hand coming up to gently rest on my cheek. He slowly leans in and my eyes flutter shut as his lips gently brush against mine before he pulls away.
"Peter, what does this mean?" I ask softly.
"It means I love you. And I know that you've heard those words before and you may not trust me because of what he did. But there's one difference between me and Gavin. Elizabeth, I may not have loved you first, but I loved you the most." he says.
He stares at me with the same intense stare as he did outside on the balcony and in the living room. And that's when I felt it. The moment of realization. He wasn't confused or frustrated. He was sure. He was in love.
"Peter." I whisper. My lips turn up gently into a lopsided smile.
"Everyday since I first met you, I have loved you more than I did the night before. I can't imagine how I could possibly love you more than I do but somehow everyday I manage it. And, damn, I can't wait for tomorrow, so I can love you more again."
I giggle softly and shake my head before pulling him in for a passionate kiss. I feel him smile against my lips, causing me to smile in return.
"You have no idea how love i've wanted to kiss you." he says against my lips. I giggle and pull away.
"Did you know that ancient lovers believed that a kiss would literally unite their souls, because the spirit was said to be carried in one's breath." I tell him. He chuckles and shakes his head, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear.
"I love my little nerd." he says, kissing me again.