Forever is a Strong Word

Chapter 8

After Sage and I finish talking, we decided to go back to sleep. Well, she went back to sleep. I couldn't even take my mind off of her. What the hell is going on with me?! Why can't I just chill about what we have? I love her. A little too much for something that developed overnight.

Seriously, how many people fall in love with eachother over night? Maybe we had these feelings since the day we met. I try not to think about what is going on and go to sleep. When I wake up I feel around for Sage with my left arm, but I don't feel anything. I quickly sit up and look at the clock.

"9:56." I mumble out loud. I rub my eyes with the back of my hands.

"Saaage!" I sort of yell out loud.

No response. I moan and manage to climb out of bed, then I start walking to my bathroom still rubbing my eyes. When I reach the outside of my bathroom, my mouth basically dropped. I see Sage with her hair in a high pony tail tords the right side of her head. Even though her hair is still up high, it still manages to go a little bit past her shoulder blades. And her back... was goergous. It was evenly tanned just like the rest of her body, with her spine and the two bones sticking right out. For a moment I lean against the door frame, and admire her while she's drying off her face.

Before she can look up I walk over to her and wrap my arms around her from the back. She slightly jumps as I place my mouth in her neck.

When she realises it's just me, she smiles and kisses the side of my head.

"You smell good." she says against my face slightly giggling. I laugh "So do you babe." I say with the tone that Josh said. She rolls her eyes.

"Oh stop." she says in a fake annoyed tone. I laugh and look up at the mirror. She smiles at me. I dunk my head on her bony shoulder.

"UGH!!" I yell "Why are you so perfect?!"

She laughs her cute little laugh that sounds like the bells of heaven. She backs her head a little so that she's at my ear "Well we're asking questions," she starts "why do I love you so much, and spend the whole night thinking about you?" she says.

Her hands snaking up and down my arms. I lift my head up from her shoulder and smirk at her.

"I really don't know." I reply.

She lets out a small laugh, and moves her head closer so that our lips slowly move against eachothers'. I pull away soon and kiss her neck quickly but passionately then look back to the mirror.

Her hands suddenly stop snaking up and down my arms, and she stops at the bottom of my left arm. She gently goes over it a few times, mover her head closer to the mirror. Then she turns around so that she's facing me. For the first time she roughly takes my arm and turns it over, so that it's facing up. She gets a confused look on her face, and I keep quiet.

She soon puts her hand over her mouth, and loosens her grip on me, signifiaing she knows what they are. My cuts.

She backs away a little. keeping her hand on her mouth. Searching the floor. I put my arm out and move a little toward. I open my mouth to say something but nothing comes out. She moves her hand from her mouth and puts on my abs, stopping me from coming any closer.

Can't deny those hands.

She swallows hard looking at the floor. When her eyes shot back up I wanted to get down on my knees and beg her not to.... leave. She walks closer to me so that her body in almost against mine. She grabs my arm again.

"You cut yourself?" she asks innocently and quietly, turning her attention back to my arm.

I swallow so hard I felt as though I had popped my ears. I nod my head. She senses it and stares into my eyes. "Why Alex?"

I step away from her and go drop against the doorframe. I burry my eyes into my hands for a moment. I lift my head up and get up from the floor. I walk back over to her, to find her leaning against the sink. Waiting for an answer. I shrug and sit on the toilet. I tap my foot a few times and take a deep breath.

"Because Sage," I start briefly turning my eyes to her, then quickly looking away.

I couldn't handle the pained look she had on her face. "I have lost everything in my life. My pride, my dignity. My house, my friends, self respect," I swallow again hard to push back tears "My mom."

I see her stiffen up at this. Her eyes were welling but she pushed back tears as well.

I continue "It's not like I planned or wanted it to happen, it just.... did. I smoked weed every night." I get up and walk over to her still stiff body. "And when I lost you.... the pain in my body was seering. Then, when you and Josh started dating.... I almost...." I shake my head to get the thought out .

"I would cut myself to get my mind off of it. Off of you. Off of you and him. Cus I loved you! I was just too afraid to think it. Everytime I thought of your name, I would cut myself. I thought that if I felt nothing I wouldn't feel the pain." My eyes shoot up to hers "But I was wrong."

She takes a breath as if she had been holding her breath the whole time. She takes her pony tail out, and runs her fingers through her hair. She takes a deep breath again puffing out her cheeks.

"So I'm the reason that you cut?" she finally asks. There's silence. I can feel the heat move up to my face. I never thought of it like that. She turns away and paces back and forth a few times.

After a while she comes towards me, and as if I already knew what she was going to do, I pull her toward me, and wrapped my arms around her.Tight. She wraps her arms around my torso and burries her face in my chest.

"I'm so sorry Alex!" I hear her squeal. I feel her hot tears run down my stomach. I nuzzle my nose in her hair, and shake my head.

"Don't be. Don't be." I whisper. "It's not your fault baby. It's not you." I feel those words wrap around me, and it really wasn't her. "Babe I'm so sorry." I hear her say again.

"Shhhh," I whisper "it's not you baby. Don't cry."

"I just love you so much." I hear her say more clear.

"Shhhh." I say again "You're my world Sage."

She lifts her head up my chest, and tries to smile. I genuiley do. She backs away and starts to walk out of the bathroom. But I grab her by the waist, and pick her up so that our lips crash together. She throws her arms around my neck. and I keep mine at her waist. We kiss for a bit longer, and then I pull away setting her on the floor gently.

I lower my head so that our foreheads are resting against eachothers. Now she really smiles, "Sage I love you, more than I have ever loved anyone in my entire life. You will always be mine. Forever." I whisper.

She smiles and moves her hands to my face, stands on her tippy toes and kisses me slowly and gently. I keep her in my tight embrace.

When she releases she huffs down and runs her fingers through my curly hair. she her arms around my torso and says

"Forever is a strong word."