On the Run

Chapter Ten

Jhase grabs the back of my neck. Our breathing syncronizes. Our heartbeats pound together. His hair tembles slightly and I push it back. "I love you too." I say. As Jhase smiles, our foreheads meet. "Good, I needed that." Then, he pulls my face to his. Our lips meet. His warm touch on the back of my neck makes me feel safe. A perfect sanctuary. His arms wrap around my waist and my arms tangle around the back of his head. Gentle and strong. The most gorgeous, perfect man ever is in my arms. Or more like I am in his. If he lets me go, I would fall to the ground. Vanilla and mint. Nothing could ruin this moment. I smile and take in his warmth and love and close my eyes.

Giggles. I look up from my perfect world and open my eyes. I see Jen, Sav, and Mollie giggling over the railing. They caught us. I smile at the little girls. "Oh girls!" I call. The giggles stop. "You have three seconds before the monster comes out." I joke. "What monster?" Mollie whimpers.

"One." I say eerily.

"What monster?" Mollie squeals.

"Two." Jhase growls playfully.

"Monsters are bad!" Mollie yells.

"Three!" Jhase and I yell together. We spring fom the couch and chase the girls up the stairs, back to their room. Eventually, the girls are back in bed after goodnight kisses. The girls all got one from Jhase and then me. I am so exstatic to feel such love.The girls sleep well that night.

Hand in hand, Jhase and I go sit on the porch swing outside. As we sit, the swing creaks which scares me. " You can sit down!" Jhase laughs at my fear. He guides me down. "I'll catch you if you fall." I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. "I believe you." Jhase chuckles and kisses my forehead. We sit in silence and look at the stars. The yellow grass is swaying in the breeze, the stars are twinkling, and I am in my love's arms. All is well.

"Jhase." I whimper. "I can't stay here." He tenses and I lift my head from his shoulder. "Jhase?"    He tears up. "Why?" He stares straight forward. As the tears well up in my eyes, i explain. "I can't let them hurt you... or the girls." I pause. "I love you all too much." Jhase stands up in a fury and walks down the steps. "Jhase!" I say, hurt. "No!" He shouts at me. I stutter, jaw on the ground. "You are the only good thing in my life except for those girls!" HE gestures wildly to the house. "I need you." HE says quietly as his shoulders slump.

I am enraged. I am furious. I stand, disgusted. "Isabelle." Jhase tries to calm me. "No! I am not some little child who needs you to take care of her! I have survived fifteen years in this God-Forsaken world!" I look at him, coldly. "I don't need you to watch over me." As soon as the words left my mouth, I winced.Those stung. Jhase stops. Tears well into his eyes and he gets a pained expression.

"You.. you started it Jhase!" My fingernails dig into my hand. I feel a sting in my palm and when I look, four half-moons are in my skin. They bleed slowly but surely. The sight of my blood fascinates me. I look deeply into my hand as if the answer to my fight with Jhase was there. I can't look away, like how someone looks into a campfire on a cool night.

Tears fill my eyes. "Jhase..." A deep hollow feeling enters my stomach. He turns back to me. I feel nauseaus and I break down. I fall down the steps in slow motion. Jhase rushes to catch me. I crash into his arms and they envelope me. I sob in his arms and run my hand through his hair. He gets blood on his forehead from my moon cuts. "Jhase, I got you all bloody."  I cry again. "If I don't leave, that won't be the only place of you that has blood stains." I say through my sobs. "Isabelle." Jhase strokes my hair and tries to soothe me. "I'm not leaving you and you ae not leaving me." He picks me up in his arms and takes me into my room.