Three Simple Words

Chapter 2

The drive way they pulled into was a simple winding path, guiding them to their destination. The sides were overgrown with flowers and plants but the moonlight still found a way to flicker in through the brush. The moonlight glistened in Ariel's hair, lighting the long black curls into a silver hue.

When they finally arrived at the house, Thomas was taken aback at the sight in front of him. From the drive he had expected a palace behind the trees but where it would have stood; there was instead a small, simple home, large enough for a family of four or five but not for a party.

The white exterior stood out against the green background much like the way Ariel's hair stood out in contrast to her fair skin. The wraparound porch gave the house a civil war era feel but the modern chairs brought it back this century. The ignition cut out at the pair stared at each other for a while, neither knowing exactly what to say.

"I know it isn't much but its home" Ariel explained, breaking the stifling silence that had settled around them once more. As they got out of the car, the leaves rustled and stirred around them leaving them both with chills.

When the pair opened the front door, they were met with the smell of fresh lilacs and the sound of the TV in the other room.

For Thomas, the house that he had just walked into felt more like a home then his own house had ever felt. It felt safe. The air was easy and light nothing like the darkness that lurked within or the ashamed looks his father would give him when he knew no one could see. Here though, everything seemed as it should be, quaint and simple but happy.

"Come on, kitchen's this way." Ariel said, prodding him along, "The rags are under the sink, I'm going to grab you some clean clothes."

Thomas began to wipe away the blood, the flecks of red coating the kitchen sink, each fleck reminding him of why he was there. Every second that he continued to wipe his face brought him closer to meeting his maker. His movements became uncontrolled, rash. Soon enough the blood was spilling down his face along with the tears that had never really stopped. Each flick of his wrist reminded him that this pain is nothing to the pain he is going to experience in eternal damnation, the hell fire that was waiting for him on the other side. No amount of prayer or reconciliation was going to change the end game, hell was imminent. These thoughts flickered through his mind, all so futile but life-changing nonetheless. All because of the sin he was too afraid to say, too afraid to talk about.

How was he supposed to be a good Christian when everything kept steering him away from the church and into the arms of an unholy creature? In the mere minutes that Ariel had been away, he had managed to scrap his skin raw, leaving bloody streaks running down his face. Even when the pain started to become unbearable, he couldn't stop himself, couldn't let go of the solidarity the pain held. When he thought he was alone, pain stood a constant companion, never failing, never unrelenting that is until he felt a firm hand draw the rag away from his face.

Struggling against the stranger's grip, the hand only tightened leaving him bloody and useless in the arms of a stranger. Turning his head, he was met with the most beautiful shade of emerald green eyes he had ever seen, each eye sprinkled with golden streaks. The man had all the same features as what could assumingly be his sister but he wore it with a fierce but kind manner. Underneath his emerald eyes sat subtle freckles, all kissing his fair skin. His raven black hair was matted to his smooth pale forehead, the ends sticking out in every direction possible.

Even though the stranger was only a couple inches shorter than Thomas, it felt as if the stranger towered over him, offering something Thomas rarely felt, safety. Below the stranger's freckled eyes sat the most perfectly molded lips Thomas had ever seen. The amount of precision God had in creating those lips was the same as a chocolatier perfecting a caramel truffle, each required enormous focus and each left one wanting for more. The stranger still had his hand firmly wrapped around Thomas's wrist and both seemed a little lost in each other. As quickly as the moment came, it vanished as soon as the shorter man started to speak.