The Price of Love

Chapter 8

Alex's PoV

Three months pass when we receive bad news. The British have overpowered our forces at Albany and taken control. Everyone was taken prisoner and the only dead are those who were killed in the fight. I'm pissed. The King of France sent more men to help us, so my army has swelled to forty thousand strong. It's awesome. So what I'm going to do is take some of those men and retake Albany. We can't afford to lose it right now, we're still too fragile. Today is a Saturday, which means I get to see John. We've gotten pretty close over the past few months, and it makes me sad I only see him Saturday and Sunday. When he comes today, I'm going to ask him if he'll join the army and fight with me. He's shown interest in it and I've shown him how to use a gun, so I'm really hoping that he will. But right now I have to give a speech. I straighten my crown, meaning I deliberately push it around on my head so it's lopsided and askew, and walk up onto the slightly raised platform in the city square. "Hey guys." I say, unusually somber. "So today, I got some bad news. The British have taken Albany. So I'll be leading a full division there to reclaim it. For three reasons I'm going myself. Number one, I need to get out of Manhattan. I'm always here, I need a bit of a change. Number two, let's be honest here. I don't mean to brag, but we all know that we can reclaim Albany with me leading 'cause I'm crazy smart. And number three, I'm indestructible. Come on, how many times have I been shot? A lot. How many times have I almost died? A lot! Am I dead? I think not! So tomorrow, at dawn, I'll take a battalion and we'll head for Albany. So start packing your tents, rations, ammo, everything you need. Tomorrow. You can go now." I jump off the stage and spot John. I run up to him and hug him.

"Hey Alex, how are you?" He asks, returning my hug.

"As well as I can." I reply. "I have something to ask you. John, will you please join the army and come to Albany with me? I will seriously die if I don't get to see you for months." I stare up at him with big, pleading eyes, knowing he can't resist them.

"Okay." He says after a minute of hesitation. "How long do you think we'll be gone for?" I shrug.

"Months. A long time." I say off-handedly. "Less than a year though." I smile up at him, trying not to stare too much. Because he's really hot. Long blond hair, bright, icy-blue eyes, a great personality, I think I love him. But he'd never love me.

"That's still a long time." He points out. I shrug.

"Maybe. So what do you wanna do today?" I ask him. Hanging out and talking at the bar got old really fast.

"I kinda wanna go for a swim." He says.

"Okay! Let's go find a lake!" I cry. "There should be one right outside of town, a few minutes behind my house." He follows me through the streets, which he knows pretty well by now, and we run through the forest behind my house until we find the lake. A few hundred feet wide, no wildlife that can cause us harm, it's perfect. I yank my shirt off my head and jump in the water. I fail to notice that John is staring at my bare chest, and that he's blushing slightly. "Come on John!" I call to him, striking out to the middle of the lake. I flip over onto my back and float on the water, waiting for John to come in. This was his idea after all. Tired of waiting, I swim back over to him and climb out, dripping wet.

"W-what are you doing?" He asks as I grab his arm. I just smirk at him, and throw him into the water. His scream is abruptly cut off as his head is submerged in the water. "What was that for?" He demands when he resurfaces. I slam an emotionless expression over my face.

"I was bored of waiting for you to get in." I say monotonously. I take a few steps back and run and jump into the water, landing a foot away from John. He shrieks as I douse him and I laugh, choking on water. I have to grab onto his arm to keep myself floating as I hack and cough.

"That's what you get." John says when I finish. I splash him with water and stick my tongue out. I squeal when he smacks the water, sending a small wave into my face. I float in the water, going on the defensive. I prefer playing offence, but I'm just as good at defense. I duck underwater and swim carefully behind him, trying not to disturb the water. My lungs starting to ache, I wait for a few long seconds as he looks uneasily around the water. Then I push off the bottom of the lake and loop my arms around his neck, pulling him underwater with me. He pushes me off and I let myself sink down to the bottom of the lake. My lungs feel like they're going to burst, but I stay. I'm curious to see what John does. Darkness starts to creep into my vision and I let the rest of the air out of my lungs. My head starts to lull to the side and I feel a strong grip around my arm. "What did you do that for!?" He yells, pulling me to shore. I shrug.

"I wanted to see what'd you do." I reply, coughing up a bit of water. "I'm fine. Just gimme a few seconds to catch my breath." I lean back on my elbows and take a deep breath, looking up at the sky. The sun is starting to set and the sky is turning pinks and oranges. John sits beside me and I let myself fall onto my back. He smiles softly at me. I grin back at him and watch the sky shifting to black. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" I ask him softly as the stars start to come out. "Look, there's the bear." I raise my arm to trace the constellation of the Great Bear.

"Yeah." He says softly. He turns his head to look at me as I stare at the sky, watching the rest of the stars come out. I move a little closer to him, closing the distance between us to just a few inches. It's a little cold outside, my wet clothes don't help. After a few minutes, I turn my head to look at John. If I'm honest, this is a pretty romantic moment. He looks into my eyes, his blue gaze meeting mine. He moves a little closer to me so we're almost touching. We gaze softly into each other's eyes for several long minutes. Or maybe hours. I don't really know. Then he moves even closer so his side is pressing gently against mine. His hand slowly and deliberately drifts up from the ground to gently caress my face. I lean into his touch and he leans closer. He closes the distance between us slowly. And then his lips press softly against mine, firmer when I press mine back. In seconds, our lips move together in sync, pressing harshly into each other as we kiss passionately. His tongue fights its way into my mouth and tastes everything it can. I moan softly at his actions, filled with love and passion for this man. My hands tangle in his long blond locks and mash our lips together even harder. He rolls us over and pins me to the ground, straddling my lap. His hands caress and hold my face as he kisses me. We make out passionately for what feels like years until he pulls away to breathe. I'm panting heavily and my face is flushed as he leans over me, also panting and flushed.

"John." I breathe gently. He smiles softly and places a finger over my lips.

"Shush. Don't ruin the moment." He whispers, rolling off me. I wiggle closer to him and he wraps his arms around me. "Just go to sleep baby. Go to sleep, you need it." He whispers into my ear. I press my head into his chest and close my eyes, exhausted from recent events.

Here's your Lams

-Bottomless Pit