Monday
Picture 2
AJ Silent Voice’s Choice: Picture 1
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They sat, cuddled on the couch, with no light except for the television. The weather was dismal, so movie day was the best alternative. For Sara, being near Jake was instant stress relief; his warm body held her tight, and without intending to, she tuned into his heartbeat and drifted off.
Jake knew the second she succumbed to sleep. He loved when her breathing deepened and she snored a little bit; it warmed his heart. He held her close, lightly ghosting his fingertips along her arms, relishing the softness of her skin. The last six months seemed to fly by, and each day he fell more and more in love with her. But each day, he also became more and more aware of the ax hanging over their heads. She still didn’t know what he was.
When Sara woke, the movie was winding down, and the main character was making his climactic ending monologue in front of a backdrop of crackling lightening. He spoke of power and destiny and the terrible weight it places on a person. He gave one final evil laugh and the credits began to roll. Jake smoothed the hair away from her flushed face and gently kissed her forehead.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” he whispered. Sara yawned and smiled, snuggling herself deeper into Jake’s chest. “You hungry?”
Sara nodded, but groaned as Jake extricated himself from her arms. He sighed as well, but patted her head and told her he’d be right back. He quickly made three sandwiches with the works, two for him and one for Sara, and grabbed them a soda to share. When he returned to the living room, he found she’d dozed off again and laughed. He shook her lightly and she sat up with a start. As soon as he sat the food in front of him and took his seat, Sara was back in his arms. He definitely didn’t mind.
They ate in silence, and Sara felt a weird vibe coming off of Jake. Silence didn’t worry her, but his eyes were shifty and he seemed on edge.
“You okay?” she asked. Jake looked at her, surprised, then guilty, but nodded his head.
“Yup,” he said, going back to his sandwich. She took his word for it, seeing as he’d never lied to her before, and went back to eating. After a few bites of her sandwich, and a whole sandwich for Jake, Sara could tell he wasn’t okay. He seemed to shift uncomfortably under her gaze, and she couldn’t ignore the sideways glances he was throwing her. She could tell he was trying to get the courage to say whatever he needed to say. Finally, unable to take anymore, she sat her sandwich down and just laid it all out on the line.
“Spit it out, Jake.” Sara stared at him, thinking the worst. Had he changed his mind about her? Did he miss the rez and want to move home? Was he not in love with her anymore? Her mind raced and she couldn’t help the tears that seeped from the corner of her eyes.
Jake quickly wiped her face and kissed her softly. “Hey, hey. Calm down, okay? It’s nothing like that. I know what you’re thinking and just stop.”
“Then what’s it like, Jake? Just tell me and quit this shit. Stop fucking stringing me along!” She sniffed and jerked her arm away from him, standing up to tower over him.
He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair. He rarely cursed, but he muttered a few expletives at his predicament. This was it. His forehead broke out into a sweat and his hands turned clammy. He rubbed them together, trying to spark some resolve, but nothing happened. He went to speak, and as soon as he gazed up at her face, his mouth went dry. He cleared his throat and tried again.
Nothing.
“Sara, can you sit down, please?” he asked, sheepishly.
She caught the cautious tone of his voice and, without putting up an argument, took her seat again. She kept her arms crossed in front of her chest and never took her eyes off him. He seemed to be falling apart more every second. He looked so lost, so nervous, that before she could think about it, she’d reached out and grabbed his hand. His eyes shot to hers and he smiled, albeit nervously, and she nodded her head.
He gripped her hand tightly. “Promise me you’ll let me finish before you say or do anything, alright?”
Sara nodded, so Jake started from the beginning.
She didn’t move a muscle as he told her about his tribe’s history. She didn’t flinch when he got to the part where he told her that he could shape shift into a giant werewolf. She didn’t even bat an eyelash when he told her that he fought vampires, but as he talked tears began to pour down her face. Jake was leery to continue, but she kept her promise to let him finish.
When he was done, and she knew all about his world and the evils associated with it, Sara launched herself into Jake’s arms and sobbed. He tried to comfort her, to coax her to talk to him, but nothing worked. She was inconsolable.
Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime to Jake, Sara pulled herself away from his chest and wiped her snotty nose on the back of her hand. Jake cleared the strands of wet hair away from her mouth and eyes and held her face in both hands.
“Talk to me,” he begged, his hands visibly trembling.
She closed her eyes and shook her head and more tears came. “I thought you were leaving me.” She stared at the ceiling, unable to look him in the face. “I thought you’d seen what kind of person I was, and you didn’t want me. I thought you were getting tired of me.”
She grew quiet and Jake let out a long, slow breath. Finally, reluctantly, she pulled her gaze from the ceiling. As soon as her glistening eyes met his, he began to pepper light, feverish kisses on her lips. In between his kisses, Sara blubbered. “I thought you didn’t love me anymore.”
Jake pulled her to him and molded her form to his body, holding her tighter than he should have, but neither of them seemed to mind. “I love you, Sara. More than anything. More than my life.”
She kissed his neck, his shoulder and relished the strength in his arms. “Again.”
“You’re my life, Sara. I love you so much.” Jake’s voice cracked and he let tears of relief and joy wash away the fear he’d felt. She was still here, and that meant something.
Jake stood, Sara cradled to his body, and walked slowly into the bedroom. They had all the time in the world to talk. Tonight, they needed to feel.
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