I'll Always Love You
He smiled at her picture. Her naked back displayed with her long hair draped around her back. Her face turned towards the camera. She was smiling shyly. He had first been introduced to her by a friend on his party. She had been shy, but he'd managed to make her smile. And that was it. From then on they were inseparable. They would do everything together. Everything from sleeping to biking. Memories come streaming to his mind, one in particular.
"Hey, what's this?" she asked, picking up a card on the kitchen-table. There were no answer, and her curiosity won. She opened the card and read what it said. It was him. He'd left her in bed that morning, not wanting to wake her up. He'd gone to the park, and the card asked her to come and meet him. Surprised that he'd known her that well to know she would read the card, she let out a little nervous laugh. She ran upstairs and chucked on a pair of shorts and a thin top. The weather was warm in December. The summer had just about started in New Zealand, but she suspected the weather had been a bit warmer this year because of global warming. As she entered the park, she saw him at the bench by the pond. His head was slightly chucked back, his face feeling the warmth of the sun rays. She snuck up behind him and planted a kiss on his forehead. "Well hello, miss sunshine. I was waiting for you," he smiled. "Yes, I saw your card. Normal people leave notes, not cards". "Well, I knew you wouldn't resist to read the card. Last time I left a note, you didn't read it, so there you have it," he chuckled. She sat down beside him on the white bench. She felt a modest burn on her thighs as they felt the contact with the warm bench. "I have some news for you," he said. "Bad or good?" she replied. He looked down on his hands, wondering how she would take his news. "I'd say they are bad". She noticed his sudden change of mood. "I've got some bad new too," she shared. She nodded for him to start. "Well, I've been summoned to the military, and I'm leaving in one week". She closed her eyes and didn't know how to react. She had known in the back of her mind that he would be summoned someday, but didn't think it would be so soon. They were only 19. She stood up and started walking towards the exit. She felt a bit wobbly, but continued walking. He had been watching her response to his news, scared that she's burst into tears. In stead he was surprised that she had walked away. She kept walking all the way home, and never looked back. She opened the front door and shut it behind her. She walked up the stairs without saying hi to her parents in the living room. She felt furious. Her cheeks felt hot, and angry tears streamed down her face. She hadn't expected the news to be that bad. Her news were about his toaster. It was broken.
This had happened four days ago. Three days left until he'd be gone. He was looking at the picture, and her soft smile. It had gone four days since he last spoke with her. She simply wouldn't reply his messages or calls. She had strictly instructed her parents to not let him in either. He didn't know what to do, but he was determined that he'd see her again, kiss her again. He walked downstairs and through the open door. He stumbled across his skateboard placed on the porch in the garden by his younger sister. He decided to skate to her house. He called her. It went to voicemail. He called her again. It went to voicemail again. He rang the doorbell. This time no one answered the door. He was a bit hurt. Had her parents started ignoring him? he thought. The thought was quickly brushed off, when he noticed that their car was gone. He felt desperate. He knew he would have to do something if he wanted to see her. A tree. He spotted a tree close enough to the house. So he climbed, climbed to the middle of the tree. Just enough for reaching the porch. She heard noises outside her bedroom. But her parents had gone an hour ago. She wondered what it was, and a thought quickly occurred to her brain: "were there intruders in her house?". She heard a knock on her window, and quickly turned against the window. It was him. She was shocked, paralysed even. She couldn't make herself move her limbs. He mouthed "open the door". She finally managed to walk across her bedroom and open the door to the porch.
"Hey," he said. Almost a bit shy. "I've been trying to reach you," he smiled. The room filled with a tenseness so noticeable, they both seemed a bit uncomfortable. Her eyes twitched a bit. Seeing him after all these days of trying to forget him, made her eyes well up slightly. He instantly walked towards her, and dried her tears with his thumb. He was standing so close that she could smell his scent. His breath was soft on her face. Almost as a reflex, her hands traced his face. He closed his eyes and let her hands trace his face. It felt like ages ago since he had last touched her. "I've missed you so much," he whispered with his eyes shut. She felt his stubble on his face and his tired eyes. "I've been busy with forgetting you," she replied. "But you've spoiled it by coming". He opened his eyes and locked eyes with her. Their faces were inches away. "Don't forget me, I'm here. I always will", he said. Before she could reply, he locked his lips with her. It was a small and tender kiss, but a kiss that brought every memory back to her mind. She sorely regretted letting him kiss her, and pulled away. But he didn't let her go out of his arms. "Please, you are leaving and I was really having a progress on forgetting you. Until you spoiled it with that kiss of yours," she whispered, not really knowing why she had continued whispering. "I guess I will take that as a compliment," he smiled weakly. He let her go, but they both stayed in the same position. Their eyes were still glued to each others. "Go, please, it would be so easy to just forget you". "Would it? You know I'm not leaving forever? I know for a fact that it wouldn't be easy for me to forget you," he sighed. He looked down on his shoes and her bare feet. Her eyes traveled the same way. He didn't know whether to take them off or keep them on, since she wanted him to leave. "I .. I don't know, okay," she trembled. "Even though you aren't leaving forever, you will most likely meet another girl, and if you were to still be in a relationship with me, I'd only be in the way ..". He looked up this time, and used his hands to bring her face up to him. "I don't understand why on earth you think I will meet another girl in the military. You know, the military where I am supposed to train for war. It's not like I'm standing there with a gun training on hitting the target, and I'm like 'Oh hey, yes, I like chocolate, movies and walking on the beach. How about you?'. It's the military, not Paris". His voice changed slightly, he almost sounded mad. "And have you ever thought about me? It's like you only think this is hard on you and not me". "I'm sorry, but it's you who is leaving, not me," she said brutally. He laughed a little, but he was not amused. "Yes, I am leaving, but it wasn't my choice. I'm sorry that I've been summoned. But I'm a guy, and that's how it works, okay? So don't blame it on me, because if I could have chosen, we wouldn't have been her arguing," he replied rigorously. Their faces were only an inch away this time. "Well that's nice then, but that doesn't change anything, sorry, but you are still going away. And I'm stuck here, without you. So I have the right to forget you if I want". "Fine, do whatever you want then. Forget me! Forget that we ever met, and forget everything we've ever done together. Forget me completely," he nearly spat. "See that picture there?" he pointed at the wall. "Throw it away, or else you will be reminded of me. Oh, and throw those flowers away. And that necklace you are wearing - I'll take that back for you .. along with the ring. And the kiss I gave you, let's 'un-kiss' it please. Just forget every fucking thing about me. I don't exist, okay?" he continued. She was surprised by his brutality. It felt like he had slapped her with his harsh words.
He realised what he had said, and grunted. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. Don't forget me, let us be together forever," he said with a weak smile. She felt tired. It was emotionally tiring. They had fought before, but not in an intensity like this. She sat down on her bed, and he followed. Her parents would be gone for four hours. They had been gone for one, that left three hours. She turned her face to him. He whispered something with his face faced against the floor. "What?" she asked, turning her face against his. "I love you," he said, still with his face glued against the floor, but louder this time. He continued: "I always will, most likely. But if you really truly are sure you will be better off without me, then okay. I will stay out of your life. And when I'm done in the military and come home, I will not speak with you. This way you can forget me completely," he said softly. He couldn't bare looking her straight in her eyes. It would break him. It was breaking him already. Just the thought of losing her was unbearable. But if that was what she wanted, he promised himself to do so. At least to try. She lied down on the bed and asked him to do the same. They were lying against each other, looking at each other. She noticed his swollen eyes were blank. They were slowly filled with tears. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," she said, and kissed him. He embraced her, and kissed her back, only to stop for breath. Between kisses, they were apologizing to each other. They were both tired and rolled beneath the sheets. He held her tightly, scared of letting her go. "You are killing me," she laughed. "Sorry, I just don't want to let you go," he explained nervously. Almost as if it was the first time he had embraced her. He kissed her, and shut his eyes. "I really have been missing you" she smiled with her eyes shut also.
The day had come for them to part their ways. He was heading to the military. They had spent the night together ever since he had climbed into her bedroom. The time was 06:00. He was leaving at 9:00 to reach the bus. "Are you awake," she asked. "Yes, I am, and have been throughout the night," he replied and then proceeded to turn his face to hers. He smiled tiredly. "I haven't slept either," she trembled. A mix of sadness and tiredness brought tears to her eyes. She closed her eyes and let them fall onto her sheets. The small space between them disappeared when he snuggled closer. He kissed her eyes carefully, and brought his hands to her face. "We will write!" he said, as if it was the brightest idea ever. "It will be like this old-school-movie of ours," he chuckled excitedly. Her eyes were dry now, and a smile was forcing its way to her mouth. "You are so silly. Sillyface," she smiled, until it once again dawned on her that she and her silly boy would be apart for one year. This time she sat up to avoid her tears drowning her. He wasn't the emotional type, and through the two years they had been together, she had barely seen him cry. However, this week had seemed to make him a tad more emotional. She wasn't sure whether to cry more, or to laugh. But unlike her sobbing and sniffing, he was only shedding a few tears.
He quickly wiped them away, feeling a bit odd, he thought to himself. He was never really the one to cry. But seeing her so devastated, and feeling likewise, not to mention the lack of sleep - made him shed a tear. Or three. He softly brushed her lips with his mouth. Her breathing increased. He kissed her tenderly, hoping she would stop crying. She kissed him back, more passionately. When they pulled away from each other, their faces were only an inch away. He could feel her breath on his face, and vice versa. "Let us forget about everything for the next two hours, okay? No crying," he whispered. She nodded carefully, afraid to hit his nose. On another note, she decided to fill the space between them with a little nose cuddle. She kissed his forehead, his cheeks, his nose, and his eyes. She used her fingers to slowly touch his mouth. "Stop teasing me, and kiss me woman!" he said eagerly. She left out a little laugh. "Oh, never," she said with a British accent. "These lips," she pointed at her mouth, "will never touch the ones on your face, dear," she continued with the accent. He smirked at her with a devilish grin and rolled her over with him on top.
He smiled at the picture again. He took the frame and shoved it in his bag, before they left for the bus. "I love you, don't forget about me," he smiled. He tried to make jokes in order to avoid tears. However, that was unavoidable. Just as he said it, she broke into tears. He brought her into his arms. Her face was buried in his chest, making his shirt wet of tears. "How can you smile like that," she asked between her sobs, with her face still buried in his chest. He brought her face to his. Face to face, eyes locked onto each other, hands intertwined - he said nothing. They stood there in complete silence. The sounds surrounding them were shut out in the bubble they seemed to stand in. And as if they could read each others minds, both said "I love you". And they both knew then, it would always be them. Even if they were in different states, countries, continents. Different galaxies even.
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