A Weekend IRL Ch. 12

Saying goodbye had always been the hardest part of their time together. Neither ever wanted to be the one to end it, but life and its obligations always pulled them apart and back to reality.

"I don't want to go," he whispered.

"I know. I don't want you to either." Her voice shook as she held back the first tear. She laid her head on his chest, enjoying their last few moments before pulling away and meeting his eyes. "I want to hold you and stay here in our fantasy." Her words edged past the lump growing in her throat. "But we can't, can we. We have to go back to the real world, don't we."

"Damn," he muttered. "There's just never enough time for us." She saw the raw emotion across his face.

"Go. You have to."

Standing together at the door, he wrapped his arms around her one last time, and their lips met in a final kiss. She melted into him, letting herself simply dissolve. When they finally, and very reluctantly, parted, she held on to the door to steady herself as he picked up his bag to leave.

"I'll be on-line tomorrow night if you can be there," he said, stopping just beyond the door, his voice overflowing with feeling.

She smiled with trembling lips. "I'll look for you."

"I'll find you. I promise." He threw his bag into the cab, but looked back a final time, turned and rushed back to her.

He held her tight and whispered, "It isn't goodbye, pretty girl." His voice caught in his throat. "It's just until next time. We will be together again. I promise you." He tenderly kissed the top of her head before walking away. Finally, he climbed into the truck, closed the door, and pulled away.

She listened to the gravel crunch beneath his tires, although muffled this time by the blanket of snow. She held tightly to the heavy door to anchor herself in place, afraid she would run after him, beg him not to go, to stay with her, or to take her with him. But she knew that would not to be, even could not be. When she could no longer see the red of his tail lights, she quietly shut the door and walked with careful steps to the chair where she had waited for him only 36 hours before. She gripped the arm of the chair, her nails digging into the leather, for fear that her knees would give out, before she finally collapsed onto its cushioned seat and allowed the arms there to replace the ones she just left. Overcome with the knowledge that nothing would ever be the same, she began to cry. She cried for loss she felt in her heart, for the pain she knew she would carry in the days to follow.

The tears spilled down her face and into her hands and her lap in a seemingly endless stream until they finally ran dry. She scolded herself, knowing that was just the opposite of what he would want. He would much rather she spend her time celebrating the hours they were together rather than mourning the moment they had to part. She looked around the room, which seemed so bare now that everything had been packed up and loaded, to count the memories made in such a short time and to ponder the cherished moments. Her eyes stopped on the rug by the fireplace, her body responding to the memory of excitement as he knelt behind her. She smiled as her eyes traveled to the couch, and she again felt his rope around her wrists and again heard his whispered words of love. She could have spent hours just sitting there and remembering, but as they had agreed, it was time to go back to the real world. She mechanically pushed herself out of the chair, her legs suddenly feeling so tired, and gripping the rails for assistance, pulled herself up the stairs to do a final check for anything left behind.

The flickering of a single red candle beside their bed caught her attention as the entered the room. She was puzzled, certain that she hadn't left it that way, and moved across the room to put it out, but stopped. Her heart raced and her head swam as she understood. There on her pillow, she found two perfect and dark red roses laying side by side. She reached her hand out to brush her fingertips along their velvety petals, and lifted them to inhale their fragrance, and a smile captured her face even as a tender warmth flooded her heart.

And so softly that even the spirits surrounding her could barely grasp the one word as it left her lips, wrapped in a smile and glow from within she whispered . . .

"Soon."