He presses his lips to mine in something that feels like an oath, kissing me senseless then leaning our foreheads together.
Here, with only the stars as our witness, he whispers those same words we shared years ago.
He renews that eternal vow we fought to keep intact.
“I promise to love you until my very last breath. No matter where we are or what we’re doing, you’ll be my first thought when I wake and the last before I sleep. One lifetime will never be enough, but I swear I’ll make every moment count.”
Tears blur my vision as the memory of that night merges with this one, so different, but similar in all the ways that matter.
“Xeni, you are my mate, my heart, and my home. My chaos, and the guarantee life will never be boring.” We both choke on a wet laugh and share a teary smile. “You’re the one who makes me feel like I’m home, even when everything else is falling apart. I promise I’ll love you through the mess, the scars, the bad days… through all of it. No more running. No more silence. Justus. We’ll build the life we always wanted and together, we’ll fill all those quiet spaces.”
My chin trembles as I swallow past the emotion, and Bash waits patiently for me to collect myself.
“I still follow you like a lost puppy, don’t I?” I ask with a sniff.
He only smiles and kisses away the tear that sneaks loose.
“You are my forever, Sebastian. The calm to my chaos, and my shelter from the storms. You’re the only person who ever made me feel safe enough to stop hiding. I broke us once, and I swear to you, I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure I never do it again. I promise to love you loud, messy, and without holding anything back. I’ll hold you together when the world tries to pull you apart, and as long as I have breath in my lungs, I will fight for you. You are the great love of my life.”
He slides the ring onto my finger, the cool metal settling into its home like it never left. The last piece of my soul clicks into place, complete for the first time in years.
We smile like idiots at each other as our mouths meet again, and we kiss until our lips are swollen and our hearts are full, the world narrowing to this.
To us, tangled together on a blanket in the middle of nowhere.
Finally free.
Xeni
“Ican’tbelieveI’mhaving to give up coffee again,” I whine, and Bash grunts his agreement as we get up. My morning grumpiness is lessened as he comes over and takes my hand, kissing the ring on my finger.
I drag him to the trees for a make-out session, though I can’t convince him to take it further with his friends waiting. Once we’re ready, we gather the others.
Ego is stretched over the backseat of the SUV, snoring softly, while Sakane is curled up in the floorboard beneath her. His eyes are wide open, and he wiggles into a sitting position as Bash hands him a water bottle.
“Did you get any sleep last night?” Bash asks.
Sakane tilts his head back and forth as he drinks, then gives a half-hearted shrug. “A little. It was kind of hard with the saws going off beside my ear.”
Ego lifts her hand and waves her middle finger without opening an eye.
“You could’ve slept outside,” Bash says.
Sakane licks his lips as his eyes dart aside. “I was more comfortable in here.”
Bash nods his understanding and doesn’t press the issue. Sakane has never been out of the city, but whereas Ego is confident in herself regardless of her surroundings, Sakane seems less secure. Being under a roof probably helped him ignore the enormity of the vast space surrounding us.
Dust forms a small cloud as Cato jumps from the rock he was sitting on, and he swipes his hands over his pants as he joins us. He lifts the back hatch and grabs some breakfast, and the rest of us follow suit. We eat and prepare for the drive quickly, and the sun hasn’t even fully risen as we take off again.
Cato spots another vehicle at midday. We’re on high alert as it passes, but the rusted pickup truck doesn’t appear to want a confrontation, either, and moves along without incident. A few hours later, another drives in the distance on a side road, but they don’t come any closer.
Luck is on our side, though I don’t dare to speak those words out loud and convince the universe to change its mind.
As evening approaches, the sights become more familiar, and my nerves chew on my insides as we pull off the road and head toward the forest in the distance.
“Holy shit,” Sakane breathes, his face against the window once more. “I’ve never seen so many trees.”
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I ask, glancing into the mirror at everyone staring at the green expanse. “They’re even more amazing once we get inside.”
