I will never see Milly again.
She rubs my back as she leans further into the couch, allowing me to wrap myself entirely around her. Her cool body presses against mine, creating shivers that spread through me. I hold on to Milly with all my might, desperate to fuse myself to her.
I hide in her chest for what feels like hours, until the sobs turn into silent tears that occasionally stain my cheeks.
I feel embarrassed by my sniffles and swollen eyes. I should be stronger than I am right now. I should be braver.For her.
She starts to push me away slightly, but I cling to her tighter as I shake my head.
“It is imperative that we talk, Shadow,” she whispers against my hair. She tucks a strand behind my ear, playing with the other strands gently. “From the very beginning, we have known the risk,” her voice shakes.
I shake my head, ignoring her words, refusing to accept them. I lean back abruptly, locking eyes with her. Mine surely are swollen and bloodshot from the distress, but hers? Milly’s golden eyes are darker than ever before. There’s pain in them so rich that I feel my heart crack further.Oh, Milly.
“However brief, your affections have me profoundly blessed.” She leans forward and leaves a kiss on my forehead. She holds it there for a few seconds as I let the action leave a contrasting warmth on my soul. Sparks spread at her devotion.
“Just knowing that you’ve been here for so many years only hurts more, Milly. Why have I only met younow? Why didn’t we get more time again?” I ask with heartbreak.
She waits a moment, taking a shallow breath as she searches for the right words. “I cannot presume the reasons by which the universe unfolds its designs. And yet, at the mere glimpse of a higher power, I find myself most grateful that this God has deemed me fit to receive your love. Our love transcends the veil, my shadow. The separation will be temporary once more.”
I shake my head. No, I can’t be away from her. The panic radiates through me again, racing into my veins until my body starts to tremble.
“No, Milly. I don’t want to spend the rest of my human existence without you. I have never felt morealivethan I have in your presence. Maybe?—”
She covers my mouth immediately, her hair flaring with the power of her ghostly form as her body brightens to a briefly blinding glow. Her red hair floats around her body as if there is zero gravity holding her onto this planet. Her clothes remain the same color, as do her eyes, but the radiance around her twinkles like rays of light hitting stained glass, bursts of rainbows buzzing around her as I lose myself in her pulchritude. I gasp into her palm as I watch her glimmer.
“Holy shit,” I say as I lean back, watching her body become something magnificent and threatening.
“Let us speak no more of what I fear you were about to propose.” She shakes her head in harsh motions at me, her voice subtly shaking with rage. “Its mere suggestion is unthinkable.”
I remain slack-jawed, my mouth still covered by her hand as I watch the radiance fade into the soft glow that I have grown accustomed to.
She drops her hand, stroking my arm, as her emotion settles.
“What—what was that?” I ask in shock.
She scratches her head, trying to find the right words. “It would seem that, if only for the briefest moment, I allowed my emotions to gain the upper hand of my control.” She glances away, and I lift her chin with my hand to look into her eyes, showing her my awe.
“You arebreathtaking.Rage and all.”She tries to deny it with a shake of her head. “No. Milly, you are truly sensational. Is that your true form?”
“It was my power, Shadow. Emotion bears the greatest of strength.”
My brain flashes back to when she brought me pleasure and finds myself blushing at the thought of how spent she had been. That truly meant as much for her as it did for me.
“Wait, Milly.” I bring my hands up to her arms and hold her tightly. “Are you too weak now? Am I going to lose you again for a few hours?” I start to panic at the thought that our remaining hours will be spent separated, like our inevitable end. “Milly, please?—”
“Shh, shh, Shadow.” She giggles softly at my worry as she drags herpointer finger down my bottom lip. “I am quite well. I have noticed as of late that I have found…newfound strength.”
She reflects momentarily, pulling her hand away from my lips to observe them. “An alteration to my essence so sudden that I dare not question.”
I release an exhale. “I just—I couldn’t think about not spending our last night together.”
She breaks from her trance and looks back into my eyes. “Fret not, Shadow. I am yours until the very last moment, and even in the realms that follow.”
I gently press her sideways to lay her back flat on the cushions of the couch. I remain straddled across her lap, looking down at her. Her nose scrunches slightly as she grins, those beautiful curls cascading around her head, to the freckles that create constellations of endless stories she has yet to tell me.
There will never be enough time on this earth with her. If these are our final moments, I’ll make them count. But I know I will seek her in every world, behind every veil. Nothing will separate us, not when I know deep in my marrow that our souls know one another. Milly is myhome.
I lean over her, propping my arms on each side of her head as I bring my lips slowly to hers. I press against them tenderly as I hear her sigh into my kiss.
