It will always be him

It will always be him.
The way his blue eyes shine
Or his sensual lips smirk.
The way his dimple makes me forget.
His smooth hands on my skin.

It will always be him
The softness of his hair
The self-depracation of his humor.
His depth of intelligence.
His insecurity.

It will always be him
His selfish disregard
His addictive ways
His gentleness
His passion

It will always be him
His innocence
His wisdom beyond his years
His temper
His loyalty to his friends.

It will always be him.

The Closet

It’s dark. So dark. I can’t see my hand in front of my face. I know it’s there, I can feel the energy generated by the limb. My nerves are tingling all over my body. Waiting, for what’s to come.

I’m not sure what will happen if I move, but it can’t be good. The air around me is charged, as if any spark might ignite it. Maybe that would make it better. Set it on fire. Set me free.

I hear something. A shuffle perhaps.

Small. Something tiny moving quickly in the dark.

It’s not him. He hasn’t found me. Yet.

My breathing is shallow. Quietly, so no one can hear me.

I’ve been in the dark for what seems like hours, days. It’s surely only been moments.

I sit motionless. Any movement may give me away, my hiding place.

If he finds me, what will he do?

Thank God, the babies at Mom’s. I couldn’t hide him too. He’s so little. He doesn’t know to be quiet. He’s safer, no matter what happens to me.

His father is mad. He’s trying to find him but I won’t let him. If he finds me, he’ll kill me. All that matters to him is the baby. I made him mad. I sent the baby away without telling him.

I was trying to escape as well but there was something I forgot and he came home. Now I won’t ever see my baby again.

A muffled crash interrupts the silence. I jump and my elbow bumps a broom in the dark. I grab the pole just in time.

Lucky, so far.

I hold my breath just in case. Where did the noise come from?

Heavy footfalls come closer, traveling up the stairs. Closer.

Please don’t let him open the door. Please don’t let him find me.

I’ve been hiding so long, crouched in the dark. I’m not sure my legs would respond if I had to run. I have nowhere to go. I have to wait him out.

Please go away. I can’t stand this anymore. Maybe I could make a run for it?

I quietly scoot towards the door, placing my ear against the cool wood. My imagination manifests an image of my pursuer on the other side of the many layers separating us. Confidence builds within me as I sense his presence.

He calls me. He sounds worried. Maybe I’m wrong? Maybe it’s a trick? He’s trying to lure me into a false sense of complacency. I curl into a ball. They told me he would hurt me and my baby.

They said we weren’t safe. They said he lied to us. He didn’t really love us and never would. They’re my friends but no one else sees them. I don’t have to share them with anyone. They take care of me, giving me warnings. I need to get back to my friends. They’ve been quiet for so long. Where did they go?

My heart pounds and my breathing quickens. Sweat beads on my forehead and drips down my back.

He’ll hear you. Calm down.

They’re here. They know I can’t handle the dark. The noises of all the things I can’t see.

What do I do? Wait.

Silence. Maybe he gave up?

Suddenly I hear the knob turn. It’s right above my head. My eyes widen. It’s turning slowly. Ever so slowly.

I quickly shuffle as far from the door as I can get in the tiny space. Cowering in the corner, my friends voices grow louder in my ears.

Don’t let him get you. He’ll hurt you and the baby. Protect the baby.

Squeezing my eyes tight, I try to ignore their screams. My hands pressed snug to my ears. My knees tucked under my chin and hot tears cover my cheeks.

It’s him. I’m paralyzed.

He kneels in front of me, scooping me into his arms. It’s so easy for him, as if I weigh nothing. His arms are strong, his chest wide and reassuring.

I feel safe. But the tears won’t stop. I’m confused. It doesn’t feel like he’s mad.

He carried me to the bed, setting me gently against the softness.

My eyes are still shut tight. I’m afraid. Afraid of what I’ll see. I don’t understand what’s happening to me.

He’s talking quietly, his voice full of an emotion I can’t identify. He asks me to look at him. To talk to him.

You can’t trust him. They tell me if I open my eyes he’ll know my secret. He’ll make me go away.

The bed dips beside me, his arm wrapped around me. He’s talking softly. I can’t understand the words. But the sound relaxes me. He’s rocking me like a child, making me feel safe. The hum of his voice is drowning out my friends.

I open my eyes. Nothing looks menacing. It’s the room I share with him. I feel lost inside myself.

 Lifting my head slowly, afraid of what I’ll see. Tears gleam in his eyes. Touching my face and wipes away the tears. Looking in his eyes I forget what I was running from.

I sit with him. I hear a noise. A cry. The baby is here?

He explains that the baby was crying when he got home from work. He couldn’t find me, so he took care of the baby before finding me. He didn’t want to scare me so he let me hide for a time.

He found me where he always finds me.

I’m so very tired. The voices are gone. For now.

He helps me into bed to rest. Then goes to the baby.

Immortal Love Affair (pt 3)

Corey knelt beside her daughter, a small still hand nestled in hers. The next few minutes passed in slow motion. Time seemed to progress as if they moved through quick sand. Langdon's hands moved across Alison's leg, straightening it from its unnatural resting place. Corey was acutely aware of every motion around her. All noises surrounding them were mumbled and unintelligible. Even the breeze that had cooled her moved eerily across her skin like a snake's underbelly.

Corey dragged her head up to look at Langdon and found she couldn't. There was an unearthly glow around him, bright enough she had to look away for fear of burning her retina. Tears burned her eyes as she looked back at her daughter. Who was this man? What was he?

Just as quickly as reality paused, it started again.

"There we go. Just a sprain." replied Langdon as if nothing supernatural had occured.

Corey looked around at the others surrounding them. She must have been imagining things. Shock! That must be it. How else could you explain the way everyone acted as if nothing happened? She must be losing her mind. Shaking her head, she smiled at her overactive imagination.

"Are you sure she's okay?" she asked even as Alison pushed herself to sitting.

"I'm okay, Mom, geesh." She pushed against her mothers arm intent on proving her independance. Although she favored her left leg, she managed to maintain her upright position. Corey stood with her intent on helping her to the bench.

Corey settled her onto the bench so she could watch the rest of the game. She watched Alison sipping from her water bottle, her left leg propped on the bench with an ice pack laying haphazardly across it, forgotten.

"What did you to?" Corey whispered to her silent companion. His intense gaze tickled her spine, the tiny hairs on her neck rustling in anticipation.

"I healed her leg. No one is the wiser."

Corey was grateful he didn't try to play dumb. She knew what she had seen even if she didn't understand it. But there was no way she was going to ignore it any longer. Something about Langdon spoke to her on an elemental level. She wasn't afraid although she knew she should be. Everything she had seen so far painted a picture of an amazing being far beyond anyone she had ever known.

"What amazes me," He continued. "Is that you were aware of the healing. Most mortals are so self-consumed that their brains accept everything they see as reality, even if their souls cry out the discrepency."

Corey turned to face him, her voice low. "Come home with me." She blurted.

Immortal Love Affair (cont)

Corey relaxed, releasing his hand. She reluctantly returned her gaze to the game proceeding before her. She was vaguely aware of the motion of the children and the noise around her. The man beside her still maintained his hold on her concentration. She couldn’t piece together what just happened. The natural distrust she felt around anybody, had evaporated after a few simple words. The feel of his skin against hers made her ache in a way she had never felt before. More intense. It didn’t seem real as if she fallen through the looking glass and found herself in some alternate reality.

“Mom, where’s my water bottle?” A small voice piped up, muffled by the canvas of her equipment bag.

Corey shook herself realizing that some how it was half time and the kids had stopped playing for a moment.

“Oh, here you go, Alli.” Corey reached around the over sized hot pink bag to grab the matching water bottle. Handing it to her daughter she tried hiding her confusion. “Are you having fun? You’re doing great out there.”

“Yeah, it’s okay. Can we get ice cream on the way home?” She asked with casual indifference. It was as if a switch had been flipped and she was detached from the activity she would be returning to in a few minutes.

“We’ll see, honey.” A shrill whistle interrupted her break and Allison set her drink aside. Without a backward glance she ran out on the field and back into the fray.

Corey tried concentrating on the game. Her small daughter stealing the ball, running across the grass, her thin legs pumping. But she couldn't ignore the tingling along her spine. He was staring at her.

"Do you make it a habit to stare at women at soccer games?" she asked her back still turned to him. There was something different about this man.

"Not really. I guess I am more of a people watcher." Came his soft reply. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck lifted causing her to shiver.

A scream yanked her attention back to the field. "Oh, mygod." Corey sprinted to the crowd surrounding the prone figure of her daughter lying on the ground. "What happened? Baby, are you okay?"

Corey dropped beside her daughter, her hands hovering over her body as if she could heal her just by will alone. Alison's left leg was bent at an unnatural angle, her face pale and clammy.

"Let me help." Langdon's warm breath caressed her ear. Her shoulders relaxed as she moved aside for him to kneel beside her daughter.

"Are you a doctor?" She asked, dazed.

"I am many things." came his cryptic reply.