June First

by Jennifer Hartmann

Sniffling, I murmur, “What if my place is with you?” “Then I’m here. I’ll be waiting.” A gasp leaves me as I press my cheek to his chest. “You mean it?” “Of course I mean it.” I can’t stop crying. Even though I know in my heart that I need to do this, it’s the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make. I want to prove to my parents that this isn’t a temporary lapse in sanity, or a dirty little consequence of our tight-knit bond, and I can only do that through time and space. This decision is about more than just dancing. Our future depends on it. Glancing at him with swollen, puffy eyes, I reach up and clasp his face between my palms. “I know we’ll be miles apart, but…” My lips quiver. My hands shake. “You’re still Brant…and I’m still June.” His eyes close, and he says in a strangled breath, “That’s right.” I pull up on my tiptoes to kiss him. “You told me one year on Christmas Eve that sometimes a lot of love can make you cry,” I whisper, pressing a kiss to the little freckle that dots his lower lip. “I didn’t understand it then. I didn’t even want it.” I kiss him again, lingering longer. “But I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world, Brant. Loving you is worth every single tear.”