Fall Shook Up

by Piper Sheldon

“Can we kiss now?” “God, yes.” I pulled her into my arms, holding her as tight as I could, my mouth on hers. Her arms trembled slightly as she held me back, pouring so much into our kiss. She must be exhausted physically and mentally, but I couldn’t let go of her, not yet. I was too relieved to have her back in my arms. I leaned back, breaking our kiss, to look at her. My jaw clenched as my gaze moved over her beautiful face. “I’ve missed you so much,” I said. I studied her dark slash of brows, the line of her cheeks, and the deep dimples on either side of her wide, luscious mouth. She licked her lips as I watched. “I’ve missed you too.” I dropped my forehead to hers. “Let me help you unpack.”

She held my face in her hands, and little did she know, she held my entire soul too.

lazily played with the strands of her hair, thinking about how beautiful she was. How much I loved her. How thankful I was that she was here. I told her so. “I love you too. I love it here. It feels so right,” she said. “I’m glad you feel that way. You feel like home to me.” She rolled her head to kiss my chest, and I pulled her up to be shoulder to shoulder with me. “No place has felt like home before I found you.”

“And you promise to tell me if I ever go too far or away too long? You’ll bring me back to you?” I asked him. I still had the low-level hum of fear, even with the therapy, that if I relaxed too much and felt too happy, I would miss the signs of change around me and would lose everything. “I promise,” he said. He held my gaze as he spoke. “I will always find you and bring you back to me.” I sighed. “Claire, some sort of magic drew us together, but it’s the commitment that will grow us into something beautiful.” “Oh,” I said. “I promise to prioritize you the way we prioritize our souls’ needs. I’ll prioritize you in the way I prioritize art and you with your research, with a gentle determination and commitment to getting it right. I won’t just stop if it becomes challenging because I know the best things are born of time and effort. You are the best thing. This life I want to make with you is as important to me as it was to my mom. All I want is to stretch these days into years and make memories with you.”