Eleanor & Grey

by Brittainy C. Cherry

“I know, honey. I believe that, too, but just because two people are meant to be together, doesn’t mean it has to happen right this second. Sometimes the best love stories are about those who waited.”

If I couldn’t have all of his love yet, I didn’t want to keep falling for someone who wouldn’t be able to catch me.

“From this point on, we work as a unit, okay? We’re a team, and we are there for each other all the time. Through thick and thin. If we fall, we fall together. If we break, we shatter as one. That’s who we are. That’s our promise. Promise?” he asked.

“Promise,” Lorelai replied. “Promise,” Karla echoed. Greyson looked toward me with those eyes that healed me, and I released a quiet sigh. “Promise.”

We lay down in the bed, facing each other. We weren’t touching, but I swore I felt him. I felt his heartbeats. When he hurt, my heart cried. When he was in pain, my eyes were the ones to weep. That’s how close the two of us were. Our love story was so much more than a romantic tale. Our story was about friendship. About family. About looking out for those who always looked out for you.

His soul was born to be loved by mine.

“Still here, Grey,” I whispered as his head lay against the curve of my neck. Still here.

I meant that down to the deepest parts of my soul. I’d give up my world for my daughters. I’d surrender it all if it meant their hearts would be okay.

“You. It was you, Greyson. And who knows? Maybe this is our thing. Maybe we come together when we need each other most, and then we move on again.”

He shook his head and looked up toward me. “My world is better with you in it. I just need you to know that. I just can’t be what you deserve right now, but I promise to my core that I will work on becoming the man worthy enough to love you. Because at the end of the day, you’re the one I want to fall asleep beside. You’re the one I want to wake up to come morning. Now I know that it’s not fair of me to ask you to wait, but—”

Our foreheads touched, and we took our inhales together. In that moment, our timing was right. He was there, and I was there, and we were one.

He softly said, “I want to kiss you, but I can’t. Not now. Not yet. But I just need you to know, when I kiss you next…” his breaths danced against my skin as his words spilled into my soul, “It will be forever.”

“I know. It’s just hard to explain what exactly we were. She was her, I was me, and we were us. There was no label for it. We were just two people helping each other breathe.”

He was my first love, but it wasn’t simply a romantic thing. He wasn’t even my boyfriend, and I could count on two fingers the number of times we kissed in our youth. He was just him, I was me, and we were us.

I smiled, she smiled, and damn, I loved it.

More of that, Ellie… I missed those smiles.

“You’ve been my true north since the day I met you. You’ve healed my family in more ways than I could count. You brought me back to life after my soul had died. You save my life each and every time you cross my mind. Just the thought of you heals me. I know we have things to figure out. I know there are hurdles that we have to jump, but if you’re willing, I am willing to take the leap. I want to leap and fly with you and only you for the rest of my life. So, what do you say?”

My mouth crashed against hers as I pulled her to me. We kissed for our past, we kissed for our present, and we kissed for our future. Her lips took mine as if they were promising me forever. Forever. This kiss meant forever. And I was okay with that fact.

We made it. After all these years, we began to descend on to our beautiful chapters. The chapters where pain became beauty. Where heartaches began to heal. Where always met forever.

She was she, I was me, and we were us. This was our story. This was our always and forever. And i...

Of course we loved each other. I was certain when our love began all those years ago, it never really stopped.

He brushed his hand under his nose and cleared his throat. “You’ll take care of her?” “Yes, sir,” I promised. “For as long as we both shall live.”

“Would it be all right if I kept you forever? I know I said that before, but like, really this time? Can I keep you?” “Yes, Ellie.” He chuckled lightly, and kissed my forehead as both of our eyes began to shut. “I’m yours.”

You are the definition of happiness, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted. I wanted to be happy. Which is why I want to spend the rest of my life in the arms of you.”

“Eleanor Gable, you are my heartbeats, my laughter, and my love. Will you marry me?”

My heart was exploding into a million pieces. The three of them and their love was what made this life of mine whole.

As he pulled back, he smiled, and I smiled back. “More of that, Ellie,” he said as he leaned in and kissed my lips once more. Yes, exactly. More of that.