Where Time Stands Still

by N.S. Perkins

She’s the kind of person who commands attention, no matter what she does. I’ve known that since the moment I sat beside her at that bar, like a gravitational pull from one large planet to a smaller one.

His eyes don’t leave mine, even after I’ve stopped speaking. They’re intimidating. As if they could read me if he tried.

It had been a long time since I’d felt this seen.

When I opened the door to the cabin, I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. Aaron was there, clad in gray sweat pants and a white T-shirt that hugged every single muscle in his chest. It was truly something out of a dream.

It’s not even like Wren makes an effort to be funny or lovable; she simply is.

If Wren says it’ll be okay, then it’ll be okay.

“Look, I’m not letting you drive two hours back and forth alone in the dark even if you give me the biggest stare-down in the world. Deal with it.”

He drove here. On Christmas night. Because he knew I would be alone.

Aaron Scott-Perez alone? Very handsome. Aaron Scott-Perez on my landing on Christmas night with a Tupperware full of food he knows I couldn’t cook for myself? Sexy as hell. But Aaron Scott-Perez talking to my dog while petting her? I’m melting. Literally. I’m so hot, I think I’ll need to reapply deodorant in a few minutes.

I only stare at Wren. It’s as if her gaze is magnetic. I have no choice but to maintain it.

She’s pure magic.

“Make me burn, Wren.”

This was indeed ❤️‍🔥

This man makes me feel things I never thought were possible. He makes me feel beautiful. He gives me warmth. He lights me up.

The taste of him is exactly what I imagine the minute after jumping off the plane to be like, just before the parachute opens. Pure ecstasy.

Dying without having experienced Aaron’s lips on my body would’ve been a sin.

I’m drowning in him.

“When are you going to realize that making you happy makes me happy?”

In this moment, I realize if there was one thing I could wish for, it would be to live in a world where time stands still. Where Aaron and I could keep living without growing old, our bodies stuck in this place in time. This way, nothing would stop me from begging him to stay with me. I wouldn’t ever get sick. He’d never have to say goodbye. We could just be, together.

how can you not see I’m so in love with you I can hardly breathe?”

She’s a drug, and what can an addict to but ask for his next fix?

“You see his love as being just as worthwhile, if not more. You’ve understood the truth. That the depth of one’s love does not equal to the time it will last. And that’s exactly how I feel about you.”

“If you didn’t care for me, I would let you go. But Wren, I know you’re in love with me, and guess what? I’m so fucking in love with you too. So no, I’m not letting you go. You run away, I’m right behind you.”

I’d much rather have the certainty of you than the possibility of something I might never want.”

“I know forgetting scares you, and I get it. I get it so much. But don’t worry about our memories, cariño. They’re safe with me.”