by Aurelia Fray
Cole lightly laughed as a tear trickled down his cheek. “Well, in that case, can I keep you forever?”
I didn’t know how to tell him that I only had one day left. That this was temporary and soon I’d be gone forever.
“Baby,” I hesitated and nuzzled his cheek. “No matter where I am. No matter if you can see me or not. I’ll always be with you.” That was the best answer I could give him. He would always have my heart. No other man had come before him and there would never be one after him. I belonged to him. Eternally.
“You can’t stay, can you?” Cole’s voice wavered.
“No.”
“Then, take me with you.” His blue eyes flashed to mine, a spark of determination igniting a fire within them.
“I…I can’t, Cole. Your time isn’t up yet.” The look in his eyes turned my stomach. “No. Don’t even think about it. Promise me you won’t do what I know you’re considering in that stubborn head of yours.”
“I refuse to live without you.” He clenched his jaw.
For a moment, I didn’t respond. I knew that if the situation were reversed, I would feel the exact same way. But, Cole still had so much life ahead of him. Maybe he could even fall in love again. Just because this was the end for me didn’t mean that it had to be the end for him as well.
“Live for me. You will never be without me.” I rested my forehead against his and shut my eyes, breathing in the scent that was all him. “Every time you laugh, I’ll hear it. Any time you feel alone, I’ll be right there with you. And know that when your time eventually comes, hopefully not until you’re old and gray, I’ll be on the other side waiting for you.”
A cry shuddered out of Cole and he gripped my shirt, burying his face in my neck. “It’s not fair. We didn’t get enough time together. All of the plans we had… Damn it, Caleb.” He whimpered and I felt fresh tears streaming down his cheeks. “I never got to marry you.”
With my eyes still closed, I wrapped my arms around Cole and held him as close as I possibly could.
He proposed to me on Christmas. Some people may have thought it to be cheesy, but Cole knew me better than anyone and knew that I was a total sap and loved romantic gestures. Logs crackled in the fireplace and snow quietly fell outside. We lived away from town, so nothing surrounded us except for trees and wildlife. The Christmas tree, bright and luminescent, twinkled in the corner of the living room, as the smell of turkey and spices drifted throughout our home. While waiting on the food to finish cooking, Cole called me into the living room.
When I entered, he stood with his back to me and looked out the tall window, watching as the snow fell outside, a small, black box in his hand. The proposal had been simple, but perfect. And afterward, we made love by the warm hearth.
That was just a pipedream now. The wedding we discussed and the bright future we planned were nothing but false hopes and dreams that would never come to pass.
“Caleb?” Cole whispered. “Kiss me.”
Opening my eyes, I pulled back to look at him. His baby blues were hooded as he gazed at me, love and desperation swirling in their azure depths. Cupping his face, I captured his soft lips, moaning when his sweet flavor hit my tongue.
My paradise was here with him.
How was I going to leave him behind?
Chapter Five
The next morning, Cole and I lay in our bed, entwined around each other as he slept peacefully against my chest. As the hours had passed, I had become less transparent and more solid, able to hold onto him as if I was almost alive once again. His breaths came out in soft puffs and feathered along my skin. The earthy scent that always drifted off of him filled my senses as I held him close.
Trailing my fingertips down the soft skin of his back, I felt my heart break a little more. My time had almost run out and in just a few more hours, I’d have to leave.
How would it be in the afterlife? The place that had been waiting behind the tear of the veil hadn’t looked so bad. It had been beautiful and welcoming, giving off an aura of peace and tranquility. The unknown frightened me, though. Would I still have my memories when I crossed over?
The thought of leaving Cole crushed me, but the thought of not even remembering him filled me with a devastation that was earth shattering.
As I lay there, holding him close, my breaths were sharp as panic gripped me.
Cole’s eyes fluttered open and he stirred. “Caleb? What’s wrong?”
Frozen with fear, I couldn’t speak. My hold on him tightened and I leaned down, burying my face in his hair.
“Baby?” He sounded alarmed. Rising up, he shifted his position and held me close to him, petting my hair as he pressed kisses to the top of my head.
“I’m scared, Cole,” I confessed, my voice shaking. “What will it be like? What if there’s nothing but darkness? What if I can’t remember anything? What if… if I forget you?”
“Look at me.” He pulled my face up to look at him, his blue eyes intense. “I know it’s scary, not knowing what waits for you. But, you’ve got to have faith that it will be okay.” Pausing, he placed a kiss to my cheek. “Death isn’t the end. Don’t you remember Peter Pan, babe? Death is just the next voyage you get to have. And you won’t forget me.”
“How do you know?” Hearing him talk had a calming effect on me.
“Because we’re soul mates,” he whispered against my lips. “Your body may be gone, but your soul lives forever. That’s why I think I can see you now, hold you, and kiss you. Our souls are connected. Forever. And nothing, not even death, can take that away from us.”
It was then that I knew everything would be okay. Just like I knew he would catch me when I took my leap of faith into his arms, and allowed him into my heart. This wasn’t the end for us. When I left Cole, a part of him would always be with me.
For I had the other part of his soul, just as he did mine.
***
The fire crackled as Cole and I sat close to the hearth, our fingers entwined and our lips pressed together. Outside, the wind howled as another cold front blew in, bringing more snow with it. I loved the snow and took it as a good farewell.
Death would arrive any moment.
I had already started to fade, my body slowly becoming transparent again.
“I love you,” Cole whispered as he cupped my face in a gentle hold.
“Not as much as I love you.” I grinned.
In the dim light, tears glistened in his eyes as he stared at me. “You’re fading away. I’m not ready for you to leave yet.”
Lifting my arm, I caressed the hand that was cupping my face. “Neither of us is ready. I don’t think we ever will be. But, at least we got the chance to have a proper goodbye.” As I spoke, my hold on him became lighter. The last grains of sand in the hourglass of my life were almost at an end. “Promise me something.”
“What?” A low whimper escaped him.
“Don’t spend the rest of your life in misery. I want you to live, really live. Find love again and—”
“No. I can’t promise that. I don’t want anyone but you.” Cole shook his head and a tear fell free.
Using my thumb, I wiped it from his cheek. “At least promise me that if someone does come along, someone that you could see yourself happy with, don’t let him go.”
“I promise.” He lowered his gaze and rested his head against mine.
Looking over his shoulder, I saw Death.
“I have to go now.” Pulling back, I looked into Cole’s blue eyes. “I love you more than anything; in this world and in the next.” I leaned in and kissed him, breathing him in and tasting him one last time.
And then I disappeared.
One second, I was holding onto Cole, and in the next, I was standing in front of Death.
“I’m ready,” I told the entity. And it was the truth. I had gotten to say my goodbyes to the one person who I loved above all others, the man who had, and would always have, my heart.
A bright light flashed and Death lif
ted his cloaked arm to point toward it.
I looked back at Cole. He sat in the same spot he was before, staring at the crackling fire as tears streamed down his face. Although he was upset, I knew he would be okay. And I’d be waiting for him on the other side.
Walking toward the light, my entire body shook like a leaf. This was it. The end. I reached the hole and hesitated before walking all the way through. The same view from last time greeted me; a tranquil paradise with crystal blue waters, swaying trees, and the greenest of grass. A new adventure.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped through.
Epilogue
The afterlife wasn’t as terrifying as I had imagined it to be. There was no sadness here, no pain and no worries. It was absolute paradise. Everyone lived happily and comfortably, and there were no wars or intolerance that tore people apart. The passage of time was different here, no one ever aged and disease and sickness were nonexistent.
The only thing missing was Cole.
But, although I missed him, I never felt saddened, for I knew he would eventually find me again. Time was all I had in this new life, so I would wait as long as it took. My memories of him never diminished, like I had once feared. If anything, they became more vibrant in my mind as each day passed, filling me with joy and warmth that only he could bring me.
In his world, many years had come to pass. Every so often, I’d be able to see Cole. Only glimpses. But enough to see the attractive man he had become. No longer a boy, but a strong man who became even more handsome as time touched him.
He never did find another to love. But he seemed content in his life. He had become a college professor, teaching literature. I rubbed off on him, I supposed. Or maybe he felt closer to me that way.
Sitting on a large rock, I dangled my feet off the edge into the blue, crystal clear water, completely lost in my thoughts.
“Caleb?”
That voice. I’d recognize it anywhere.
With my heart pounding rapidly in my chest, I turned around. Happy tears filled my eyes as I looked at Cole. He looked exactly like he had when I had left him all those years ago. He was no longer an older man, but a young man in his prime.
Quicker than I thought possible, Cole was in front of me and had me nestled to his chest. His earthy scent enveloped me, causing a small moan to escape my slightly parted lips. “Oh, Cole.” I tilted my head and gazed up at him, right before he cupped my face and crushed his lips to mine.
I wasn’t sure how long we stayed like that, wrapped up in each other. It didn’t matter, anyway. Time was of no consequence any longer.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he confessed, pulling back from the kiss to look at me.
“I told you I’d be waiting.” I smiled. “But you’re here sooner than I thought you’d be.”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything stupid.” His mesmerizing eyes were bright with excitement. “It was a ruptured aneurism. I didn’t even know I had one until it was too late.”
I cut my eyes at him, although I’m sure the joy in my gaze was unmistakable. “You seem awfully happy about having’ an aneurism.”
Cole laughed, causing me to melt. “I’m not happy about it, you dork. I’m just happy that it caused me to finally find you again. Forever, remember?”
Burying my face in his neck, I planted scattered kisses along his throat, and then smiled. “Forever is kind of a long time.”
He chuckled and tightened his arms around me. “What? Afraid you’ll get sick of me?”
“Nope. Never.” I ran my nose along his jaw and nipped at his bottom lip with my teeth.
“Good.” Smiling, he laid back on the grass, pulling me on top of him. Our lips found each other, moving slowly as our tongues swirled and danced together.
Cole was here with me, and always would be.
Death really was the next magnificent adventure. Our future had never been taken from us, I realized, as I laid on top of him in our Elysium. It had just been postponed temporarily, until fate brought us together again.
True love conquered all—even death.
The End
I’LL BE SEEING YOU
Iskra Ryder
Sanya's not sure what she's looking for in the huge bazaar, or flea market, or whatever it is. Maybe it's someone she's trying to find, not something? All she knows is that she's looking as hard as she can and she'll know when she finds it. Or them. She has to.
She looks over a table filled with clocks and watches. That's not it. Another is covered in tiny glass forget-me-nots, which are beautiful, but not what she's looking for, either. Sanya scans the people around her, but she doesn't recognize any of them. Then she sees him standing out in a black shirt and jeans, the crowd parting around him as he runs toward her through the aisle between stalls.
"Sanya!" he shouts.
"Almos?" Sanya whispers.
"Sanya!" Almos makes it through the milling people to stand in front of her. He looks the same as he always has, stocky and buzz-cut with a brilliant smile. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"
"I've been looking for you, too," Sanya says, because now that she sees Almos, of course she was looking for him. Who else could it possibly have been? "Where have you been?"
"That doesn't matter," Almos says, waving the idea away like a bothersome fly. He takes both of Sanya's hands in his and squeezes them. "We're here now."
Then it hits Sanya like a rock thrown from a passing car why she's missed Almos so much. "I thought you were dead," she says, pulling back. "Everybody did."
"But I'm here, now," Almos says. He brings her hands to his lips and kisses her knuckles, and it's heartbreakingly sweet. "Come with me."
Sanya could say no. She said no to all kinds of his ideas back in high school because they'd get caught or because she just plain didn't want to. His death—his death—was a wrenching pain, still barely scabbed over. Part of her wants to be mad at him for tricking her, for tricking all of them, like that. But having him here, now, warm and present, sending hot zings of electricity through her everywhere they touch means so much to her and she doesn't want to say no. "All right," she says.
***
In what must be Almos's bedroom, surprisingly clean and painted turquoise, he leans her up against the door, framing her face with his hands. "I've wanted to do this for years," he says, so close that she can feel his breath ghosting across her cheeks.
Sanya's heart is pounding in her chest, so hard that when she looks down, she's surprised she can't see it thumping against the thin fabric of her dress. "Why didn't you?" she asks, tilting her face back up to his.
"I don't know. Does it matter?" Almos asks. He doesn't wait for her to answer, just kisses her. It's intense, almost desperate, from all of the years of pent-up longing on both of their parts. The solid weight of him presses Sanya into the door, and she cups the fuzzy back of his head, holding on tight as she kisses him back with everything she's wanted him to know.
"I missed you so much," she says when he moves to kiss her throat, sucking and biting. The sharp sting tells her it'll leave marks and she's glad of it. "I thought I was never going to, ah! See you again."
Almos presses their foreheads together, looking into her eyes. "You can see me now," he says, stroking over the bite marks with his thumbs. They're delightfully tender, and she leans into the touch.
"Yeah," Sanya says, wrapping her hands around his wrists. "I can see you now."
They keep kissing, more leisurely now, pressed together full-length. It's wonderful, like they're making up for a whole lot of lost time with the slow slide of their tongues, the pressure of his cock against her hip, his thigh against her clit. Sanya doesn't think she's ever been so happy.
"Let me go down on you," Almos says suddenly, like it's just occurred to him that he can ask her for things like that now. "I want to."
Sanya swallows. "Okay," she says. "If you're sure." She likes the idea, loves it, in fact. But, honestly, she'd be just as happy to keep kissing and grindin
g forever if he isn't enthusiastic about it.
"I'm really sure. I love going down on women, and I've wanted to do this to you for—
God. Practically since I knew what it was."
"Well," Sanya says, and loses her train of thought, gone hazy with lust. "Well. When you put it like that, don't let me stop you."
Almos kisses her again, deep and searching, then takes her by the shoulders and turns her around, nudging her to sit down on the edge of the bed. Sanya's not a small woman, and she likes the way he can move her to where he wants her with very little effort. It makes her feel dainty.
"Almos," she says as he gets down on his knees and spreads her thighs apart with his wide, callused hands.
"Yeah?" He looks up at her, hazel eyes guileless. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she says. "I just wanted to say your name."
Almos grins at her cockily. "Oh, you'll be saying it again," he says, and rucks her dress up to her waist, exposing her. "God, you're beautiful."
The cool breeze makes her shiver, cold where she's dripping wet, but it's replaced in a moment by Almos's mouth, which isn't cold at all. He's good. Oh, God, is he good with a clever tongue and big, blunt fingers that seem to find every little place to drive Sanya crazy. It's like he's known her forever, which, technically, she supposes he has, but not like this. God, if they could only have figured things out a little sooner, how much time would they have had together?
"Almos," she says, "Almos --"
He licks into her, swirls his tongue around her clit, presses his fingers in until she's sobbing with pleasure, not even saying his name anymore, just meaningless syllables.
"Can you go again?" he asks, while Sanya is still quivering with the aftershocks of a toe-curling orgasm.
"I…think so," she says, catching her breath.
"Good," Almos says, and does it all over again.
It's not long before Sanya finds herself begging him to fuck her. "Please," she says, "I want to feel you inside me." It might be a cliché, but it's how she feels, damn it. She has him back, at long last. She wants all of him and she doesn't want to wait.