“The eye of the storm, huh?” I ask.
“You could say that,” he smiles sadly.
“Well, I don’t mind knowing that there’s more madness to follow,” I say, resting my hand against his cheek. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s worth it. This little moment of peace is worth a lifetime of panic and pressure and pain.”
“I don’t want that life for you,” he says fiercely, “I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you’re never in danger again.”
“Still,” I smile, “Even if danger is nipping at our heels for the rest of our lives, I won’t mind. There’s still nowhere else I’d rather be. You know that, don’t you Lukas?”
“Don’t you mean Charles?” he grins.
“Oh, right,” I laugh, “My mistake.”
“You’re quite the companion, my dear Susanna,” he tells me, “Thanks for stumbling into my life.”
“Thanks for yanking me into your crazy, fucked up world,” I laugh, “You know...I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
We curl up together on the narrow, worn couch, drifting off into a late afternoon doze as the sun sinks lower on the horizon. He may be right. This may only be a temporary moment of stillness before the powerful storm finds us once again...but until the rains begin to fall, before the winds pick up, I’m going to enjoy this little pocket of sunshine. Then, even when the days grow short and I wonder if the sun will ever shine again, I’ll at least have a happy memory or two to look back on. And that’s more than I could have said before my new life with Lukas began.
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THE END
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