1 (jaylor) wisteria hearts and caged folk songs

chapter twenty.

When Taylor and Joe got back to the car, it was nearly completely dark. The bird song was beginning to slow down, and a few stars peeked through the foggy mist.
"I always keep thinking that every day we spend together just can't get any better than the day before," Joe said on their ride home. "But they do. Every day I spend with you seems to get better than the last. Every day I wake up beside you... I love you more than the night before." Taylor felt her heart melt. How did she deserve this? What had she done to deserve him? Did she really deserve someone to treat her like this? She didn't think so. But here he was. And she'd never been so sure of something in her entire life.
"Today has been the best day ever." She said as Joe took her hand while they drove. "I love you so much."
She'd never wanted to say i love you as much as she did with Joe. She wanted to scream it from the Windermere peaks... but then it was also something that she wanted to keep entirely to herself. She didn't want to have to share it with anyone else. She didn't want people to pick their relationship apart, make comments about their compatibility or the fact that she had moved on so quickly. Maybe one day she'd feel comfortable enough to talk about him, to tell people. But for now, it was their little secret. She liked that it was something that only they knew about. It added to the surprise of it all, it felt like a gift. It felt so precious, like a candle that they had to keep alight.

Even at night, the entire place was spectacular.
"The northern lights!" Taylor shrieked as she looked out the window. She'd never seen them before, and she ran down the stairs and threw open the front door. She stood with her toes on the damp, cold ground, looking up. The entire sky was alive, twinkling and sparkling. Joe followed a few steps behind her and draped a coat across her shoulders so she wouldn't get too cold, as she was only wearing a T-shirt. It was bitterly cold, but Taylor didn't mind. She couldn't comprehend how beautiful it was. She'd never seen the Aurora's before, and she didn't even know how to best describe it.
Joe pulled her into him, and she leaned her head onto his chest. He was looking up at the sky, and she smiled. She turned around to face him, pressing her lips to his. She loved him so fucking much.
"I've never seen them before." She said between kisses. "I can't believe it." She knew that it was a rare event to see the Northern Lights here. It made their holiday even more special - like it meant something. She knew that barely anyone got to see them because they happened infrequently, and her eyes welled up. This was a sign from the universe that she was meant to be here. She was meant to be here in this moment, with her lover, with the man that was helping her broken pieces heal.

"They are beautiful," Joe kissed her, brushing a strand of hair away from her cheek, "But they don't hold a flame to you when there's that sparkle in your eyes." He was looking directly at her, and Taylor felt her heart warm. If it was possible for her entire body to turn into glitter, it would have by now. She felt like a snow globe, really. A snow globe with a scene that was so pretty and happy, and she got to spin in it forever. Dancing around, living in a globe with only Joe and herself. And she'd stay there forever if she could.
"I'll never get tired of looking at you watching the stars." Joe kissed her. "It's something that I could watch forever."
Taylor sighed, cupping his cheeks. "You're so beautiful." It was Joe's turn to blush.
"No." He kissed the tip of her nose. She giggled as he did so. Her feet felt icy cold, and the damp mist wove itself around them. She was so happy. She was happy. She wanted to dance around in the damp grass, under the obsidian sky, because she was so happy. Another one of the strings that Adam controlled her with was cut.
She threw her arms out, into the night air, and took a couple of steps away from Joe. She spun around with her arms out, laughing. She was happy. She was so happy. Happiness was one of those great secrets of the universe that she had thought she'd never feel in her life again.
Joe laughed as he took one of her hands, letting her twirl beneath it. He was cold too, his breath hanging in the frozen air, but none of that mattered.
He kissed her again. He kissed her with every inch of love he felt for her, kissed her with every inch of that string of gold.
"We'll catch a cold if we stay out here much longer." He caught her as she spun, pulling her in for a hug. "There's going to be plenty more nights like this."
"I know..." Taylor sighed with a smile. "But I just love it out here so much."
Joe loved how happy she was. It was like she'd finally let go of all the hurt she'd felt. Like she was finally beginning to love life again. And it was so nice to watch. Because it was like he was watching her bloom. She'd been planted in an ice-cold lake, drowning under the weight of dark waters. But she'd done what flowers do best - bloomed towards the sun.