Her Dark Shadow

The Wood Sparked Matcho (Part Two)

February 16: The Wood, The Spark, The Dark

Megan and I've been walking for about an hour now, just chatting away.
I've had to half carry her a couple times, her ankle is bad, but she won't let us take a break.
"I'm not weak." She would say playfully every time I'd suggest we sit.
When it feels like there's not a deeper spot in the vast wood, she stops.
"I'm done." She says, and lowers herself, but when she tries, she let's out a sharp gasp of pain.
"Megan?!"
"I'm fine!" She snaps, panting.
Her glare slowly turns back into a 'smile' which is more of a grimace.
"And no Megsters?" She wonders, joking, back to her lighthearted tone. She stands up straight again, and lets out a cry of pain.
"No, Megan! No Megsters! You said you weren't in pain! You made us keep going, and now your leg's probably worse!"
"Well...I wanted to go to the middle...I wanted...privacy..."
I look at her with surprise on my face.
"...What for...?"
"Well...you seemed pretty set on that kiss, and...well, I decided, what the heck? I want to have a baby with you--I mean! Uh..." She scratches the back of her head. "Um...sorry, I...I don't know, I sometimes ramble, I don't want to have a kid with you--I mean, I do! Don't get me wrong, when it comes to that I'll totally want it...but, ah...I guess...that was just really embarrassing, and now look at me. What am I saying? I'm babbling. Look, I wanted to take you here for our first kiss, and I didn't want you to carry me the rest of the way here because one, I wouldn't make you do that, and two, I...I was afraid you would make us go back to the car because of the pain, maybe even to the doctor, I don't know, just--"
"Megan, what?! The doctor?! It hurts that bad?!"
"Well...yeah...but I don't care! It's not broken, only sprained, and we can sit now!" She says.
"No, Megan! We need to help your leg!"
"Do you want that kiss or not, Corbin?"
"I...fine...but then...then right after, we're going to the doctor!"
"Fine then." She says in a mad tone. "Now kiss me, you jerk!" She demands.
"What if I don't want to kiss yo--" She interrupts my sentence my pressing her lips to mine forcefully, mad as she is.
When I get over the shock of it, my mouth starts to move with hers. We are together, I know it now, we were meant to be. I can taste it in her hidden tears, feel it in my heart. Breath it in and out my lungs, a hammer in my chest. Feel it in my lips and her's. She is mine.
...
Megan seems to realise what she's doing, so...she stops.
"Let's...let's sit..." She breaths.
I pick her up bridal style and sit on a tree root so she doesn't haft to hurt herself again.
I lean down, craving another kiss, but she stops me.
"Corbin..." She sighs. "I...This is why I didn't want...this-this seriousness-this is why...I didn't want a kiss. This...I can feel...I can't explain it...You're my...my partner now, even though we have been for a couple months, I know that but..." She sighs again.
"I know what you mean."
Another sigh.
"I mean...don't get me wrong, I want to be with you, I want you...I just...I always told myself I wouldn't need a man, always told myself I was strong, I would be independent. I told myself that I was better than...I didn't need a family..."
I look down at her, and there're tears in her eyes.
"When uncle Conner died, I confirmed it. Family's only bring pain. You never know when a member'll be gone. They drain your money, with all the crap they need. They keep you from fun, you're not able to do anything you want for-legally-eighteen years. So essentially, you're worried, broke, and locked up forever, a done deal, no going back.
"That's why I never got pregnant, you know. Not because I was responsible, or smart. It was because I was selfish, I knew what would be taken from me, from my partner. And...I forbid myself. From ever stealing my own life away with stupidity..."
"That's not selfish. It is smart. Now you can finish High School, maybe even go to college, if that's what you want. A baby isn't holding you back."
"I guess...listen, Corbin, I liked that kiss. I think I liked it a little too much, to be honest. So...can we just go back to normal? I mean--the talking sort of relationship? Because...I want your mind, not your body."
"Yes, Megsters, we can go back to that."
Her and I sit in silence for who knows how long, and it starts to get dark. I pull out three wool blankets, a thermos, two mugs, and some left over mashed potatoes.
Then, after our meal, we put our supplies in the bag, and try and head back to the car.
Yep, try.
"Ah!" Megan quickly covers the cry with a hiss.
"Megan?"
"What?" She snaps through clenched teeth."
"Let's...stay here for the night, okay? My cell phone won't work out here and...I really don't want to carry you in the dark, okay?"
"I guess." She holds back tears, I can hear it in the wobble of her voice.
So we stay for the rest of the night, our dreams probably both the same.
How we're gonna get attacked by wolfs.

You know that time of night when you're half asleep and half awake? When you don't necessarily have dreams, but the noises around you play into your unconsciousness?
Yeah, me too.
"Corbin?" Megan's whisper is barley audible.
"Yeah?" I ask into the darkness.
"One last kiss?"

And you get the picture.