Out of the Flames

Chapter 11. The Perfect Ending

Chapter 11.

After a nice breakfast of omelettes, muffins and fruit, Edi and I headed out for our last day in New York.

We went skating at the Rockefeller rink and then had overpriced hot chocolate a little cafe on sixth ave. We laughed at ourselves as we toured the city and walked through Times Square getting jostled around by a hundred people rushing off to the next stop in their very important lives.

I didn't stop smiling the entire day and on the plane ride home we smeared our hands across each other's faces pretending to be giving hundred dollar a minute messages to relax the muscles we had grown from smiling. We laughed and laughed and nothing could dim our joy. We were merry and nothing could sober us from the love that was powering our nonsensical behaviour.

We were Romeo and Juliet with a better ending.

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April 14, 2013

We completed the last section of our dance and smiled. Not two seconds later we jumped as a loud boom sounded overhead.

"Thunder shower!" I beamed. It was the first storm of the year.

"What's so exciting about that?" Edi asked looking at me with curiosity.

"Summer is coming." A moment later big, fat raindrops started smacking into the glass wall of the studio. "Let's go out side!" My eyes lit up with excitement.

"You will get sick." He said.

"I won't!" I shouted as I ran for the door. I paused at the door and pulled off my pointe shoes.

"I will be out in a minute!" He called as I ran out into the downpour.

I tilted my face to the sky and smiled. I loved rain. It was unpredictable, and it was one of the few things I couldn't control with my mind.

I spread my arms out wide and twirled in the falling droplets. I closed my eyes and felt my toes dig through the grass into the softening ground.

As I slowed down I felt his arms wrap around me to pick me up and spin me once again.

He lowered my feet to the ground so I grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the house, through the fence and into the field.

I screamed and laughed as the muddy soil squeeze through my toes.

"You are crazy!" He call still on the grass.

"I know! Come join me!" I shouted back. I twirled around catching rain drops on my palms.

"Fine!" He said and tip toes out into the mud.

"Good job sweetie!" I said baby talking him. Lightning struck and I paused. "One one-thousand. Two one-thousand. Three one-thousand." Then we heard the thunder crackle and roll over us.

"Wow! That was loud, I could feel it in my chest." Edi said.

"Don't you love it?" I asked tilting my face back up to the sky. I looked through squinted eyes at the heavy clouds above us and marvelled at the nature of them.

"Aren't they beautiful?" I asked him.

He wrapped his arms around me and our soaking wet clothes stuck together. "Yes you are." He murmured against the skin of my neck.

"Cloud are so complicated." I said thinking of our science class and how we learn how simple yet complex they are.

"For sure." He said in between kisses. He trailed up and down my neck before he brought his lips to my mouth. Our tongues danced in unison and our hands explored the way our clothing clung to our skin.

We slowly moved against and around each other until a strong gust of wind causes me to lose my footing. I slipped in the mud and fell to the ground pulling Edi with me.

He let out a little scream and I just laughed. He gave me a pouting look that was so adorable I impulsively rolled on top of him and kissed him battling him for dominance. He quickly ended the fight and flipped us over so he was on top. As soon as he was back in control, he slowed down our kiss, but with his hands pinning down my arms and muscles flexing, it only made it more steamy. I swear if we went any farther the raindrops would started sizzling as they hit our bodies.

When we were tired things slowed down and we settled with lying next to each other in the muddy field. We were both covered in mud and really didn't give a crap about anything right now.

"Hey Tina, I have something for you." He said with a grin. I smiled and looked at him expectantly.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small copper ring. "Do you remember when we bought this?" He asked looking into to my eyes.

"Of course, how could I forget?" I asked.

"I want this ring to be a symbol of commitment. A promise that you will do everything in your power to make us work. I will work to make us last and with this ring I promise to fight for you. I will not let you get away without a fight." He stared deep into my soul searching for my answer before I could say it.

"I promise to devote myself to you until we are of age, after I take this ring, the only way to break the promise is for you to remove the ring off my finger with my consent, ok?" I said adding to the agreement.

"I agree. So Christine Sterling, you are the only girl in the world that could convince me to roll around in the mud in the middle if a thunder storm. You have shown me what love is and how I should treat the woman I love. You have made me the luckiest and happiest man in the world and I am completely and utterly madly in love with you." He gently took my hand and slid the ring onto my right ring finger.

"I love you too." I looked at the ring on my finger and knew that I would never take it off as far as my life depended on it.