Taken - Jeff Atkins

Us

"From this moment, I have been blessed
I live only, for your happiness
And for your love, I give my last breath
From this moment on."

I squeeze your baseball jacket in my right arm while I hold the phone to my ear with my left, while waiting for the line to be picked up on the other end.
"Hi, I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner." I speak into the phone, pacing around my room. "My name's Andrea Watson, I checked out the apartment on George Street with my boyfriend. Yes, that's us. I would just like to inform you that we aren't interested anymore."
I squeeze my eyes shut, breathing in your scent from the jacket; taking everything for me not to breakdown over the phone with the real estate.
"No, no, no!" I quickly answer. "It's not that...we've just come to terms that we won't be able to afford it. I'm sorry."
With that apology, I hang up the phone and toss it on the bed. My breath sharpens as the room becomes blurry. My back hits the wall and my legs give way. Sliding down the wall, crying into my hands. I felt like I let you down.

"This is really happening?!" I squeal. "We're really doing this!"
Jeff wraps his arm around my waist, grinning up at the tall building. It was toward the end of Summer break and Jeff was determined to look at affordable apartments with me.
"Of course we are." Jeff chuckles, as he sees the real estate. "Looks like that's for us."
Jeff and I walk hand-in-hand to the middle aged woman.
"Mr Atkins and Miss Watson?" She asks, ticking the names off her clipboard.
"That's us!" Jeff grins proudly.
"Right this way." She smiles back, leading us into the building.
She asks us the standard questions while she leads us around the apartment. This apartment had a spacious ensuite with a walk-in wardrobe. It had a smaller living room was but big enough for two people. It had another toilet down the end of the white hallway and the kitchen was modern with a marble bench top.
"I love this place." Jeff whispers over to me, smiling.
"Babe, is this what we should be doing now?" I ask as I look up at him with concern in my eyes.
"Can you give us a minute?" Jeff motions to the real estate as she walks off into a different room.
"We only have another few months here." I explain, sighing. "We're literally going off to college after this contract runs out."
Jeff and I compromised to meet in the middle with college; we'd both go to the one with a good baseball and soccer program so we wouldn't need to be apart.
"I was meaning to talk to you about that." Jeff mumbles, holding both my hands in his. Rubbing the tops with his thumbs. "We aren't going to college next year. We're taking a gap year."
"Wait, what?" I ask, shocked at the news he'd just casually announced. "Jeff, you can't just decide that. If that's what you want us to do, we need to talk about it."
I try to leave his grip but he keeps me close; his eyes glanced around the room with a smile on his face.
"You know, when we get an apartment together, I'm going to ask you to marry me." Jeff announces, causing my mouth to fall open.
"Wait...what?" I manage to get out while staying speechless.
"Then when you say yes, we'll have our wedding next year when we have the gap year." Jeff continues as his gaze falls back down on me. "Then eventually we'll have to get a new place because we'll have little Jeff's and little Andrea's running around. God knows this place isn't big enough for that. And yes, we will sell my car to buy a more family safe one."
I bite my lip, smiling like an idiot up at my boyfriend. My smile the biggest it's ever been.
"You've thought of everything?" I mention more of a question as soft laughter leaves my lips.
"Damn right I have." Jeff admits, winking at me.
"I fucking love you, Jeff Atkins." I whisper, wrapping my arms around his neck.
I pull his head down to meet my lips. My fingers brushing through his brown hair while our lips entwined with each other. Our tongues only teasing each other as our lips parted. Jeff's arms tightly around my waist. Our bodies pressed into each other as we made our first memory in an apartment that could someday be ours.
Jeff and I made our way back to the real estate lady, his hand in mine.
"We have a few other places to check out but...I have a good feeling about this one." Jeff confesses with a smile on his face.

My cries get louder and louder as I play the memory in my mind. Your jacket still held close to my chest as my hands grip it tightly, so tight as if it could bring you back. A light shone on me as my door opened. My mother rushed in, upon hearing the sobs.
"Oh, honey." She whispers, holding me as I cry.
"He's gone, mom!" I sob into her shoulder. "What am I supposed to do, huh?! What am I supposed to do?!"
My mother tried to be strong for me, but she just cried with me. Her hand rubbing my back, soothing me. I eventually calmed down. My mom and I sat in silence for ten minutes, staring blankly ahead of us. I keep a tight grip on the baseball jacket in my lap.
"Live." My mom murmurs, loud enough for me to hear. Neither of us moving as she speaks. "You live. You live for him. You live for yourself. You live for both you."