Crankgameplays Imagines

Hold My Hand

~ Ethan's POV ~

A wide grin spreads across my face as I approach her, a bouquet of flowers held tightly in my hand.
"Well, good afternoon, pretty lady!" I laugh slightly and take my seat beside her, her flowers lying across my lap.
"I know that you'd prefer chocolates to flowers, but I'd end up eating them all while sat here, so I thought this would be a better sentiment." I smile teasingly at her, remembering all the occasions when I brought her chocolate.

Making a point to shut the door obnoxiously loud, I hold the box behind my back.
"I HAVE RETURNED!" I shout enthusiastically.
My favourite laugh in existence echoes from upstairs "I think what you're supposed to shout is 'HONEY, IM HOME!', Ethan."
I scoff "I DONT OBEY THE RULES!"
She giggles as she descends down the stairs, already smiling at me "What wondrous trinkets did you collect on your quest, good sir?"
I smirk "I fought a dragon in order to present my fair lady with the greatest gift in the land!"
(Y/N) raises an eyebrow, intrigued "I hope you didnt sustain too many injuries in such a fierce battle."
I grin at her "Of course not, Im invincible! But, if I had, it would have been worth it, because I get to see your face when I give you THIS!"
Her eyes light up as I bring the box of chocolates out from behind my back, and she claps excitedly, squealing like a kid and hugging me in an ecstatic frenzy.

I chuckle and shake my head at her "You and your damn chocolate!" Another memory floats into my head, and I gasp "Do you remember when that random asshole gave you a rose in the street?"

I smile at the cashier "Thank you, have a good day!" He smiles at me and hands me the bar of chocolate I just bought for my wife, who is outside the grocery store, petting a dog.
We had planned to go into the store together, but obviously, dogs are higher on her priority list than shopping, and that gave me a great excuse to surprise her, so Im not complaining. However, as I exit the store, my smile falls. (Y/N) is still stood beside the dog, but she looks incredibly uncomfortable, with some guy stood beside her, who I can clearly see is trying to flirt with her. Raising my eyebrow, I speed over to her and wrap an arm around her waist, she turns into me and places a hand on my chest. It's then, I notice the man offering a rose to my wife. Sensing my, perhaps slightly more than minimal, irritation, (Y/N) gently pats my chest and smiles kindly at the stranger.
"Im very happily married, sorry dude." She shrugs, her eyes glancing down and locking onto the chocolate bar in my hand.
She gasps, and I smile widely as I give it to her. (Y/N) takes the chocolate bar and holds my hand with her free one, her eyes locked on mine as she smiles up at me.
"And I'd accept chocolate over a rose any day."

"That guy is lucky you had me mesmerised, otherwise I would've knocked him out." I grumble. "Being mesmerised was definitely the better option though, by far." I flash her a mischievous smirk, then laugh and shake my head, my eyes glancing down the bouquet of flowers, and my hands holding them.
I sigh "When I look at my hands now, they're wrinkled and old, how crazy is that? This boy got old!" Shaking my head in disbelief, I smile softly as I continue "But he got old with you, so it was beyond worth it."

My feet push me to run as fast as I possibly can, knowing the robot killers are hot on my tail. I round a corner, and stop dead in my tracks, face to face with my arch nemesis.
"Silly boy, you thought you could escape? Beat me? Never! I'll keep you trapped here forever!" He laughs demonically.
I shake my head and take a step back "No! You cant!"
My arch nemesis smirks "Cant I?"
Suddenly, I feel a presence next to me, and fingers intertwine with me "No, you cant! I wont ever let you take him! Im the goddess of light, and I nearby banish you to the fiery pit you came from!" I look to my left and see a girl I've never spoken to before, (Y/N), pushing her hand into the air, in the direction of my sworn enemy.
My arch nemesis jumps back, crying out and holding a hand to his chest "STOP IT! AH!"
The school bell sounds, and we all look at each other.
My arch nemesis stands up straight "Until next time." He nods at (Y/N) "We will meet again."
(Y/N) smiles up at me "C'mon Ethan, we'll be late!" She says as she drags me back to class, her fingers still intertwined with mine.
From that day in kindergarten onwards, whenever I have needed her, she has appeared, and held my hand.

A quiet laugh erupts from within my throat as I examine my hands, knowing that Im not really focussing on them at all "I held your hand so often that I never saw the wrinkles, and I never noticed yours. You were a smokin' babe through and through, forever young."

Strolling into the bathroom, my eyes glance into our bedroom, the door slightly ajar. I frown and take a few steps back, to look back down the hall, making sure my eyes arent deceiving me. As soon as I know they arent, I walk into our bedroom, to find my wife standing in front of the mirror in her underwear, pinching at her stomach, and poking her face. Leaning against the doorframe, I cross my arms and watch her as she releases a sad sigh.
"You're beyond gorgeous, you know that?" I tell her in a quiet voice, my presence still making her jump.
My wife doesnt tear her eyes from her reflection "Im old, Ethan."
I blink rapidly, unable to believe what Im hearing "You cant be serious babe, you're the hottest woman on the planet!"
She sighs again and spins on her heel to face me, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms over her chest "Are you just lying to make me feel better?"
My jaw drops "Of course not! I would even go as far as to say that you are a smokin' hot babe, and you only get sexier everyday!"
A small smile makes its way onto her face as she stares down at the ground, hiding her face behind her hair shyly "Really?"
I grin at how adorable she is and step towards her, wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing her softly "Definitely. Time passes and people get old, but you and me? We're forever young, babydoll."

As I look at my hands, I notice they start to feel cold, even in the warm summer breeze. I rub my hands together to create some friction and warmth, but nothing changes, and when I realise why, my chest aches. My hands are cold, because she isnt here to hold them.
I look down at her grave, and seeing it for what it is, rather than allowing my mind to cover it up with a vision of my smiling wife, makes my eyes sting with tears. Still holding onto the bouquet of flowers with one hand, I use the other to wipe my wrinkled face, and wipe away the tears that fall.
"I miss you so much." I sob, my voice strained and broken.
"Everyone told me it would get easier, y'know? The kids, the grandkids, our friends, the doctors, all of them told me that, with time, things would get better, but they havent. Everyday I wake up in bed alone, I convince myself that you're just in the shower. I get out of bed, and I-I make us a cup of coffee each, sometimes I even pour you a bowl of cereal! Then I sit at the table, I drink my coffee, I eat my cereal, alone. Every single morning. The house is always so silent, I cant stand it! Even with music on, even when the grandkids come over, it's always too quiet. Whenever one of the kids does something funny, and I dont hear you laugh, it kills me!" I sniffle miserably and continue crying into my hand. "I've come here every single day for the past year to talk to you, it's been a year, and not a single thing has changed, nothing is easier! I went from being able to think about memories we made a week ago, to the same ones becoming a year old, and those being the most recent memories we made together! Tell me how time passing is supposed to make it easier, tell me how getting further away from the last time I saw you is supposed to making me feel better!" A strangled cry gets caught in my throat, and I struggle to calm myself down. I realise that crying so heavily has given me an intense chest pain that I havent noticed until now.
"I just...I need you." I whimper.

A warmth spreads over my hand, which still holds the bouquet of flowers. Wiping my face with my free hand, I bring it away from my face, to see a glowing hand holding mine. In shock, I look up, and see the love of my life, standing over her grave, her angelic form smiling down at me. Blinking back the tears that are threatening to blur the happiest view I've had in a year, my hand scrambles to grab hers. She steps closer to me and I rest my head on her chest, enveloping myself in her scent, clinging to her like my life depends on it, and I feel completely at peace. I close my eyes and snuggle into her, the world around us disappearing, and neither of us caring.

"Ethan, baby, open your eyes." My favourite voice drifts into my ears.
I slowly open my eyes and pull my head away from her slightly, looking around us at our surroundings, to see a bright white pathway, leading to a pair of golden gates. With her hand still holding mine, (Y/N) begins gently pulling me towards the gates.
"Where are we?" I ask her quietly.
She stops walking, and turns to face me, a bright smile on her face as she caresses my cheek.
"Together." The love of my life tells me.

And I realise in that moment that, despite being beyond confused, that is the only thing I needed to hear.