Someday The Waves ✔ *Wattys15 Winner*

Chapter Twenty Five

Put the stars in our eyes, and with heart shapes bruises

and late night kisses,

divine.

Toothpaste Kisses - The Maccabees

. . .

Late October

The last day I got to spend with Noah went by all too quickly.

After a week spent helping him fine tune all the important arrangements, like where he was going to live - an old church friend of Gabe had a small apartment available for rent, and how many flannel shirts, or obscure band posters Noah would really need to pack, we promised that his last day would be for us, and us alone. Free from any future impending plans.

Noah had, as promised cycled round to the bungalow whilst the morning was still light and we sat out in the yard, a blanket laid out for our last picnic. With turkey and pickle sandwiches and pink lemonade to help us say our unwanted, last farewell.

Last was a word that had swam though my veins constantly, and made my stomach twist and turn. It made the breath in my chest heavy, tight and fearful. No matter how positive I tried to be, for Noah and for myself, the thought of the all the last 'times' outweighed it.

Pouring Noah a glass of lemonade, he turned over to his front on the blanket and asked me if I remembered the time when we went to the farmers market.

"Of course, when you tried to poison me with chilli mango lemonade! How could I forget that?" I laughed.

"That was a great day wasn't it?" Noah mused, playing with the blades of grass below him that were beginning to turn colour. "I was so nervous about meeting you, and taking you to see the heartless rock."

"I was nervous as well. That climb almost killed me too!"

"I wish we could have gone back there but it's too dangerous now, what with the stormy weather and high tides."

"It's probably much safer to be here."

"Most definitely although anywhere is fine, so long as it's with you." Noah smiled, his cheeks wonderfully rosy.

I was really going to miss that face, I thought as I watched him from my corner of the blanket. Not much had changed about it, since the first time I saw it when I had been so taken back by just how handsome Noah was, in such a way that I still could never be ready for it. Just being able to admire him was crazy enough, yet now I was allowed to run my fingers through his hair and brush my lips against his and I never wanted it to end.

I wanted us to stay careless and young. Only bound to each other and not to duties or obligations to grow up, and become responsible.

I wanted to remember him as exactly as he was, in those last moments. My fingertips tracing every inch of him as if to make a blueprint that I could keep and treasure, to re-trace once the distance between us inevitably distorted my memories of him.

I wanted to talk more.

I wanted to cherish more late night walks and stargazing.

I didn't want goodbyes and distance to wash that away.

"I miss you." I whispered, still admiring his scruffy light hair and the way it still feel into his eyes, for which I would forever grateful to witness.