(I Just) Died In Your Arms ~ Stanley Uris

022 

Julia's POV

I was biking quickly down the endless turns and bumps of Derry, excitement being the source of my energy, excitement I haven't felt in a long time. Even with this exponential turmoil going on inside me, seeing Stanley made my heart flutter, my heartbeat reminding me of the tiny wings of a butterfly. I hadn't seen him outside of school in days, especially after that pesky fight with Greta. My face had barely healed, the bruises less visible and the cuts fully healed over, but the damage she had done to me mentally was still very much present.

Late last night over our walkies Stan and I talked for hours upon hours, both of us being home alone Saturday night. He asked me politely if I could meet him at the edge of the river, his grounding finally over, giving us a few short hours outside. Alone. Together. Ironically a few minutes after he asked, Bill walkied everyone to also ask if we could hang out, since it was the last warm day we would probably get for the rest of the year, October barely starting a few days ago.

Stan, Bill, and I worked out a compromise, so I would spend a little more time with Stan since I hadn't seen him in a while.

I spotted Stan standing a few feet away from the rushing water from the river, his hands tucked into his pockets and his eyes watching the water in wonder. We were south of the barrens, the area being nothing more than old dirt trails and thick luscious forrest, the sun peaking through the trees in tiny beams of light. I parked my bike against a seemingly sturdy tree, dropping my bag behind it, making my dash down the slight incline and caught his attention.

I ran up to him as fast as I could, throwing myself into his arms so quickly he didn't even have time to breathe, taking a sharp intake of air as I did. He hoisted me off the ground, his arms looped around my waist, finally lifting his head to look up at me. My legs were hooked around his hips, my ankles over lapping.

"I missed you!" I exclaimed, kissing the tip of his nose playfully.

"I missed you more." He beamed, twirling us around. I didn't know how he could lift all of my weight with ease, but it felt so euphoric just to have his arms around me again.

It didn't take long until he leaned in and kissed me, even with me still lifted in the air. His chin tilted upwards to reach up to me, and his nose brushed against mine softly. I eagerly reciprocated, my fingers tracing the curves of his jawline.

The breeze blew between the little space between us, chilling the skin on the outer parts of my arms. I was wearing the same clothing I wore on my birthday, except it fit tighter in certain places than before, the navy tank top seemed to shrink around my chest and the black skirt fit tighter around my hips and thighs.

I broke away for a brief moment, hoping for another glimpse of his giddy smile, the type of a smile that was so genuine and perfect. He lowered me to the ground and mockingly compared our height difference with his hand, sticking his tongue out at me. I stuck out my lower lip, then bursting into laughter.

"Your face looks good. Well, it always does, but your bruises are gone." Stan muttered, his thumb touching where they once lay, even though they were still tender under his touch. "You're beautiful, Julia."

"You're a beautiful boy, Stanley." I complimented, looking at the water from our standpoint, watching the sunlight reflect off the tiny little waves. "What did you want to do today?"

"I want to visit the field of sunflowers just outside of town. You know, the one that has a large hill with a tree on top of it?" Stan suggested, grabbing both my hands into his, which were much larger than mine, covering them completely.

It was no secret that there was endless fields of sunflowers north of the town lines, barely a fifteen minute walk from where we were standing. The final sunflowers were blooming, then they would be gone until next year. They were magnificent flowers, really, tall and hard to miss, their bright yellow pedals fanned out like small little blades.