10 Reasons Not to Fall in Love

Tomorrow

“I wonder what everyone’s going to do if I die,” Vincent said quietly to the ceiling of the cave. “Andre going to be pissed. Come to think of it, they might think we’re dead right now. Andre’s probably peen pissed off for days.”

“Stop,” Elizabeth muttered without turning to look at him. The two lay sprawled on the ground with the jacket over them, out of firewood and too weak to even stand up. They stared at the ceiling with almost sightless eyes, having stared at the same texture for hours on end.

Up until four days ago, they had been able to manage; until the strongest blizzard yet decided to hit. The food reserves had finally disappeared on day two of the blizzard, and ice was definitely not going to melt in their cold hands anymore.

Vincent, who had managed to get a footing on health, was at the brink of death once again; with Elizabeth by his side. The weather was now calm outside of the cave, but the turn in luck had come too late. The two could barely make it outside for bathroom breaks, let alone get food.

Elizabeth and Vincent fought their growing sicknesses as they threatened to swallow the fading pair whole.

“I’ve told you once, and I’ll tell you again,” Elizabeth panted as the ringing in her ears began to intensify again. “You. Are. Not. Going. To. Die.”

“And why is that?” Vincent asked with a smirk. They were going through their usual routine. About every hour, Vincent would say something bleak and depressing because he really felt the helplessness take over. And naturally, like a ray of sunshine, Elizabeth would break through it and give him the will to fight again.

“Because,” Elizabeth bit back with a feisty glint in her eyes as she glared at the ceiling. “I’m not going to die. And if I’m going to make it, so are you, who got sick way earlier than me.”

“And why aren’t you going to die?” he asked with a smile, ready for a surprise. Elizabeth had given him a different reason each time, and this was her twenty-second answer. What would it be?

“Because the last time I dusted my room was over a month ago and if I don’t get to vacuum it or something before I hit the grave it’ll haunt me for eternity,” Elizabeth said in all seriousness.

Vincent couldn’t help it. Despite his critical situation, he had to laugh. “Alright! If we survive this, we’ll both clean our rooms.”

“And don’t forget we were going to buy houses with an indoor pools.”

“And try caviar.”

“And get a cat.”

“I wanted a dog.”

“Figures.”

“Excuse you?”

The two laughed, their consciousnesses slowly numbing with fatigue. That was right. They still had so much to do. It was too early to die after all.

“…Are we really going to do all that?” Elizabeth asked after a peaceful silence. She desperately needed to know the answer. Some small part of her was seriously terrified of death.

“Absolutely.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Her fears quieted, and Elizabeth sighed, letting go of reality and fading away into her little dream world twenty years from now. A nice house. With an indoor pool. Her mom sitting on a porch watching the kids.

“Hey, don’t you fall asleep on me,” Vincent smiled without even looking at her, knowing the both of them couldn’t hold out anymore.

“Who’s falling asleep?” Elizabeth muttered as she closed her tired eyes.

She was dead to the world in a wink.

Vincent sighed as his own vision began to slip away. Crap.

***

“-eth! –izabeth! Elizabeth!” a panicked voice screamed as Elizabeth slowly awoke to the sound of a large fan nearby. Squeezing her eyes even tighter, Elizabeth was about to go back to her dream when someone started rudely shaking her.

“Don’t you dare die on me!” the voice shouted. Die? What was her mom freaking out about now? Elizabeth was about to make an annoyed retort when it all came back to her. The river. The fever. The storm. The promises.

Elizabeth scrambled into a sitting position, knocking her forehead against something hard in the process. Looking around the flying snow wildly, Elizabeth realized that the large fan had been the landing of a helicopter. As the blades slowed their whirling, she felt someone crush her with a tight hug from the side.

“Elizabeth!” Ms. Blackburn sobbed. “I thought I lost you!!!”

Elizabeth comforted her distraught mom with dark circles under her eyes, a bruising forehead, and disheveled hair without looking away until Ms. Blackburn could finally explain everything.

“I was contacted immediately after you and Vincent fell into the river. We couldn’t even search for you for so long due to the blizzards and everything!”

Vincent. Elizabeth looked at her side. Vincent sat with his arm on his raised knee with a warm grin. “What’s up, Liz?”

Elizabeth felt her head in the clouds. They were alive. They were going to be okay. “When did…?”

“Here’s the ironic part,” Vincent smiled. “After we fell asleep, the helicopter that saved us flew directly overhead and almost passed us until they decided to investigate the cave on a slim chance. We almost died because we thought we were going to live and fell asleep thinking happy thoughts.”

The two were helped over to the chopper, wrapped in warm faux fur blankets and feeling wildly excited by their miraculous survival. It’s not every day you survive a near death experience that lasted for about a week.

As they got in, a wealthy looking man raised his eyebrows as he turned to look at the group in something like disdain as he sat silently in the front. Elizabeth immediately felt wary of this guy. Whether it was the authority he had in his aura or the Rolex watch he wore, Elizabeth felt intimidated for the first time by a complete stranger.

The mysterious man had cool blue eyes and dark blonde hair, and the man wore an expensive looking tuxedo. What was he doing here and who was he?

Vincent caught his eye and smirked.

“I thought this helicopter looked familiar.”

“I see you’re still the same despite causing me so much trouble. What an ungrateful child,” the man drawled as he turned back to the window.

“Love you, too.”

Elizabeth felt worried and puzzled by the exchange, but Vincent’s care free attitude allowed her to file it away for the time being as everyone took a seat and got handed hot water bottles.

Elizabeth and Vincent smiled and they downed their drinks like there was no tomorrow. Here was the best part of it all; there was.