It all starts with goodbye

Chapter 9

I leaned forward until our eyes met. My gaze was lost on hers, and I never wanted it to be found again.

I put a strand of hair that played across her face, behind her small ear. My fingers ran over her cheek calmly and then traced the contours of her delicate lips.

I didn't say a word. I let my eyes ask for permission for what I was about to do, and by God, if she gave it to me, nothing would stop me.

The corners of her lips rose with a smile that I knew was not only a confirmation but also an invitation to which I did not say no.

I held her face in my hands before I took her lips against mine. She responded to the kiss by opening her lips and playing with my tongue.

I didn't know what I had done before in life, but I certainly didn't deserve such a beautiful, intelligent, and passionate woman.

Carrie passed her arms around my neck, and I couldn't help but groan in pain.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry," she said, putting some distance between us. "I got carried away."

"I've never been so happy to feel pain before." The smile on my face must have been pathetic, but I couldn't help it.

"Don't try to make me feel better, dummy." It was Carrie's turn to caress my cheek.

"Being honest, I feel kind of silly. Almost like I'm a teenager."

"So do I." Her gaze darkened, and Carrie held her forehead against mine. "I waited a long time to feel this way again."

I kissed her again. And again.

Unhurriedly, time opened up and expanded so that we could get lost in each other.

*

Almost two weeks had gone by since she found me passed out and bleeding on her porch.

We had even established a kind of routine, in which I cooked and cleaned up while she was writing. Then we would eat and spend the rest of the time in bed. Talking about everything. Laughing and sometimes crying too.

My memory was returning even faster than my leg movements.

I already knew who I was, my age, and also my address.

Carrie liked to discover my memories with me.

We talked about our childhoods, about past experiences and pets.

"It's raining outside." Carrie was helping me to exercise my leg, by walking with me around the cabin.

"It rains a lot in Halley. I like rain, but sometimes it can be dangerous. The storms drag everything along the way, and the trees fall. It's not very cool."

"I like it too, the place where I am from doesn't really rain a lot."

I no longer needed to lean on her to walk, so she would just follow me around, talking.

Each time I put my foot on the ground, a ray of pain traveled up my spine to my heart, but I just locked my jaw and moved on.

"I like the sun. But I like you better." I stopped beside the entrance door that marked the end of my tour. Carrie stood on tiptoe and gave me a quick kiss.

She would reward me with a kiss every time I would go around the cabin, which helped a lot in keeping me motivated.

"I guess it's enough exercise for you today. Would you like a painkiller?" she asked me while I was holding her. I discovered I enjoyed doing that. To hug her, rocking back and forth as if we were dancing without moving to a song that only we were able to hear.