Runaways: Book II

XX

He was sitting there on the balcony in the night. His headphones were clamped over his ears, and his legs were dangling between the stone pillars of the railing, swaying melodically as he stared off into the dark. There was something hypnotic about the way the soft natural light of the obsidian sky shone upon his silver locks. He didn't know it but right there, in that very moment, he was the only thing in my existence.
I could have stood there all night, staring awe-stricken and basking in the tranquility he radiated at every moment. I wanted to wrap myself in it, to submerge myself like the deepest sea and stay there underwater where everything is simple and everything is endless. Nothing was behind me and nothing was ahead. It was just him. There. Now. Like it's all there ever was and all there ever would be.
His head turned a bit, now noticing me standing there, peering at him. He grinned widely and my chest lunged forward.
"Hey," he said, truly unknowing of just how much the mere sight of him meant to me.
"Hi," I answered, still standing dumbfounded.
"What are you staring at?"
I looked away, embarrassed. I walked beside him and sat down on the icy stone.
"Nothing," I lied.
I stared down at the ground far below us, dark and infinite in the night so it seemed our feet were hanging over a black hole. My voice trembled.
"Peter, I'm so sorry."
He looked at me, confused. He slipped his headphones down around his neck.
"What do you mean? What for?"
I breathed out and put my face in my hands, trying not to cry and hiding away from him.
"Oh, god. For everything, Peter. I shouldn't have just left you like that. I just ran away without even telling you."
He pulled my arms away from my face and held them in his.
"Hey, hey. It's okay. Really, it's alright."
I shook my head and looked at his eyes, cutting through the darkness.
"No. No it's not. I pushed you away. I left you like you were nothing. When the truth is, Peter, you're everything. You're everything."
He put his arm around me and pulled me to his side, my head falling onto his shoulder.
"___, you're here now. And besides, you were never ever really that far anyway."
I clung tightly to him, burying my face in his jacket and repeating again,
"I'm sorry."
He lifted my face up and peered back at me.
"Stop. You know me, I'm too impatient stay in the past. It's all gone, now."
He took the headphones off from his neck and slid them over my ears, and I closed my eyes and I wished all the bad things away until they were just faint specs up in the sky, all far away and small. And I listened.

Let me hold her for a time (Let me hold her for a time)
But if allowed just one possession
I would pick her from the garden to be mine (I would pick her from the garden to be mine)
Mm-mm-mm, mm-mm
Be careful how you touch her, for she'll awaken
And sleep's the only freedom that she knows
And when you walk into her eyes, you won't believe
The way she's always payin' for a debt she never owes
And a silent wind still blows
That only she can hear, and so she goes
Let her cry, for she's a lady
Let her dream, for she's a child
Let the rain fall down upon her
She's a free and gentle flower growing wild

"Can I kiss you?" he asked suddenly.
I turned to face Peter, now realizing he had been watching me the whole time. He rubbed the back of his neck and added, "It's just...I don't know how much longer I can just sit and look at you and keep myself from wanting to kiss you. And I know before you didn't want—"
I pulled him toward me, our noses brushing softly against each other before our lips finally reunited, and my shoulders melted, finally relaxing for the first time in ages. I felt his energy, stronger than I ever had before. And it was extraordinary. And it was beautiful. And I wasn't quite sure how I had survived so long without it.
Peter cupped my face gently with his palms and continued more passionately, and even through my closed eyes I could see the light surging from my body.
We finally broke away, and Peter laughed as he held his hand to shield his face from the intense light. I joined him in his laughter, uncontrollably emitting perhaps the brightest light I had ever made. I felt like the sun, like I had spent so long as nothing then finally burst into this supernova.
He smirked, "I'm beginning to think I should invest in a good pair of sunglasses."
"If you plan on making me glow that much, then yes, you should."
I pressed my lips against his once more and laid my cheek against his chest, listening to the drum beating inside. My voice fell soft.
"I've always loved you, Peter. I hope you know I never stopped."
He just ran his fingers through my hair and held me with a firmness that convinced me he would never let me go again.
"I know, Firefly. I know."