Lorena kept on running. Any other day, she would have been marveling about how far she had come since her first coming to this world. She went from someone who couldn't even touch her toes (sadly) to this badass woman. But all she wanted to do right now was calm down. Tears were blurring her vision and she missed the alleyway ahead of her.
She fell.
But he caught her.
Lorena opened her eyes that she had squeezed shut and saw him. Zachary. Why was he always here when she fell? Even when he was so mad at her before, he still followed her to make sure she was safe. Really, how could he be so perfect?
He landed on a window sill and hopped gracefully to the ground with Lorena in his arms. He sat down, laid back onto the brick wall, and placed her in his lap.
"You didn't argue with me."
He stated simply. It was true. Had it been like the other times, she would have used her wits to argue back. She would have made Shakespeare himself quake in his grave. And every single time, she would win. But this time, she couldn't find the words to say.
"I didn't know what to say."
And that was the truth. He seemed to be surprised at that, but who wouldn't? The almighty Verbis was at a loss for words? Should the sun just disappear and freeze the Earth next?
They sat in uncomfortable silence. Each one wanted to speak but couldn't find the words to say. Finally, Zachary spoke while playing with her fingers.
"I feel like you're going to disappear."
The arm wrapped around her waist tightened when he spoke. He nuzzled his face into her neck as if to prove she was still there. Lorena was stunned by the confession. Where would she go? Going back to her world was something that sounded less than appealing, and she had made pretty clear that she wasn't going anywhere here either. Before she could say anything to refute it, he continued.
"You keep on getting yourself into dangerous situations. What if one day you bite off more than you can chew? What if someone really powerful comes and takes you away from me? No, no. You can't leave me. I'm not sure what I would do. Please. Please. Please. Don't leave me!"
At this point, he was squeezing her. She felt teardrops on her shoulder and felt like crying herself. How could he be bearing this burden alone? Wasn't she supposed to make his life better? To change his fate? She seemed to have lost track of that goal. She renewed her vow. She would make his life better, more joyful. But she wouldn't be doing it as a subordinate but as an equal. As his lover.
And for the first time, she felt grounded. She didn't know she had felt otherwise, but now she felt like this was where she belonged. She wouldn't be leaving, and nobody was going to make her leave. Her purpose in life was to be by his side. Even different lifetimes wouldn't change that.
She turned around in his lap to face him. He remained unmoving from his position and refused to show her his face. She whispered into his ear.
"I'm not going anywhere. If not by you, then where? If not with you, then with whom? If not for you, then for who? You are my purpose for being here, so you can't go leaving me either, okay?"
Her breath tickled his ear, but his shivers came from the meaning and depth of her words. He felt relieved. He wasn't scared of her leaving him anymore. She was grounded, she was there. And that was all he needed in his life.
A breath of relief escaped his lips. He turned to face her and saw there were tears in her eyes as well.
Zachary finally lifted his head and she saw the tears in his eyes. In those beautiful, golden eyes. Those ones lots of girls would dream of. The ones with those stars inside them, with boundless perseverance and courage.
Zachary looked at her plump lips and slowly leaned in. Their lips touched and they felt like soft pillows. He pecked her lips multiple times and they both smiled. This kiss was slow and conveyed relief. He slowly slipped his tongue into her mouth and swirled his tongue with hers. Slowly kissing her lips.
After eating her tofu, he rested his forehead on hers. They were happy. They were satisfied. They were alone. They were together.
And that was all that mattered.