PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

“He’s gone. God, I can’t believe he’s gone.”



She was alone. For the first time in two weeks no family occupied the empty rooms of her house, no visitors stopped in to offer their condolences, no friends brought her flowers or candies; she fumbled recklessly through the house in a fit of hysterics, searching for some sign of life, but there was none to be found.



She stopped at the mantle where pictures of the family smiled back at her. Laura, her father, her mother- all of them were there, mocking her and tormenting her. With the back of her hand she flung every frame to the floor, watching each shatter into pieces. She sank to her knees, burying her face in her palms. Her chest burned and her shoulders heaved as she broke down on the floor.



“Are you finished?” He had let himself in and stood in the doorway watching her. He knew it was hard, that she was hurting, and he hadn’t been there for her like he should have. He had been more concerned with their argument than comforting her, and too proud to admit they both needed a little support.



“Aden,” she whispered, “why are you here?” she rose to her feet and winced as a piece of glass wedged itself in her knee. Blood trickled from the new lesion but she ignored it and rushed to him. They held each other tightly and swayed gently back-and-forth.



“Because you need me. I should have been here that Sunday afternoon; I’m sorry I wasn’t.”



“No, it’s fine. You’re here now.” He tried to pry her away from him for just a moment to get a good look at her, but she clung to him desperately. She was scared; everyone she let go of left her and she couldn’t bear to lose him along with the others.



“You’re bleeding. Why don’t we get that cleaned up and then lie down?” She nestled into him as a child would, and he picked her up in his arms. He could tell by how light she was that she hadn’t been eating and made a mental note to make something for dinner the moment she fell asleep.



He rounded the corner to the bathroom and crept carefully through the doorway, careful not to bump her legs. He sat her down on the counter gently and located the peroxide, bandages and a pair of tweezers. He cupped her knee in his hand and ran his fingers over the soft skin.



“I’m going to get the glass out of your leg now. It might hurt a little but just try to hold still.” She nodded her head in response and chewed at her bottom lip. He smiled at how child-like she was in her delicate state, but knew that the circumstances were anything but humorous. He focused his attention back on her knee and took the tweezers in his hand. He took hold of the glass and pulled slightly up on it. She flinched at the sting and he raised his eyes to hers. “You need to hold still, babe.”



“I’m sorry.” She laughed at herself and how silly she was acting. “We usually don’t play doctor.” There it was, the lightheartedness she had that always put them both at ease.



“Well we’re going to play it now.” She was distracted and he took the opportunity to pull the glass out as quickly as possible. Her eyes widened at the slight pain and she whimpered, still smiling.



“Ow.” She playfully slapped at his hand and but he dodged her just in time.



“Okay, knock it off. We need to clean it out.” She held her knee over the sink while he poured peroxide over the gash and let it bubble. She bounced her leg up and down, growing impatient with the whole process.



She caught sight of his face, and studied it carefully. He had such a strange look on his face, so concerned with what he was doing. He really was adorable; the way he always took care of her and the tenderness in his voice and touch were sweet and earnest. She smiled down at him as he placed a band-aid over the cut and pressed his lips to her knee.



He looked up at her, his eyes meeting hers, and a flicker of amusement passed across her face. “What?”



“You. You’re just cute is all.” His eyes never left hers as he leaned closer. He could feel her breath on his face and reached out to cup her chin. She felt the color rising to her cheeks and quickly broke her gaze, becoming suddenly fascinated by the chain around his neck. She fingered the chain for a few seconds then let it fall.



His hand moved from her chin to her lower jaw and he pulled her face up so she couldn’t divert her attention anywhere other than his eyes. He kissed her softly, with a sweetness neither ever expressed. If there was ever a doubt in her mind that he loved her, she felt it then, quivering over her lips and filling her head. When he finally pulled away, her face was streaked with tears. He brushed them away gently with his thumbs and frowned at the unexpected reaction.



“Oh, no- what’s wrong?” He ran his fingers through her hair and brought it away from her face. “Tell me what I did.”



She lowered her head and brought the back of her hand to her nose, sniffling slightly. She laughed awkwardly through her tears. “Nothing’s wrong, honest. I don’t know what’s wrong with me; God, I’m such a girl.”



“That’s why I like you so much.” He picked her up again and carried her down the hall to her room.



“I can walk you know.”



“Nope. I want to hold you every chance I get.” He let her down on the bed and tucked her under the sheets. He sat on the edge of the bed and kissed her forehead. She felt seven again, but she took hold of his hand and laced her fingers with his.



“Then why don’t you lay here with me?” She slid over so he would have some room. Once he was situated comfortably on his back he wrapped his left arm around her waist. She rested her head on his torso, completely intoxicated by the rise and fall of his chest. Every time he stirred, she would hold him tighter, afraid that he was leaving. Once she was sure he would never leave her she, too, drifted off to sleep.