Jack Thompson was in nervous anticipation as he landed at the airport, not so much from the fact there was a storm and the rain had been beating the airplane mercilessly hard for the last hour, but because of whom he was about to see again. After many long years, he finally had arrived at that place his soul had always craved to be, the place where his heart had stayed hidden from, but had deeply desired. He had arrived at not only a place, but at a time. A time overlooking into darkness and beyond into the light, transforming him into something he had always known he was destined to be. Even though he had never been here before, he knew now, at this moment, more than he had ever known anything, he was coming home.
He remembered her eyes were always dark brown...sensual...distant. Even elusive at times. Over the years he had tried to remember them in his mind, remember them and cherish them as though he knew their shape, their shades of innocence and flashes of mischief, knew her eyes like he knew himself. But as he saw her walking toward him in the concourse, he realized he had not in all his memories captured the pure mystery of them, the color in them had changed into a dark, almost a powder emerald green, and now here before him, as she steps ever so closer, he saw truth in them.
Quiet, simple, cut-to-the-bone truth.
His heart had been pounding like a drum as the wheels had touched down, simply because he knew she was already in the airport, waiting for him. A man always thinks he knows how he will handle a situation beforehand, but when that time comes and until it actually happens, he really doesn't know how he will react. This was his heaviest thought. How would he react? Would she be disappointed in his looks, or the way he looked at her? Would he say something stupid and foolish that would make her regret their meeting?
It had been many years. Many years of life and death struggles for the both of them, but they had endured them all somehow. Maybe there was a reason why. Maybe there was a reason why they had finally got together at this point and time. Could it be they were destined to overcome it all for this one moment before them now? He simply wouldn't know how he would behave himself until the actual time came. Now, up ahead in a distance that could only be approximated, those eyes of which he had adored for years in his dreams suddenly met his, and for a split second, they were already one with each other. Each step he took brought him closer, faster to her. The world began to slow down into a blur of sound and light, and each beat of his heart consumed him deeper. In his soul there is a total surrender, a release. He lost all the thoughts in his mind as she appeared out of the blur, and not a word was spoken from either of them as their hands reached out to one another and met. She looked at him with a smile that was in itself a voyage back in time. Her sexy black dress brought out the pure color of her skin and lips, her hair as perfect as if they were carved into stone in ancient Greek temples several millennia ago. Jack put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He was, for the first time in his life, totally free. He simply didn’t care, there was no one else in the world but she and him. Her lips began to move and he knew she was about to speak and without any self restraint he did to her what he had always wanted, always needed, always had within him, something he was born to do, had to do.
He kissed her.
Slowly at first, and then deeper, then much longer. It became endless.
He put both arms around her, one at the small of her back and the other slowly up to her neck, a handful of hair in his grip, tugging gently and watching her eyes drift dreamily away. He felt the tension leaving her body and she had begun to melt, his heart beating so fast it was one loud pounding noise. He felt the life coming back into her body, and he held her even tighter, stronger, never letting go. He knew there was only a short time for them, and they needed to be alone. Slowly they walked through the airport, arms around each other, two long lost lovers that had finally made it back to each other. She leaned her head against his shoulder and they strolled…no….floated through what seemed to be an endless procession of travelers, all too busy and all too oblivious to the love that came shining out of their eyes as they stopped here and there and kissed again and again. Beside a water fountain, outside a crowded bar full of weary travelers, again at the baggage check as they waited for his luggage to arrive. He found himself wanting her more and more, and it couldn't wait. Without warning he took her by her hand and squeezed it tight, and whispered in her ear, "Follow me." She had already surrendered, and he saw in her eyes a mirror of himself, and he felt like running, but kept slow enough to not draw too much attention. Looking around desperately searching, desperately needing.
There! Down a long empty corridor he took her, walking until the lights became dim and until there was no one around, around a corner there was some empty glass windowed offices, all locked. They passed them all still hand in hand, in a death grip to each other and the two of them kept walking until there was finally one door left unlocked. Inside they found themselves in a supply room, almost empty and with just enough room. They went mad for each other and kissed like they were dying right then and there, as if the end of time was coming and they had only minutes to live.
Bump! They both heard a noise just outside the door, and because there was no lock on the inside only thrilled them even more. They stopped and listened, then heard only their hearts beating in their own ears. Jack lowered his head down to her chest and listened to her heart, breathed deeply in the scent of her perfume, and drowned himself in her. He was beyond the point of no return, and the smell of her drove him mad, her eyes locked on his in between slow dreamy blinks. Every time she reopened her eyes he felt himself falling deeper in love with her.
A long time coming, but inevitable. It simply had to happen, for both of them. There was no other world for them at that moment except in each other.
* * *
They left the airport hand in hand, her sitting beside him close in the front seat of her car. They were both too stunned to speak as they got into the car, and he almost forgot his luggage on the sidewalk, he was so caught up in her beauty and what had just happened. He still had not caught his breath, but still felt the passion, the desire. His mind traveled around the world three times in ten seconds as he looked at her again. She reached over to him, touched his hand, and ran her fingers into his, intertwining them into a love-braid. It was the softest, warmest feeling he had felt in his entire lonely life. The afterglow of what happened in the storeroom had been missing from his life, and he had not realized how badly he had been missing it. With all other women it had always been so abrupt, over and done, so disconnected. Always, with all of them, just sex, then silent goodbyes. Now here she was talking to him about everything, just minutes since he had made love to her. Her life, things she had done, places she had seen, people she had known. He absorbed everything he could, hung on every word and was taking it all in as they pulled into the Hotel. The rain was still coming down and the sky was as dark as it had ever been, the bright glowing lights of the hotel lobby reflecting in the raindrops on the windshield, the wipers kept a steady beat and reminded him of something from a long time ago. He leaned over to her and kissed her again as she turned off the ignition. He couldn't get enough. The taste of her lips was still on his mind and he wanted to kiss her again.
They got out of the car and, with an umbrella in one hand, her hand in the other, Jack led her into the lobby, and picked up the key card after checking in. He took her to the elevator and kissed her again as the lift took them to the top floor. Then they kissed long and hard, kissed gently, pecks on the cheek and then on her neck. They were in front of the door to the hotel room and Jack dropped the key and the luggage and fumbled around until he could finally tear himself away from her long enough to slide the key card into the door slot, her hands were all over him, everywhere touching. They fell into the room and rolled around and laughed, sweet laughter that was soothing and refreshing, and healing laughter they had both longed to have with each other for so long. Two little teenagers all over again.
They both played a game of question and answer, each taking turns until they found themselves amazed at all they had in common, things they both seemed to love. He soon found himself talking about something they did together a long time ago, then lost track of what he was talking about mid sentence. He was madly in love with her, as he always had been, but now finally, and if only for a few days, she was totally his. He wasn't about to let anything come between them now. They kissed, then rested, then kissed. They watched movies on the tube for a while and talked about their lives until their eyes were tired and they momentarily dozed off somewhere around 5 am, only to be awakened again at 5:15 by the sound of something on TV. She moaned something in her half-sleep, but he couldn't make out what it was. How many times now, how many years could he possibly make up for? He didn't know, didn't care, he just wanted more of it, more of her. More of that beautiful voice talking to him, whispering to him, screaming to him in incoherent words in passionate, broken sentences. They were both breathing so hard they couldn't catch their breath. The time flew by, and every minute that ticked by on the clock made him aware that he needed to get as much of her as he could, take every last drop of anything she had, anything she would give him. He needed her more than he wanted her, and for Jack, that was always bad, because he never needed anyone.
Room service arrived with a big breakfast at 7 am. They ate and laughed at each other, for they ate like they were starved to death. Then they both suddenly realized neither one had eaten a bite in almost sixteen hours. He watched her drinking orange juice from a champagne glass wearing his pajama top, and the complimentary rose on the service tray intrigued him. He picked it up and ran the flower gently across her cheek, looked into her eyes, and started to tell her the truth. He began to tell her what he knew might upset her, but he couldn't keep it inside, and just as he said her name, then paused, she interrupted him and told him not to say it. Begged him not to, and he respected her wish and stopped his announcement. She said there was no need in telling her again, for she knew he loved her completely already. She smiled and told him to quit staring at her while she ate. He put a huge forkful of pancakes up to her mouth. She shook her head slightly, then opened her mouth and he put the pancakes on her tongue. She gave him the best smile he had seen thus far, and he relished in it.
They rested after breakfast for an hour or so, then started kissing again like little children that have discovered it for the first time. How gorgeous her hair would swing from side to side, shoulder to shoulder...and her soft pretty arms, deceivingly gentle as she threw him back onto the bed. And still he had not had enough of her.
She wanted to go out, out in public and show him things around town...she said she wanted to go to a restaurant she had never been to. Jack just wanted to be with her anywhere. They made it all the way to the lobby before they started kissing again. Looking at each other in desperation, and without anything being said, they went back to the room for more. “We can call room service again” he told her, and kissed her hand and felt electricity from his head to his toes. When the elevator door opened, they were kissing again and they missed the ride up, lost totally in each other. A woman from the hotel came up to them and said, “I've been watching you from across the lobby. I just had to tell you, I've never seen two people more in love. You are so lucky.”
Back in the room they turned on some slow music and began dancing. Slow, gentle movements again, only now fully clothed. They were totally into each other, totally in tune. He got lost in her eyes again and he knew without a doubt, Sophie, this woman he was holding was the love of his life, his soul mate, his best friend. There was nothing she could do or say to him that would ever bring a harsh word to her. It was rare, simplistic, and pure. It was magic. In less than 24 hours she would be gone, and he would be on the longest flight of his life, but he couldn't think about that now.
Somewhere as a distant waterfall crashed tons of water onto the ancient rocks down below, they wound up on the bed again. They were crazy passionate, crazy bad, crazy intense. They were what both had needed for so long, and it was complete, total, without any holding back, perfect. He knew right then he would never get enough of her, there would be no satisfaction, he would always crave her, forever.
An hour later there was silence in the room. They had exhausted themselves to the point neither of them could move, only smile in relaxed afterglow. He played with her hair as they lay in the floor, somewhere against the closet, they couldn't remember how they had ended up against the door. She said something funny, and the laughter was like a drug, then suddenly they both knew their time was coming to a close. It had been the best weekend either of them had ever had with anyone, anywhere, anytime. He didn't want to let her go, but knew she had to leave, and it was painful. They kissed sweetly as a few tears dropped down upon their lips, a bittersweet saltiness Jack had dreaded from the beginning, but they saw in each others eyes something very few people have ever experienced....a love without end.
“Where do we go from here?”, he whispered to her.
“I really don’t know Jack. Just be patient with me.”
"I will.", he said. "Hell, I always have been."
The rain outside hadn't stopped either.
Copyright © Eric Webb, 2009
