(short story) Safe [mae9191]
2007-07-07 -- 7:21 p.m.

Safe

“Everything I said was meaningless to you!” Her eyes opened up, vibrant green shining and pupils dilated. The girl didn’t look very well, curly black hair was in a tangled mess and her make up was not only smudged, but running down her face from the sweet tears she had attempted to hold back. Nothing was helping, no thoughts could calm her down. Everything on her body hurt, her muscles were sore, her eyes stung, her lips burned. Three days had passed since she had laid in a bed and slept for a decent amount of time. If she was hurting, the only idea to telling was the unstoppable train of tears that made her face shine.

The room they were in was cold, so cold you could see the angry breath that was coming from her nostrils. Ice covered the concrete walls in some places, and frost covered some of the boxes that had been left in there for some time. It could have been a freezer, if someone were to use it for that purpose. It made a great place to stash secrets in, since nobody ever came there anymore.

“It’s freezing in here, Tilly. Can we talk outside?” The boy had his arms crossed and he was jumping up and down to keep warm. His nose and ears were bright red, and he looked up at her with a sort of uneasiness as he asked the question. They were only dressed in summer clothing, after all.

A sound came out of Tilly. It was painful and shocked, like a sound a stabbing victim would make. She stopped moving, she had been pacing back in forth in some kind of rage. She turned to him, eyes blazing, and then shut her eyes and started pulling herself in. Her arms crossed, and then her legs, and then she slowly sunk to the ground, hitting with a soft thud. The concrete floor seemed to stick to her already, but she couldn’t feel the cold. The blood inside of her was boiling.

“Tilly, babe, c’mon, you’re going to freeze. We can’t talk about it in here. It’s way too cold. We’ll freeze to death. I’m begging you, stand up.” His voice was not frustrated at all, it was only caring. He went over to her and tried to grab her, but she leaned farther and farther away, curling up. “Tilly!” Despair filled him.

She started sobbing, the sounds echoing throughout the storage room. The boy grabbed her arm, finally, and a shiver went through him. She was as cold as a corpse.

“Please! Tilly, I love you, we have to get out of here.”

“YOU COULDN’T LOVE ME!” The girl jumped up and swung herself around, throwing herself onto him and starting to flail and beat him the best way she could. All her anger was coming out, her eyes were shut so tight that her whole face was scrunched up.

The boy just repeated her name, over and over again, as he tried to get up off of the concrete and grabbed both of her arms. Her legs started to kick, and soon they were both on their feet. With both of her hands in his, he started circling around her quickly, avoiding her kick. “Tilly, Tilly, Tilly, Tilly, Tilly...”

After a few moments of this, the boy realized that they were nearer to the door than he expected. He could make a run for it, maybe she would follow him out. He looked up at her face, closed out to him and the rest of the world, and then decided against running. She would be stubborn and just plop down. She already knew what he was thinking. So instead, he angled her in front of the door, and then let go of her arms and ran straight toward her, engulfing her in his own arms.

Tilly lifted off of the ground so easily, and a little cry came out as she found herself flying rapidly through the cold air. She stopped only for a moment, but then realized she was in his arms. Then she screamed in fury and flailed at him again.

Halfway there. Just a couple more yards. Just a few more smacks in the face. His feet carried him swiftly and he held onto the girl tightly than he ever had before. Every breath he took was another moment of letting her entire soul enter into his nostrils, her scent giving him all the motivation he needed, despite the cries of anguish and profanities that were all meant for him.

Tilly just started screaming and stopped punching and kicking. Her voice echoed so loudly in the room, and the walls seemed to shake around her. It started out as a warcry, something to make him stop and let her go, but then ended as a sad and desperate cry for attention. Her face was upturned to the dim lights that swung ever so slowly, and her pale expression was caught like a snapshot as the door opened and light flooded in.

The boy threw the door open and then ran for a little bit, but slid to a halt and slipped on the dirt on top of the old concrete roof. He fell, positioning himself so that Tilly would land safely, and then felt his back smash and fill with pain.

“Daniel Myers, I hate you!” The girl slapped him once, hard on the cheek, but then sort of flinched as she noticed the pain on his face. He sat there, straddling him, and waited for his reply. In spite of all the rage built up in her, she couldn’t keep an angry expression as she looked down onto him.

Danny’s eyes slowly opened, flickering up into the sunlight and her face. His cheeks were bright red, and they made his light blue eyes even bluer. His brown hair laid perfectly on his head, and it was messed up and everywhere. Tilly almost wanted to reach down and smooth it out, feel that thickness between her fingers. He blinked a few times, and then just focused on her face.

Wide green eyes looked down at him. Her black hair was puffed around her head, the curls cascading down and sometimes brushing against his cheek as the breeze came along. Her face was pale, but slowly color was easing back into it as the sun on her back warmed her up. The shocked expression on her face caused her eyes to light up with tears, and one rolled down and dropped onto his shirt. Her lips were parted, and Danny didn’t need to look at it to know how perfectly soft and pink they were.

“Why couldn’t I love you?” His voice was soft, and complete confusion came onto his face. He sat up, coming closer to her, feeling her body stiffen up after a couple seconds of leaning in, and looked her straight into the eyes. He waited a few moments, felt another tear fall onto his chest, and noticed her lip quiver. “How couldn’t anyone love you?” It was almost a whisper.

It took all the strength in her to not cry and fall away from him.

Danny kissed her, stopping her lower lip from trembling, and put his arms around her, the cold of her body making him want to shutter. The sunlight hit them perfectly, enveloping them in a great warmth and passion. The boy kept pulling her closer, closer, not stopping, not realizing his strength, not thinking that she couldn’t breathe. It wouldn’t have mattered to him, anyway, because since he’d met her, he hadn’t been able to breathe. He couldn’t tell the difference.

Tilly’s heart almost burst from the feelings inside of her. His lips were so perfectly placed, his body was warm, she was falling. She knew he would be there to catch her, to stop her heart from freezing. His body around her was protection, and she was looking for a hideaway. The thought struck her, and she fell apart, once again. Luckily, all the pieces were in his arms.

A sob burst from her lips as she slid her face into his chest and began to burrow herself there. She felt like she was ripping into him, she couldn’t get deep enough. Tears overflowed and his shirt was soon soaking. She couldn’t stop herself from wanting to be away from the light, wanting to be a part of him and never leave. She was safe.

Danny kept hugging her close, gasping out for air, struggling with tears himself. Her cries were heartbreaking. He would never let go.

“Tilly, you’re okay, we’re okay, I’m never letting you go. You mean everything to me. Don’t cry. I promise you, I love you more than anything in this entire world. I will always love you.” He took his hand and brought her face up to eye level with him. The look in his face was entirely truthful and honesty, and he smiled as he looked at her.

“You are beautiful, and every minute that I’m without you, I’m a total mess.” She tried to look away but he corrected her, “Tilly,” he said and then kissed her again. Softly, gently, but strong. All his feelings were in that kiss. He pulled back and looked at her.

The tears stopped coming, and she blinked the few drops out of her eyelashes. She was trying to think of what to say, but nothing would come. Her lips kept forming the start of several different things. After a few moments she ended up with, “You’ll never leave me?” And her eyes quickly looked back and forth at his own.

“I couldn’t. You’re permanent to me.” He waited a few seconds, looking at her once again, taking in the moment and feeling the heat from the sun and the breeze that let her hair move to one side. “I love you.”

She gasped softly and pushed herself toward him again, breathing him in, and digging into him. Two people couldn’t have been closer. And to herself she whispered, but he heard it all, “I love him so much. I can’t live without him. I don’t know what I’d do if he left. I’m so safe here. I couldn’t get any better. I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him.”

-Hannah Mae