Page 159 of Fighting With Light
“How do you feel about tomorrow?” I ask him.
He lets go of me and focuses on the rock around us. I still don’t know why we’re here. The sun is almost completely down and I know we’re going to have a tough time getting home.
“I don’t know. Well, no, I do know. I’m angry, I’m confused, and it feels like I always have been. Every time I think we’ve won, we lose. So I don’t know what to make of it anymore. Maybe we should just give up.”
“We’re sharks, Tarzan. The moment we stop swimming, we die.”
He doesn’t respond to me as he continues to stare at the water.
“Some days, I think that would be easier,” he says.
“And what about Theo?” I ask him. I think we’ve both been in this place before. It’s a difficult thing to accept your lot in life, figure out a way to live despite it, then get knocked down over and over again, and still get back up. It feels like a cruel punishment.
“You know…I’ll never forget something my mom told me. This was back before I started traveling more and just generally going wild. I was still watching over her, and it was one of her more clear-headed days.” I pause and grab Liam’s hand, forcing his attention on me. The light is fading fast, so I put his palm over my chest so he can feel how hard my heart is beating for him.
“She said, in life, you will struggle. Some days, it will seem like there is no way out. On other days, it will feel like there is nothing to complain about. Learning the difference between what you can and cannot control is difficult, but once you do, you’ll see that the light cannot be extinguished. So, Liam, we have fallen down. Both apart and together. But we are forever. That has never been the caseuntil now, so maybe God put us together to see the victory through this time. This was just a battle, babe, we will win the war.”
“Some days, I don’t think I have the strength anymore,” Liam sighs.
“Then you come to me. You tellme.I am where you land.”
He leans in and nuzzles his nose to mine. “Youare my greatest adventure, Aelia,” he says, pressing his lips to mine. I lean into him and he pulls me onto his lap. His callused hands skim up and down my body, and I feel cherished. That’s how I know he will always be the one.
He pulls away and I grumble. “Look,” he whispers.
Liam takes my chin and angles it down at the pool of water and I gasp. The water glows an unearthly teal blue.
“Liam!” I yell, scrambling off his lap.
I stare in awe at the blue light floating in the water and reach for it. Liam grabs my wrist tugging me back.
“I wouldn’t,” he says, “it can make you sick so just look at it.”
“Oh,” I sigh and stare at it. It’s glowing so brightly it almost completely lights this little cave. I glance at Liam and he’s smiling at me with a blueish glow on his face.
“Thank you,” I rasp. I don’t know why I’m on the edge of tears, but I am. Love bursts through my chest and I sit up pressing my lips to his.
“You’re welcome, princess, I know you wanted to see it.”
“How did you know it was here?” I ask him.
He shrugs. “I had been looking for it since we got to Malibu.”
“How did I not notice you disappearing at night?” I ask him.
He chuckles. “You were quite engrossed in the design of your wedding dress and wedding stuff. Which…by the way, seems very complicated. I thought you said we were getting married on the beach? Why do you want a crazy gown?”
I giggle and shake my head. “Men.”
Crawling back onto his lap, I grab his face and kiss his crooked nose. “You are the best surprise Tarzan, you know that?”
He smiles in the blue light and it makes my heart stutter in my chest.
We may be down, but we are certainly not out.
LIAM
We’re sitting on the couch, the news is on, and I’ve been texting my family all day. Aelia cuddles up next to me and the cool breeze blows in off the ocean through the massive sliding doors.
