Page 83 of There Is No Love

He looked at me and nodded, “If that's what you want.”

“It’s what I want.”

He looked at me and smiled, “let's hear another story. And I am going to want to see this cave.”

“I will take you. Elena and I used to have what she called ‘Alora Days’, she would take me away from the house, and we would do anything I wanted, for the entire day. Within reason. She said we couldn't leave the city or do anything that would get us into trouble. But everything else was fair game.” We continued for hours, both of us swapping stories from our childhood, the good stuff, the few happy moments we both clung to.

“I cannot imagine your brother running around like that.”

He smiled, “what happened with Charlie changed him. He was always pretty serious, always being the more level-headed of the two of us. But something in him broke that day, and it never came back.”

“Maybe if you guys find her, he’ll find that piece of him again.”

He smiled and nodded. “I hope so.”

“Well, it's been three hours and twenty minutes you can sleep now.”

“Hmm, that went faster than I thought it would.”

I nodded, “but it's going on seven am, we should probably get some rest.”

He nodded and scooted down, wincing in pain as I turned out the lights.

“I am going to hold you, and you cannot deny me because of my condition.”

I shook my head, “fine but only because you’re broken.”

“Of course,” he pulled me to him, my head resting back against his shoulder, his arm wrapped around me. “Goodnight wife.”

“Good night,” I let myself live in this moment, if only for the moment.

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