I’m filming the entrance from afar, trying to show just how vast the crowd this year really is. I zoom in on it and freeze as Travis’s face pops up. I lower the camera and squint to look out at the market, but I can’t see any clearer.
I must be dreaming. There’s no way in hell Travis, of all people, is here.
I lift the camera up again and zoom in, shifting the lens around slightly to try to get a closer look at whoever I thought was Travis. I just know that I can figure out who they really are and rule out the possibility of him being here altogether.
But as I do, the camera lens lands on a face I know without a shadow of a doubt is his. Travis is here. My heart skips a beat in my chest, and I feel like I’m not breathing. I don’t know why he’s here, but I know what I want him to be here for.
He’s searching the crowd for something, and I keep the camera on him the entire time. Eventually his eyes land on me, and he pushesthrough the crowd, getting closer with each step. I zoom the camera out and watch until he’s close enough that I can see him perfectly clear without the optical zoom.
Up close, I can see how exhausted he is. His eyes are heavy with bags under them, like he hasn’t slept in a while. His hair is normally perfectly put together, but it’s unkempt and disheveled today. He barely even looks like himself.
“You’re here” is all I manage to say when he’s standing right in front of me.
“I drove all night to get here in time,” Travis says. He seems more alert than he did before. His eyes widen, and the exhausted look on his face is replaced by what I might interpret as peace.
“I don’t understand. Why come all this way after everything?” I bite my lip while I wait for his answer. I drop the camcorder and stare at him, saying a silent prayer in my mind that this is what I think it is.
“Because I love you, Sage.”
My breath hitches in my throat, and he takes a step forward to put his hands on my arms.
“I started thinking about losing you, all the things that we could be doing together that we weren’t. The idea of living my life without you by my side is unbearable. I would rather not live at all.”
I’m far enough away from the crowd that no one can hear us. I look over his shoulder, nervously double-checking that we’re alone before continuing anything else. There’s a lot between us that nobody else can know about, and I have to be completely certain.
“What about Nicole?” I clench my fist beside me, digging my fingernails into the palm of my hand as I wait for his answer. This is the make-or-break moment for me. I can’t be with someone who will hurt innocent people.
“I didn’t hurt her. I let her go.” He takes a deep breath and runs his fingers through his hair. “It’s going to be difficult to change, but I’m willing to try. I’ll only kill from an approved list, if that makes you happy. No more targeting people without your permission.”
“Really?” I can’t help the smile that grows on my face. This is all I wanted when I found out who he really is. Knowing that he’s going to give up this part of his life and let me in is a gesture from him that I can hardly comprehend. “You would do that for me?”
“Sage, I would do anything for you,” he replies with a genuine smile on his face. “I love you.”
“I love you so much.” I don’t waste another moment not kissing him. I toss my arms around his neck and pull him down and press my lips against his. His tongue slides in my mouth, and I grab hold of his shirt and crumple it in my fist.
It’s been too long since he was beside me, and I don’t want this moment to end.
“Oh!” someone says beside us. We both pull away, my arms still wrapped around his neck, to see my mom standing beside us with her hands clutched to her heart. “Travis, you’re here.”
My dad walks up behind her with his face still turned toward his clipboard, only looking up briefly. He does a double take when he sees me embracing a man, and the clipboard drops to his side.
“Travis, I know you met on FaceTime, but now, officially, these are my parents. Guys, this is Travis,” I say, finally backing away from him and nervously letting my parents step closer.
My mom looks between us and immediately pulls Travis in for a hug. His entire body goes rigid, and he slowly moves his arm around her to reciprocate. I can’t help but laugh, seeing how robotic he looks. Getting him to hug me was already difficult enough. Hugging my mom, who is a stranger to him, must be torture.
They start peppering him with questions, completely ignoring all their festival responsibilities. I see how anxious Travis is and step between them.
“If you guys don’t get back out there, a nonsanctioned orgy is bound to break out,” I jokingly warn.
My father immediately grabs the clipboard and waves goodbye before running off toward the artisan market.
“Won’t you stay till the end of the festival?” Mom asks Travis with a pleading look on her face. “It would mean so much to us.”
Travis looks back at me, and I raise my eyebrows to mimic a sad puppy dog, hoping he’ll say yes. Not only is it important to my parents, but I also want him to see this part of me.
“I’d be happy to.” He smiles and wraps an arm around my shoulders.
Mom runs off to finish doing everything she needs to do, and I grab Travis’s hand to lead him through the festival. I’ve gotten enough B-roll footage that I don’t have to worry about it as much. I just need to make sure I film some of the solstice offering ceremony tonight.
