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“Are you happy?” Joshua asked.
I looked at him. He was staring at me with a slight frown on his face. I’d never seen him look at me that way before. Not once during our entire relationship had he ever looked so concerned about my well-being.
“I’m happier than I’ve ever been,” I said, unable to hide my smile. “I really am.”
Joshua nodded and smiled. He looked at Michael and then back at me as if he couldn’t imagine anything better.
“What happened to you during that accident?” I laughed. “You’re like a totally new person.”
“I feel like it,” Joshua said. He shrugged. “I guess I’m just done being an ass, you know? Near-death gives you a little perspective. There are more important things. Life’s too short.”
We talked for a while longer until Michael decided it was time to go. We all hugged goodbye and promised to see each other soon. Sheila hugged me twice before Michael and I slipped out into the hallway. We held hands as we made our way to the parking lot. Even now, Michael still didn’t want to let me get too far away.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I told him as we drove back to Ennis. “I know you’re afraid of that.”
“What makes you say that?” Michael asked innocently.
I shrugged. “I can tell.”
“I just don’t want to lose you again,” Michael said.
He was staring intently through the windshield, his forehead furrowed, and his eyes narrowed against the bright sun.
“You won’t lose me.”
***
Michael and I spent the next few days holed up in his house. We exchanged Christmas presents, not caring that it was no longer Christmas. As we waited for New Year’s Eve, we pretended like the world had stopped. We ordered food and stayed in our pajamas, sipping hot chocolate and making love whenever the mood hit us.
When I opened the crystal Christmas tree Michael bought me, my eyes filled with tears of happiness. I remembered that night in the town square. It wasn’t long ago and, yet, it felt like a different life. Things were so simple back then, so easy. Now, we’d been through hell and back together and, somehow, we were stronger than ever.
“It’s perfect,” I whispered. “Where did you find this?”
“Annabelle’s,” Michael said. “It reminded me of the tree lighting in town.”
“Me too.” I smiled. “That’s what I was just thinking.”
Michael grinned as I set the crystal tree on the coffee table to admire it. It was gorgeous. When it caught the sunlight, it shone brighter than anything in the room. Light reflected off its surface and filled the living room in a shimmering glow. I’d never seen anything more beautiful.
“Thank you,” I said. I leaned over to kiss him and, soon, he was carrying me to bed.
We spent the rest of the day buried beneath the covers, exploring each other’s bodies and laughing until we couldn’t breathe.
That night, we stayed up late talking. We made plans for our future and talked about our pasts. We shared secrets that neither of us had ever told a soul. It was like we existed in our own little bubble that nothing and no one could penetrate.
“Where do you want to go?” Michael asked me.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“If you could go anywhere, see anything, what would it be?” he asked.
“The Eiffel Tower,” I said without thinking. “That’s easy. I’ve always dreamed of going to Paris.”
“You’ve never been?” Michael sounded surprised.
“I’ve never been outside the States,” I said with a shrug. “Paris has always been on my bucket list.”
“I can see us there,” Michael said. He smiled softly and closed his eyes. “Making out in front of the Eiffel Tower. Yeah, I can definitely see that.”
