I slide back into her until she can’t take anymore of me. Her legs come up and her hips lift slightly, taking me deeper than I’ve ever been. The feeling is both excruciating and exquisite. I set an easy rhythm, our hips moving together as our slick bodies fuse. Distinguishing Huntleys’ body from mine is impossible. Our souls fuse as our bodies do.
I feel Huntley tighten around me and quicken my strokes, chasing that wave that will inevitably engulf us both in a whirlpool of sensation. One final thrust pushes us both over the edge and I swallow her scream, absorbing her cry of pleasure and combining it with mine. We are but a single soul, inhabiting two bodies.
Time stills as we catch our breath and I relish in the afterglow of the most magnificently beautiful moment of my life.
I lift my head from the crook of Huntley’s neck and she gives me a shy, timid smile. I love how she still gets shy around me even though we’ve seen every part of each other’s bodies in the most intimate of ways.
“You’re amazing,” I whisper against her lips. She lets out a content sigh.
I reluctantly leave the warmth of her body and pull us both under the covers. She snuggles into my chest and traces her fingers over my heart. When her breathing evens out, I lay awake and just watch her sleeping.
Her chest rises and falls rhythmically, her eyes flutter under her eyelids while her long lashes rest on her cheeks. Her mouth pouts slightly and I can’t hide my smile. My beautiful girl has been through so much, and carried so much weight on her tiny shoulders. I know in my heart that she will show me how to be strong. I can’t imagine ever going on without her.
After watching her for over an hour, I slip out of bed, careful not to wake her. She stirs but rolls onto her stomach and falls back asleep. I pull my jeans on and my shirt and head out of the apartment.
My head is swimming with so many thoughts, still trying to process everything Huntley told me. I need to work through my guilt and find a way to open up about my own demons. I can’t imagine how hard it was for her to open up to me so selflessly and relive the haunting memories from her past. All I know is that our relationship can’t go any further until I’ve been completely honest with her. I should’ve done it when we started dating, but I was so consumed by Huntley and how she made me feel that I buried my painful secrets even deeper.
I drive into the cemetery just out of town and come to a stop on one of the side roads. A cemetery is normally quiet but at four am it’s eerie. I walk up the hill until I reach my sisters headstone and sit down on the grass. I look at the white marble with an angel engraved on it and silently read over her name.
Emilie May Carter
1992 – 2011
Beloved Daughter
Always loved, cherished and never forgotten.
“I carry your heart with me, I carry it in my heart. I am never without it anywhere
I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling. I fear no fate, for you are my fate, my sweet. I want no world, for beautiful you are my world, my true, and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you.” – EE Cummings
A lone tear escapes as I read my sisters favorite quote by E.E Cummings. She was such a bookworm and I always playfully teased her about her love of literature. When she died, she took half of me with her. We were inseparable as kids, always doing everything together. I have carried her death with me for two years and the guilt that came with keeping what really happened to her from my parents. I knew they couldn’t handle the truth, so I asked the doctors to let me inform them of what happened.
Emilie would’ve loved Huntley. It’s impossible not to. More than anything, I wish I could tell Emilie about the peace Huntley brings me, how I want nothing more than to show her my heart without fear or hesitation.
“I miss you Em,” I whisper quietly, hoping the light breeze will carry my words to her. I stand up and place a kiss on her headstone. Being here has made it clear that I need to tell Huntley about my past and trust her the way she trusts me.
I slide back into my truck just as my phone rings. My brother Jeff’s name flashes and I slide the touch screen to answer.
“Hey douchebag,” he says in greeting. Jeff is two years older than I am but sometimes he can’t help but act closer to my age.
“Hey asshat,” I reply. “Isn’t it a little early for you to be calling me?”
“Yeah, I hit the gym and decided to head into the office early to get some work done for a new client. The world of digital advertising never sleeps,” he chuckles. “Why are you up so early? Coach Morgan call you boys in for an early practice?”
“No,” I sigh. “I just left the cemetery.”
The line goes quiet and I check to make sure Jeff hasn’t hung up.
“Jeff?”
“Yeah, I’m here,” he lets out a long breath. “That’s why I’m calling. I’m coming up in a few weeks for a visit. Mom has been bugging me about it and I caved.”
“I can’t say I’m disappointed. It would be great to see you.”