They traveled from the pirates’ cove to Venice, Italy—or more realistically, the Venetian Hotel. She squeezed his hand as they rode up the escalator to Venice—or more accurately, the hotel’s interpretation of the city. An indoor river ran between the shops with bridges and walkways paved like an authentic Italian street. Seeing the excitement in her eyes when she noticed the traditional Venetian rowboats—or more precisely, the ones designed to travel through a narrow, shallow lagoon inside a hotel—the hero with a body of steel and heart of pure gold raced to the ticket counter and purchased two seats for the next gondola ride.
As they floated along the water, Italian music playing around them, she couldn’t take her eyes off the sky above her—more specifically, the high ceiling painted blue, complete with white fluffy clouds, and lit up to give a rather realistic illusion of the sky. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, feeling as though this was the first time he had truly seen her for her worth…
* * *
Bedridden fairy tale day two
Bliss practically carried them across the street. They arrived just in time to witness the volcano in front of the Mirage. A crowd had gathered, but neither one had an issue seeing the show. She stood with her back against his front, his arms around her shoulders, protectively crossed over her chest, with his cheek resting against the side of her head. Music played in time with the fiery explosions, and with each unexpected burst, she jumped and gasped, causing him to grin. He wouldn’t remember much of the show, but he would be able to recall her reactions and excitement for years to come.
They walked on tiring feet down the crowded strip, taking in the hustle and bustle only Vegas at night could offer. As if following a tour guide, they made their way to Caesars Palace and trailed the people to the shops, finally stopping to wait near the Cheesecake Factory.
“I’m going to get something to drink. Do you want anything?” the hero asked the girl, whose heart seemed as if it were on the mend. He refused her request for an adult beverage, reminding her she wasn’t of age, but she argued with him, batted her lashes, and in the end, got her way. The hero didn’t think he’d ever in his lifetime be capable of telling the beautiful woman no.
Luckily, the crowd surrounding the indoor fountain concealed the drink, preventing questions. Not that anyone cared, considering everyone’s attention became glued to the talking animatronics in front of them. Over the people talking, the sound effects, and water from the fountain, it became hard to hear the show, but they knew enough about it to adlib. The Fall of Atlantis was a show about sibling rivalry, which the young woman knew very much about, and the hero had somewhat experienced while staying with her family on numerous occasions. The couple began to create their own script, getting sideways glances when their giggles became too loud to be covered by the music.
Eventually, the two made their way outside. As though someone had lit a fire beneath their asses, they made a beeline to the Bellagio Hotel in time to watch the thrilling fountains. They stood amongst the crowd for nearly five minutes, as giddy as children on Christmas morning. And as soon as the first notes began to play to “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson, they were enamored with the show.
Regardless of the lack of slow, romantic beats, they found themselves huddled tightly, arms around the other, needing to hold the other person as close as possible. There was something magical in the warm air that night, and it descended upon them while the water and lights danced in time with the music.
When it ended, they both turned to each other, arms still wound around the other, and stared longingly into one another’s eyes. “I wanna kiss you so bad right now, Janelle.” He worried his confession would scare her off. They’d been friends for so long and had just recently grown close, closer than ever before.
Rather than push him away or freak out, she whispered, “Then do it…”
* * *
Bedridden fairy tale day three He didn’t waste a second. She told him to kiss her, so he did. And then they stood there in the middle of the sidewalk, in the center of the crowd, experiencing the taste of each other for the very first time. Holding on tight, their lips shifted from soft and tentative caresses to frantic and needy, punishing kisses.
Eventually, they had to come up for air, and when they broke apart, he said—
“What did he say?” Janelle asked, fully invested in this story that somehow led to a piece of information I couldn’t give her. I’d already lied about it, and if I changed it now, it could lead her to question everything. Plus, holding her in my bed as she recovered from the flu wasn’t the right time to tell her that I had given her the one word I’d never spoken to another before.
“He said, ‘I wish I could kiss you forever…’”
Then she said, “Let’s do it. Let’s get married and kiss each other forever and ever.”
“That’s a silly idea. And completely irrational.”
“No it’s not. It’s perfect. Think about it…” She listed all the reasons they should tie the knot. When she told him how they would end up together anyway, since that was where the friendship was headed, it didn’t make sense to the hero to wait a few years only to waste money on a celebration when none of that mattered to her—and he was a guy, so it shouldn’t have mattered to him. His points were no longer valid and he couldn’t think of one reason to argue that this union shouldn’t be.
They planned to head off to a chapel and make it official. And then the next day, they would fly home, where they’d keep it secret from the family. In the unlikely event something went awry, neither wanted to chance upsetting her parents or siblings. The only details worked out in the back of a taxi were what would take place after she finished college. There was no mention of how they would interact or what to expect in the years between the vows and her college graduation.
But neither of them cared.
In front of Elvis, they promised their lives to one another.
She vowed to always be his sidekick.
And he swore to always be her hero.
15
Janelle
For four days, Holden stayed home with me. On the last day, seeing that I was feeling much better and not nearly as close to death as I had been at the beginning of the week, he went into the office for a few hours in the morning, but he was home by lunch and didn’t leave my side again. Every night, he slept with me wrapped in his arms, because he claimed he wanted to make sure he was there in case I needed him for anything.
When questioned what I could’ve possibly needed in the middle of the night, he could only come up with “something to drink.” As if my legs were broken and I couldn’t get out of bed by myself. But I didn’t complain, mostly because I loved his bed. Well, if I were completely honest, I had a list of other things I loved about sleeping next to Holden, but I ignored those, knowing if I gave them much credence, I would only end up with a bigger broken heart when he signed the divorce papers.