Dalliance
She takes his hand and brings it to her lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back of it as they lie on the bed, wrapped in white sheets, watching the sunset. It's a significant moment, considering they had met at sunset and were now saying goodbye at sunset.
"Who broke you?" he asks again, just as he had the first time when he found her crying, nearly six months earlier.
"Doesn't matter," she whispers just as she'd answered. "You've fixed me," she adds.
He rolls onto her, resting his weight on his forearms, and watches her for a moment. Her hazel-green eyes boring into his green ones and her honey blonde hair curls an almost halo around her head, adding to her already angelic appearance. "You're beautiful," he tells her.
"So are you," she says, biting her lip.
He presses her lips to his, lingering. She slips her arms under his and around him, resting her hands flat on his back, as she returns the kiss.
"You're leaving me," she murmurs against his lips.
"I don't want to," he tells her, kissing her once more, running a hand down her side and grabbing her thigh.
She sighs into the kiss, slipping her leg around his thigh. "But you have to," she mumbles, grunting as he pushes into her.
He trails soft, open-mouthed kisses, nipping and biting at the soft skin of her neck as he slowly thrusts into her, fucking her, loving her.
They'd been at this all day, making love and saying goodbye before they parted ways for good. They'd never see each other again. He'd be heading back to Afghanistan to complete his tour of duty and she'd be remaining here in Paris, finishing the rest of her semester abroad before heading back to Yale University in Connecticut.
She slides her hand up, cupping the back of his head so she could kiss him, sliding her tongue past his lips. "I love you, Noah," she whispers.
"I love you, too, Quinn,," he says, pulling out, causing her to whimper. "So fucking much," he tells her, pushing back in. "So much," he adds as she comes undone around him, pushing him over the edge.
"Fuck," she hisses as she pants to catch her breath. She falls back against the pillow and he collapses on top of her, his head tucked into the crook of her neck. She wraps her arms around him, pressing a kiss to his temple. "What time's your flight?" she asks quietly, running her finger down his back.
He shivers beneath her touch, his lips attached to the side of his neck, sucking and biting. He pulls away, dropping a quick kiss to soothe the skin before looking over at the clock. "Four hours," he murmurs. "Have to be on the base in two though…" he says, pressing her lips to his.
She sighs, eyes closed, and nods. "You'd better get going."
"Don't cry, Q-tip," he whispers, catching her tears with his index finger. "Please don't cry, baby," he begs.
She can't help herself. She hates that this is goodbye for them forever and she knows he does too but there's no way around it. Their lives are too complicated for them to be anything. "I love you," she says, sniffling.
"I love you, too, " he says, kissing her again.
The next few moments are spent showering, where they make love once more, and changing in silence, she into her sundress and flip-flops and he into his Army Combat Uniform. She's finished before him, taking a seat on the bed next to him, unable to help her crying again.
Before pulling on his boots, he turns to her and cups her cheeks, wiping her tears and pressing his lips to her forehead. He then proceeds to finish up, getting up once he's fully dressed. He pulls on his rucksack onto his shoulders, grabs his cap in one hand and her hand in the other, leading her out of the hotel room.
The taxi ride to the military base isn't long. After arriving, he leads her inside, flashing his ID to the guards so they could let them in. It isn't long before they're in the hangar where the rest of his fellow troops and a few family members are. He puts his rucksack into the pile, never letting go of her hand.
Before they know it, it's time for him to board and she can't help but burst into tears. He pulls her into his arms, hugging her tightly. He drops a kiss to the top of her head and tells her he loves her and that he'll miss her. She does the same and wishes him luck, begging him to be safe out there.
Once he's on the plane, she's out of sight; he's overwhelmed with sadness.
"Who was she?" his fellow soldier, Hudson, asks . "She's a babe."
"Probably the love of my life," he mumbles. "And I'll never see her again."