They were Switzerland. A Neutral land.
But nothing was neutral when it came to their love. It was an explosive combination- fuel to the fire and bang!
It always came back to 3 words.
Take care now.
I love you.
I want you.
I need you.
I miss you.
Twisting the key in the lock, Cristina closed the door on another day of medical innovation. Her head was revelling in the knowledge that she was forging bold and innovative new frontiers in science. But her own heart was in spasm. Emotionally not medically. Since she walked out of the observation gallery her heartbeat had been irregular, quickening with longing and reminiscence and slowing with future imaginings.
The future. Two clear pictures that just didn't match. It was like the jigsaw in the box was the opposite of the picture on the outside. Whichever way you placed the pieces t
As she walked through the Swiss streets back to her apartment, she still could not call it home six months into her relocation, she felt anything but neutral. She felt an ever pressing war raging within her. Advance or retreat? Battle or Surrender? All or nothing? Something or everything?
Now or never? One chance to strike, to reveal your hand and wait for the counter attack.
One affirmative action between life or death.
Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her phone and dialled.
After 5 rings, the click of connection sounded.
"Hello?" His voice sounded heavy with sleep and she wasn't sure she had ever heard a more beautiful sound.
"Hi". She murrmured on the exhale of the breath she hadn't realised she had been holding.
"Hey you." She could hear the smile in his voice as he registered who he was speaking to. The familiarity began to stoke up her nervousness. Advance or retreat Cristina?
"Owen…..I need….I want…" Mentally kicking herself, she stammered to articulate the dialogue her heart had been formulating since she had wrenched it away from his.
"Cristina, tell me…" His own heart was on pause, stuck between fight or flight. With the next words she spoke it knew it would either be rejoicing or mourning. Adrenaline began to course through his body to prepare for either eventuality.
"I miss you. Being here, doing this, it is everything I want, everything I need to be a medical giant. But it is all being dwarfed by your absence." She could feel the sting of tears in the back of her eyes as she let her heart do the talking.
"I miss you too. Every day, every night. I miss you." It was barely above a whisper. But to her ear, that heard everything he said in the unsaid, it was a declaration bellowed ffrom the mountaintop.
Once again she was left to utter the only 3 words he needed to hear in this moment.
"Come to Zurich."