Fingers crawled around my arm, holding tight, desperately.
The palm pressed against the soft skin of my inner wrist was moist with sweat. He was nervous. I turned slowly, avoiding his eyes; I just couldn't look at them when he was this vulnerable, as he was now, as he was only with me.
Another hand cupped my chin, lifting my eye-line to his, he was shaking slightly. I could feel the beat in his fingers of his increased pulse against my jaw, how nervous was he?
His mouth opened in an attempt for words, but nothing formed on his lips, his voice making no sound to complete the gesture.
After a few attempts he settled for mouthing, I felt my eyes drawn to his moving lips, shaping the words he needed me to know.
I will come back
I heard, rather than felt the dry sob that escaped my throat, breaking the silence that had pressed us together.
Now it was my turn to struggle for the formation of a coherent sentence, I eventually produced, "Can you promise?"
He nodded, though it visibly pained him to do so, he finally spoke, a deep croak hidden in his utterance, "I will return to you, if you can . . . wait."
This had to be harder for me, he loosened his possessive grip on my wrist, and I let my hand slide into his, fingers automatically curling around his.
"I can wait, only for you," I choked.
A sad smile graced his perfect features, his other hand sliding to my back to pull me into him. I clutched desperately at him, letting my emotion pour out through my tears.
"I will wait," I muttered again and again.
I couldn't let them be my last words, but a promise was all I could manage.
He inhaled deeply, his chest expanding against the side of my face, taking a last smell of me. He pushed me away gently but forcefully, I knew how much it was taking him to do this.
He stared deep into my eyes; I could see the vulnerability there again, but determination too.
One last kiss, one last look and he turned to leave, one more glance over the shoulder, one more mouthed phrase.
I never stopped loving you