A/N: Apparently one sunny almost-summer day is all it needs to get me emotional. I don't own anything and I don't earn anything either. This is fiction. Enjoy.

"You're not coming back."

I stood in the terrace door and looked down at Chris who was sitting in one of the white chairs, holding the cigarette loosely in his right hand and looking over the garden.

He turned his head around slowly, his crystal blue eyes traveling up and down my almost naked body approvingly before they settled on my face. It was rare to see him that relaxed, that content with just sitting there on my terrace and watching the world around him in silence.

"Of course I'm coming back. You know me, wrestling is in my blood, I can't stay away." he gave me his patent Cheshire grin, his whole face lighting up at the mention of wrestling.

Without giving an answer I stepped out of the door and into the sunlight, taking three more steps until I stood beside Chris. His free hand automatically came up to caress my side in a lazy gesture that sent a shiver down my spine. A pleased hum escaped my lips and Chris laughed softly.

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it." I watched him taking a drag form his cigarette with a raised eyebrow.

It was obvious that he needed a break, but I wasn't dumb enough to actually think that Chris would never come back to the business. Like he said it was in his blood and staying away from wrestling forever just was not an option if you were as dedicated to it as Chris was.

"No, I'm not coming back." he hated saying it, I knew from the way his eyes narrowed and he clenched his fingers around the cigarette.

We both wanted this summer to last forever, to never end because the end of the summer also meant the end of everything that we were, that we had shared in the time we had been together. It wasn't over yet, but summer was already fading, the sun not as strong as it used to be and the days getting shorter.

He hated the fact with a passion, hated that he had to do the right thing and go back to his family instead of staying with me. But that was who he was, a man who always did the right thing, who put his children and their well-being above everything else – even if it meant sacrificing what he valued more than nearly everything in his life. I admired him for that.

I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed, "It's okay, I understand."

Putting his finished cigarette in the ashtray he turned his head away from me and got back to looking at the garden, not saying anything in return. He was angry, it was obvious from the way he wasn't looking at me.

My hand was lying on his head before I could stop it, fingers running through the bleached strands of his hair tenderly and massaging his scalp to get him to relax again. It worked, because he pushed into my touch, a low purr coming from deep within his chest in response to the intimidate contact.

"This is not fair to you…" Chris still wouldn't look at me.

And again he was trying to make this his fault, trying to take the blame for something that was as much his doing as it was mine – but I wouldn't let him, I never had. It took two people for a relationship, even if he forgot that on occasions.

"You didn't promise me anything, Chris. I knew what I was getting into, so don't you dare try to make this your fault." I leaned down to kiss his head and he sighed.

Finally turning his head he looked at me with that amazing blue eyes of his and then brought his hand up to pull me down for a kiss that wasn't any less sweet for its shortness. I was addicted to his kisses – to him – by now and while saying that I wouldn't survive without him was exaggerating I knew that it would be hard.

"I'm not like the others, you don't have to be strong for me." trying to drive my point home I maintained eye contact, my heart skipping a beat at the look he was giving me.

I couldn't understand why no one but me saw him, the real him, behind the strong exterior he put up for the world. He always tried to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders for everyone else and they let him, not once seeing that it was a damn heavy burden he was carrying and that slowly but certainly it was destroying him.

"My demons are not your burden to carry." his hands came around my middle to draw me closer to him so he could press his forehead against my belly. I let him, enjoying the feel of his warm skin on my own.

"Wrong." I couldn't stop my fingers from running through his hair, down his neck until they were caressing his shoulders, "They are because I chose so."

His demons were mine now because I couldn't watch how his bright blue eyes had become dull from all the responsibility that he was carrying, couldn't watch how his smile that was so full of life became empty and put-on over time – because these things were what made him special, they made him so much more than everyone noticed when they first looked at him.

"I don't want all this bullshit to affect you." his breathing was hot and heavy against my bare skin, "You're too good to be dragged into the turmoil that is my life."

He meant it. He really meant it and all I wanted to do was take his face in my hands and kiss him senseless, to make love to him until sunset and the whole night and tomorrow and forever.

God, I love you.

I didn't say it, because saying it meant acknowledging that what we had was indeed real. Saying it meant that we would no longer be able to pretend that what we had was a dream, a dream so beautiful that we didn't want to wake up.

Telling him how much I loved him would mean that after this summer we wouldn't be able to just go back into our old lives, and I couldn't do that to him.

"Shush. Stop talking about it." I broke away from his grip and took his hand to drag him out of his chair and into my body, nearly closing my eyes at the intensity of his gaze on me, "Let's go back inside, I don't pay a fortune on the air condition so you can sit outside all day."

Chris laughed, shaking his head before he stepped past me and into the kitchen.

"You're coming or what?"

Walking into the house I took on last look at the garden over my shoulder. The sun was still shining bright from the sky.

Summer wasn't over yet.

I realized halfway through that I hadn't used the name of Chris' lover thus far and decided to keep it that way. If you know what I usually write you might know who I pictured in the role, and if you don't feel free to imagine whoever you want, old, young, man, woman... (I just now realized that even the gender can be up to imagination). Reviews are love :)