It took us a long time to get here.
Her hand nestled in mine makes everything feel right, like my world only just settled into place for the first time. It's like I've been flying all my life, the thrill of rushing air and recklessness all around me, only to touch down on the ground for the first time. Suddenly the sky seems an awfully lonely place to be, because she is down here and I crave the solid earth beneath my feet like I never have before, like I never thought I could.
I knew in my soul that it would happen from the very first time I saw her face. She was a tornado of passion and anger, her red hair flying around her as she defended him, but I knew we were meant to be. A tornado doesn't scare a boy who wears his broom like a fifth limb; it only looks like a glorious opportunity, a once in a lifetime chance to experience the flight of his life. So I jumped in. I could feel it in my bones, the certainty that I was hers and that someday she would be mine.
But it took us a long time to get here.
She hated everything about me. She swore she would never give me the time of day. She hexed me, she yelled at me, she even ignored me. I suppose I didn't help myself. I suppose I could have tried more conventional ways to win her affection. But nothing about my feelings was conventional. I was drawn to her. The more she pushed me away, the more I felt I was being pulled closer. My every instinct moved me to tell her. I declared my love for her so many times it became an ordinary part of every day.
But nothing about Lily was ever ordinary. She is fire: beautiful, dangerous and necessary for survival. Coveted or hated. Destructive and life-giving. I'm just the Phoenix that had to burn before I could live again. Some days I thought I might burn until the end of time.
Because it took us a long time to get here.
I know I upset and embarrassed her. It was never my intention, I was just too far ahead and she wasn't ready to catch me yet. It was war, but I had already surrendered. Somewhere along the way, her flush of anger gave way to the heat of tumultuous butterflies and curiosity, to those moments your heart beats so loudly you fear everyone can hear it. I was already captive behind enemy lines, but somehow the front line had shifted and alliances had changed.
It seems it should be bittersweet that our conflict has ended only to lead us to another war, one that is far more real and yet feels less so. But nothing can be bittersweet when we have finally found our place together. We are here. And nothing can touch us here.
It took us a long time to get here.
Now that I have her hand in mine, I could stay here with her forever.