The taste of her sweet lips seemed unreal. Impossible. This had to be a dream, simply another game of the mind, that was so tainted and broken, that it could play games on me that seemed as real as anything else. But I knew it wasn't a dream; Violet's hands were warm and gentle against my skin, the sweet touch of her palms upon my cheeks was calm, loving, even. Oh, my Violet, my Violet, my sweet Violet. How could she forgive me after what I'd done? How could she kiss these tainted lips instead of being completely repulsed by them. The kiss lasted what seemed like a short period, but I was sure it lasted longer than it felt like; I had missed her lips, her eyes, her hands. Everything about her. "Tate." She said. Her voice. Her words were calm and gentle once more, not the cold, heartless tone that had reached me in the crawlspace, or the angry, disappointed one that had been the edge of a second death for me. It was the way she talked to me before.

Her eyes watered, but across her lips was a small smile, the kind of smile only someone who knew her would see, a smile only I could see. It lasted for at least a little bit, before she spoke once more. "Tate, I can't forgive you yet." I felt my smile disappearing slowly. No. Would she send me away again? My lips had parted to speak, what would I say? Anything, anything for her to- "No, no, no." She said before she gave my lips another light kiss. "I'm not done speaking." What? I didn't want to; but I felt a thread of hope. Speak, Vi, speak. I couldn't take my eyes off of hers. "I can't forgive you yet, I'd be lying if I said the thought of all that you did didn't make me sick anymore. It does." Then why was she looking at me like she couldn't live without me? Well... She was already dead, but still. "But..." She continued. "But I also can't ignore you anymore. I just can't. I love you, Tate." Was this real? It had to be, I could feel her, see her...

"Violet.." My voice sounded exactly how I felt. Like a light had been slowly introduced into a pit of darkness. I could see around me again, I could feel. She hadn't forgiven me, how I thought she had, but she wasn't going to keep me away anymore. "Are you...?" I didn't know what to say. "Really? I don't have to stay away from you anymore?" Those were the only words that could leave my lips. One of my hands lifted from its resting place on Violet's waist to be swiftly lifted to take hers, which were so lovingly set on my cheek. And just as she shook her head in response to my question, I lowered our hands, but I never let go. Instead I pulled her toward me, slowly at first, to give her opportunity to pull away if she wanted to, but then I pressed my lips against hers once more. The thought of not having to ever be alone again, to love her... Of course I didn't want to get my hopes too high; after all, she hadn't forgiven me. What if she never did? It'd never be the same. But still, her lips responded to mine with as much love as it was possible, I could feel it. She loved me and she meant it and I didn't have to stay away anymore.

Slow, hopeful words that didn't need to be repeated, as we moved to sit on the bed; our lips still connected for a while before she pulled away; I could see her eyes speak the words she couldn't. Just as I was sure my own reflected all the many times I was telling her I love you in my mind. And even, still, a bit of doubt. Would she change her mind? Whether she did or not... We were together again. And that... That was already more than what I could ask for.

But just like that, she looked away. I could tell by her movements, and the way she stood from the bed that we'd gone a bit too far emotionally, I could recall the way she'd stood up from the ground that second week in the house, after I'd caressed her marked skin. She'd needed to speak about something else, and just like that time, she searched for something else to say today. It was something she did automatically, as if she had a meter that told her how far she'd gone and when she needed to stop whatever kind of emotion that went through her.

"Hm... I've never asked you..." She started speaking, as with a small smile she stood beside her iPod near her desk. My eyes stayed on her all the time; and I knew my lips mirrored her own smile. I guess part of me still didn't believe any of this was real. "What's your favourite movie?"

I let a small chuckle leave my lips at the same time her eyes lifted towards mine. Here we were, only a day ago we'd been on the floor crying, me bleeding after she'd stabbed me. And now all she wanted to talk about where movies. I had to look down to think about her question for a small moment. I guess I had to be careful too. "Actually..." I said with a sincere tone. "Nobody has ever asked me that." I continued, finally lifting my eyes toward hers once more, just at the same time she smiled a big smile, she was proud to ask me more stuff about me, I could tell. So I continued speaking. "I like old horror movies... Have you ever seen The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari?"

The smile that lifted the corners of her lips upwards was genuine. Beautiful, yet, I still could see the hint of carefulness creeping behind it. "No..." She leaned against the furniture and shrugged a shoulder. "But, I surely will be looking it up online now. Old horror movies are the best. The original ones from the shitty remakes they've done lately are pretty cool too." Her eyes wondered away from mine for only a moment.

"Yeah, it's silent but they dubbed some music and text to it. It's so good, you'll love it." It felt surreal, talking to Violet like this. It's as if we'd never stopped talking, like my four year hell was nothing but a hallucination or a horrible dream. It felt like a conversation we would have had a long time ago before her parents died. It felt like home. "What's yours?" I needed to keep her speaking; to keep the conversation going. Only then would I understand that this was real.

"Hmm..." The delicate way her forehead wrinkled as she thought about what I'd asked was absolutely adorable. "Uhm... The Shinning... And Beetlejuice. Classics, of course." She smirked.

"Wait. Isn't Beetlejuice the one where this suicidal girl calls some dude's name three times and then everyone ends up dancing around a table?" I could see her smile widening; I think it was for surprise. "What? I know my movies. Have you ever seen Salems lot? That shit is kind of creepy."

"Yeah!" She said as she turned around to connect her iPod thing to the electronic that worked as a speaker. Was it... Speakers, no, it was something with a "D." Dack, dock, deck! It was an iPod deck. The music started, and then she turned around to see me again. "Ever seen The Children of The Corn? Stephen King is a genius."

As she moved toward me, my eyes completely stayed on hers and a smile crossed my lips. This was still surreal to me. "No! I've actually never seen that one, I wanted to. We should watch it sometime."

"I'm thinking we should have one whole day of watching old classics." She sat in front of me again. The smile across her lips and the careful stance still in every movement she made. It would take time, getting used to her like this. To remember it wasn't a dream. "It'd be great. What do you think?"

And apparently I would have enough time to get used to her again. To believe. We. She'd said we. She was counting me in for stuff again. She was serious. We wouldn't be apart again, she'd forgive me some day, but meanwhile I didn't have to be away. "Yeah," I said, my voice was calm, even though inside I was screaming with joy. "Hell yeah. That sounds fucking awesome." We. Of the many scenarios I'd played in my mind on my way here, this hadn't even been possible. All this time I thought she'd send me away again. Or at least explain to me why we couldn't speak. But instead. Here we were.

We. My eternity of hell was over. Gone like a horrible nightmare after waking up. Gone forever. It was true.

I didn't have to be alone ever again.

To Be Continued.