Happy Saturday, everyone! It's a slow day at the library, so I thought I'd edit and post a chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter 14
"I came to give you my heart."
It took Henry a full two beats before he extended his hand to take what Elizabeth had offered to him. The light blue photo album was covered in red stars and was obviously well loved, with the spine starting to crack at both the top and bottom and the first few plastic pages shoved in because they had come loose.
"It's your family," he said, flipping through the first few pages.
"Do you think I could come in?" Elizabeth asked.
Henry snapped the album closed. "I'm so sorry," he said, stepping back. "Please, do come in. You're planning to stay, aren't you?"
"It cost me five bucks to get here. I wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon," Elizabeth muttered.
Henry was immediately at her elbow. "What?"
She shook her head. "Will is just expensive and exasperating and occasionally, he's right, but don't tell him I said that. He's already heard it more than enough for quite a while."
Henry still didn't understand, but his limited knowledge of the Adams siblings led him to believe that it was par for the course and he moved on. "Can I get you something to eat or drink?"
"No, I'm fine." She took three steps forward and reached out for the chair, which she stepped around and, avoiding the coffee table with a precision that Henry still didn't understand, she sat in the middle of the couch. "Will you join me?" She patted the cushion next to her, and Henry didn't have to be asked twice.
"Elizabeth?" he asked, urgency creeping into his voice. "Are you alright? How were your finals? Did you get along okay? I was worried about you. I-"
"I missed you," Elizabeth interrupted, turning into him. "Do you think it would be okay if I kiss you?" Her hands were already reaching for him, both landing on his chest, dancing their way up to cup his face, bringing him closer. "It's been a long couple of weeks and I've missed you so much." She paused just lost enough for him to close the distance. Her lips caught his and they parted for her. She wasted no time sliding her tongue into his mouth, tasting him. Henry was taken aback by her boldness, but at the same time, he thought this time apart may have been exactly what they needed.
Finally, Henry broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. "I missed you too." She didn't move away from him.
"I'm sorry that I hurt you," she whispered. "I thought that pushing you away was for the best. But, I have to be honest with you. The thought of purposely choosing to live my days without you is even worse than losing my parents because I had no choice in that pain, but in pushing you away I created it for myself."
The tightness that Henry had held inside him since the night he walked out of Elizabeth's dorm room fell away, and he was left exhausted. He wrapped his arms around her, sinking into her.
She rested her head against him, reveling in the warmth of his embrace. "Henry, I do love you, but in order to really be fully vested, I need to share what makes me who I am. I've been ignoring that for the most part since my parents died. I thought that if I just pretended that part of me didn't exist, and I focused on other things, like coping with my blindness and studying, that I could block off the pain. And it worked pretty well, until I found someone who showed me what real love looks like, and I found myself wanting it, but everything I'd so neatly hidden away became baggage that needed to be unpacked." She shrugged and gave him a small smile. "So, here I am, presenting all of my baggage, baring my soul, so that I can love you the way you deserve to be loved."
She shifted to kiss his cheek and discovered that they were wet with tears. Elizabeth frowned, but Henry spoke. "I am so lucky to have found a woman to love who is the strongest, bravest, smartest and kindest person I know. "I'm sure it will be hard for you to share this with me." He placed his hand on the album that lay in his lap, "but I want you to know that I am here to love and support you through it and I can't wait to meet them."
Shifting on the couch, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they sank back into the couch cushions. Once settled, Henry opened the book. "Oh my God, you look exactly like you mom. She was so beautiful."
"Tell me what you see and I'll tell you what was happening," she said.
"There's a couple leaning against an old Impala. I'm guessing that's your mom with your dad. I can see your dad in Will, the squareness of his jaw and the shape of his nose," Henry observed.
"Dad got that car after he graduated from college. Mom always said it was his first child. It nearly killed him to trade it in on a family car." Elizabeth leaned in close as though she was looking at the photos as well.
Henry flipped the page and described each picture. Elizabeth explained what was happening and then little facts about what was going on at the time. Sometimes, there was a funny story and sometimes it made her cry, but she felt it all with Henry at her side.
They made it to the time when Elizabeth was seven years old and Henry turned the page and gasped. "What?" Elizabeth asked, tension in her voice.
He chuckled and turned to land a kiss on the side of her head. "I've always been very perplexed at how you seem to get around so easily when we go horseback riding. You could've mentioned that it was your house."
Elizabeth blushed and turned her head away. "I'm sorry. Please do be upset. Just the thought of someone else living in a house full of my memories, ones that I was trying to forget, was too much. I didn't want to remember."
"But you found Red," he said, tugging Elizabeth closer so that she would look at him. "That was a good thing." There was a pause and then he added, "I'm not upset and no need to be sorry."
She smiled, tears collecting in the corners of her eyes. "Yeah, Red. That was a very good thing. Speaking of which, it's been a couple of weeks since we've been. Darryl said that you're almost to the point where he'd let you go out unattended, as long as I watch over you."
— ∞ —
Henry stirred to wakefulness, trying to sort out where he was before his eyes were willing to open. Then he remembered and smiled. He was pressed into the corner of his couch, Elizabeth tucked up against him, taking little snuffling snores with each inhale. He opened his eyes to survey the scene and wondered how they'd ended up in the position they were in and how it could possibly be construed as comfortable. Yet, even with his arm numb and his back aching, Henry felt more at ease in that moment than he had in his entire life.
He studied Elizabeth and decided that he needed to move or she would wake with a stiff neck. The photo album rested loosely in her hands, still open against her chest. Carefully, Henry slid out from beneath her and she stirred, the album slipping, but he caught it before it fell, placing it on the coffee table. He left it open to the page where she had stopped, hoping that they would take up the task later. Henry placed a pillow under her head and grabbed the afghan his grandmother crocheted off the back of the couch and covered her. Her eyelids were still puffy and every third or fourth breath, there was a tiny shudder. He knew that today had been difficult for her, but he couldn't help but be elated that she chose to share with him.
It was after 5 and he was sure that Elizabeth would be hungry when she woke, so he padded off to the kitchen to see what he could come up with for dinner.
He was just waiting for the skillet to get hot enough to ladle the pancake batter on, when he heard Elizabeth in the next room. It was a muffled moan and he was quick to flip the burner off and go check it out in case she was having a bad dream. When he rounded the corner, he stopped in his tracks. He changed his mind quickly, and while he thought that maybe the prudent course of action would be to walk away, he was mesmerized by the sight of her.
Henry stood in the doorway and continued to watch Elizabeth. She was still asleep, but he could tell what she was dreaming about. Her face flushed and her slight moan made him smirk and have to readjust himself in his jeans. He watched as she kicked the afghan off onto the floor. Her hands were splayed across her stomach and didn't move, but he could see the muscles twitch beneath them. Slowly her hand migrated to rest at the apex of her legs and her hips rocked ever so slightly. Occasionally, she licked her lips and a stuttered breath fell from them. Then her body stiffened for a few seconds and then sunk back into the couch, breathing heavily. Henry trekked across the room and knelt beside her. He stroked her cheek. Elizabeth turned into it and kissed his palm, her eyes fluttering open.
When she realized that she was awake and what happened in her dream was not reality, it took her a minute to reconcile the two. Then, given the way Henry was by her side, she had the distinct feeling that he knew exactly what she'd been dreaming about.
"Henry," she murmured. He leaned in and kissed her softly.
"Yes," he hummed, his lips traveling along her jawline, nibbling on her earlobe.
"I want you to know that whatever you just saw…" she started.
"Was super hot. I'm not going to lie. I sure hope it was me that was making you look like that." Henry moved to the soft spot of skin behind her ear, kissing it before sucking gently. Elizabeth's breath was shaky and he felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Henry migrated down her neck to her collarbone, pressing his lips there while his fingers traced the exposed flesh between her untucked blouse and jeans. "Sorry for what?" he asked, his words muffled against her skin.
She gave a one shoulder shrug and turned her head to face the couch. "Just for maybe doing something embarrassing." Henry's hand stopped moving and rested heavier at her waist.
"You shouldn't be embarrassed. Well, unless maybe you do that on my parents' couch when I take you home to meet them," he said, chuckling.
Elizabeth whipped her head toward him. "Oh God, that would be awful. Don't even tease about that." Then she quieted. "You'd take me to meet your family?" There was a sense of wonder in her tone, but her eyes were wide with unease.
"Well, not until you're ready. I don't want them to scare you off. They're a lot to handle," Henry said.
Elizabeth smiled. "Well, you know Joan and you've already met Will. If they aren't scary enough, I have some aunts and uncles and cousins that can hold their own."
He kissed her softly, changing the subject. "You know, I have those dreams too. But, all in good time. I'm in no rush. And by the way, thank you for trusting me enough to share with me." He squeezed her hand. "Come. Pancakes await."
Elizabeth leaned into the counter next to the stove and ate pancakes as Henry pulled them off the griddle. They talked about his plans to go to Pittsburgh and how difficult his father and sister could be. Mostly Henry talked about how he hoped the week went by quickly so he could come back to Charlottesville and to her. The way he talked about her made Elizabeth blush. She had spent so much of her life trying not to be the center of attention that she struggled because Henry wanted her to be the center of all of his attention. Once she had eaten her fill, Henry refilled the same plate with pancakes for himself and led them to the table on the opposite side of the kitchen.
They sat at adjoining corners of the table and she talked about moving out of the dorm and back to Joan's for the summer. As adamant as she had been to stay on campus the year before, she seemed to be alright with spending more time at Joan's now. Henry guessed that Joan would not put up much of a fight when Elizabeth wanted to go back for her sophomore year.
Henry rushed to finish and they washed dishes together before returning to the couch. The couple picked up where they left off and Elizabeth was more relaxed in sharing. She told more stories and smiled more and Henry willed time to slow down as they neared the end of the album. He didn't want her to go home.
"Well, that's the last page," he finally said, closing the album and setting it on the coffee table, before relaxing back on the couch. Elizabeth snuggled up against him.
Elizabeth didn't hesitate, but turned into Henry, throwing her arm around his middle and her left leg over his, her head resting on his chest. She stayed there unmoving for the longest time and Henry wondered if maybe she'd fallen back asleep. He was fine with that and he didn't care how much his back ached in the morning, as long as he could hold her all night.
"Henry," she mumbled, against his chest.
"Yeah," he hummed.
"Do you think it would be okay if I stayed over?" She paused briefly and then quickly added, pushing herself away. "I don't mean like that. Just platonically. Really sleeping."
He gathered her back into his arms. "I knew what you meant and of course you can. I was hoping you would. Are you tired?"
Elizabeth pushed her glasses up on her head and rubbed her eyes. They were still puffy and a little red from crying earlier in the day. "Maybe a little. I haven't been sleeping well," she said, looking a little sheepish.
"Me either," Henry said. Shifting to stand, he pulled her up also. "Let me find a new toothbrush and a t-shirt and shorts you can wear." With that, he led her to the bathroom. After handing her what she would need, he left her alone to go and shut off the lights in the apartment and make sure the door was locked. Returning, he found Eizabeth sitting on the end of his bed.
"I wasn't sure which side I should pick," she said, when Henry approached the doorway.
"Take your pick," he said, "It doesn't matter to me." Stepping into the room, he opened the drawer on the dresser closest to the door and fished out clothes. "I'm just going to change. Can I get you a drink or anything?"
"I'm fine," she replied, as he disappeared around the corner.
When Henry returned, Elizabeth was under the covers on the far side of the bed, closest to the window. He slipped in beside her and his hand caught hers. "Thank you," he whispered.
Elizabeth rolled to face him. "For what?" she asked.
He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek. "For being brave enough to give us a chance. I love you, Elizabeth Adams, and I'll do my best to make sure you always know just how much."
With that, he squeezed her hand, and held it between them. Within minutes, Henry had drifted off to sleep. Elizabeth lay there for the longest time and listened to Henry breathe. With each breath, he relaxed into sleep more and he held onto Elizabeth's hand. Elizabeth thought about how she'd put up walls to seemingly protect herself. The death of her parents, Jimmy, her sight, Red, they were all losses that hurt Elizabeth deeply. Every loss and disappointment, every decision made that she had no choice in, every moment of seclusion became a stone placed in the wall around her heart. But hearing Joan's words and then Will's and then sharing the photo album with Henry, had loosened all of those bonds.
Now, Elizabeth felt Henry's hand wrapped around her own, and she listened to Henry's slow breaths, in and out. With each exhale, the wall crumbled and she relaxed in a way that she hadn't felt in such a long time. She leaned in carefully and brushed her lips against Henry's before falling asleep.