I feel so stupid for letting this sit for so long- but I hit a nasty bit of writers block. Please don't be too mad, okay? Please Please Please? I really hope that you like this chapter. As soon as I came back to it I sat down and wrote this so quickly. Honestly your reviews spurned me to continue and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart (and I have a pretty big heart ;))
Deep in her chest, her heart sounded out. Loud and echoing, it spread through her arms and legs as she pushed herself up and up the hill. The road was dirt and gravel and with every little breeze she had to hold her breath, making the tightness in her chest even more unbearable. She couldn't tell the difference between the pain in her legs, her breathlessness, and the pain in her chest. All of these things she knew to be horrible things; signs that the body was shutting down. But it wasn't that. She wasn't shutting down. She was waking up. Her heart hadn't beat this fast in so long. Her chest hadn't been so tight since she had last touched her skin to his. This was it. There was no use in putting up a barrier as she often found herself doing. As she walked through the swirling blue puddle earlier she told herself that she tried her best. If he wasn't here, she would be fine. She put up a wall around her heart and took the first step into another time.
Here she was now, at the top of the hill. She didn't look there at first. She may not have guarded her heart for failure but she didn't even think of what she would feel at the success. Her eyes drifted everywhere. From the rim of her hat, to the tallest branches of their tree, and finally to the setting sun that cast a silhouette in front of her eyes. She took a step and felt her heart contract. The realization that somewhere on her way up the hill, she had stopped breathing completely. She inhaled deeply and tried not to fall to her knees right there and then. She took another step and forced the fresh air through her lungs. The smell of the tall grass seeped into her nose and she sighed inaudible. She could see him more clearly now. He sat with his elbows propped up on his knees and his head propped up in his hands. His hair had gotten longer.
Just how long had it been? she wondered as she drew nearer, knowing that soon he would be aware of her presence. She didn't want that moment to come. Why was that? She wanted to study his back. Remember how it felt to wrap her arms around him and test that memory with the present. But also she was scared. What if what the Woodalchi boys had said wasn't true. What if he had found another woman? Would she be able to stand next to him and accept the fact that he was happy with someone else? Someone else who he now called "Imja". The thought put a shudder through her body like lightning. The wind blew the grass hard and his hat slid from its tie and blew to her side, hitting the ground with a soft and yet obvious crash. It was a heavy hat and she now cursed her choice. She turned back from the hat to him and was struck down with shock. He stood before her. His eyes found hers and she tried her hardest to hold back tears.
He was older, but his face was still as handsome as it had been when she saw him last. He had grown scruff around his jaw and upper lip and she found herself wondering what it would be like to taste that upper lip. Her face contorted as her futile attempts to hold back her last years worth of tears, failed. It was slow at first. One tear down her cheek, hitting her lips and down her chin. Then all at once her eyes were full and she couldn't see. She didn't need to because he was there. He had closed the gap between them and pulled her into his arms. He smelled of the grass and earth that surrounded their tree, and he felt just a strong as he ever was. His hands found her face and wiped away the freshest tears that adorned her face. It didn't matter how her eyes were puffy and red, or that her hair was a tangled mess. She was here. She was still his. His Imja.
I know that this chapter was a bit shorter than you guys were hoping but that ending. THAT ENDING WAS PERFECT. Don't worry, Hunbuns, I'm writing one more chapter to encompass the woodalchi boys and maybe a little steamy piece at the end. You never know. We'll see. But please. Don't let me slid back into not writing. It's a great outlet and I hate making people wait if I actually know about it. If it goes too long just tell me. Send me a review or a pm and I'll totally understand. I love you guys. I really do.
