Dear Reader,
Enjoy, leave me non-spoiler reviews, and please be patient, for it may be a while before I am back again.
Thanks goes to Turtle, as usual, for beta-reading.
~+~ The pioneer with a heart for people and a thousand stories to tell ~+~
Chapter 24
Love is when the other person's happiness is more important than your own.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
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Swiftly, Silently, their first anniversary arrived. Lithuania knew that the next day would be Belarus' decision to either divorce him, or remain with him. Hence, he pulled out all the stops, and did the best thing he could think of doing: make his most romantic, delicious dinner for her. He gently persuaded her to take a walk in the countryside for a few hours as he cooked, cleaned, and prepared everything for her, which was both exhausting and uplifting at the same time. He desired this anniversary to be memorable... and winning.
About two hours later, Belarus came home, knocking on the door tentatively as she pondered why he made her leave. Lithuania opened the door, dressed in his finest clothes, with his hair pulled back especially for her.
"Lithuania, you look... very nice... what are you planning?" Belarus probed, becoming even more perplexed at the sight.
"I have made you dinner-you can go change clothes if you wish," Lithuania disclosed with a loving smile.
Considering how formal Lithuania looked in his long sleeves, vest and pants, Belarus felt compelled to change into something more fitting to his attire, hence she quickly went back to her room. As she changed, she spotted the perfume bottle on her dresser, as well as a necklace Lithuania had bought her, and put both on as accessories. When she decended the stairs, she was wearing a simple, yet stunning, black short-sleeved dress which complimented Lithuania's outfit nicely.
When he saw her at the top of the stairs, Lithuania found himself taking a deep breath in amazement. She slowly descended the stairs, and Lithuania held his arm out for her. With a smile she accepted his arm, and he led her to the dining room where he personally served her an absolutely mouth-watering meal. Belarus was indeed flattered and impressed by how exquisitely the table was set and by how marvelous the food was, but she couldn't fathom why he would make all this for her. Lithuania, of course, knew what day it was, and was doing his best to make sure that she would choose to stay with him... so that he could see her walk down the stairs every day of his life.
At length, all the food was eaten or put away, and Lithuania led her into the living room, and offered to dance with her. Even more flattered, Belarus accepted, and the two began to waltz slowly. After some time, Belarus questioned, "Toris, why are you doing all this?"
Lithuania smiled as he whispered, "Happy anniversary."
At those two simple words, Belarus gasped quietly, shocked that it was TODAY. Whereas Lithuania had been counting down the days for the past weeks, Belarus always assumed it was sometime next month, far away. Indeed, she never realized how fast time truly flew. Now, here she was, dancing with the man she had been married to for an entire year now. At the sound of those two simple words, "happy anniversary" everything seemed different.
As the dance went on, Lithuania drew Belarus closer to him until she was resting her head on his shoulder, and he was burying his nose in her hair, breathing in the scent of her shampoo and perfume generously. He silently thought of all the times he dreamed of a moment like this-being this close to her without her trying to kill him- and now that it was here it was extremely bitter-sweet. Indeed, as they danced, Lithuania began to think many things.
At length, he reminded himself that today may be the last day he would ever have like this with her, and his heart ached deep inside himself. Would he be able to let her go? Would she leave him forever? Would they at least be friends afterwards? The more he thought about it, the more he realized that in the end, he didn't care for himself; if Belarus was truly happy without him, then he wanted her to leave him. He never wished to force her to stay with him, and if she deeply wished to leave him, then he needed to set her free. Even as he thought this, a few tiny tears fell down his cheeks and landed on Belarus' pale blonde hair. After all, loving someone sometimes meant letting them go, which broke his heart, even though he knew it was true.
Meanwhile, Belarus heard his quiet sobs, and reminded herself that tomorrow she would have to choose: would she stay, or would she go? What did she really want? Who did she really want?
Indeed, this was an anniversary that neither would ever forget.
~THE NEXT DAY~
Belarus awoke, and found Lithuania not beside her in bed. She got out of her pajamas into her usual clothes and stepped down the stairs groggily, thinking that Lithuania was making breakfast. However, instead of in the kitchen, she found him in the office, looking depressed and grim. Slowly Lithuania raised his eyes to her and pointed to the chair in front of his desk. Feeling a cold dread come over her, Belarus sat at the chair, wondering what was wrong. Lithuania wordlessly slid an envelope to her. Belarus carefully opened it, and found annulment papers inside. Belarus breathed deeply, unsure of what to say as she laid the papers on the desk in front of her. Suddenly, she realized that Lithuania's hand was on hers, and she gazed at him in wonder. In Lithuania's green eyes she saw deep conflict: love, fear, and pain were all gathered there darkly as she looked at him silently.
"Tasha," Lithuania whispered, "I want you to know that I have always loved you... and I always will love you... but if you do not want me... then I cannot make you stay."
At that he arose from his seat and began to plod out of the room, saying, "Besides, we never did anything... physical together, so it's not like we're really married... just... we're just two people living in the same house with the same last name, so... it's not really a divorce, anyway."
Of course, he was mainly saying that to make himself feel better, but Belarus knew that he was right. With one last look at Belarus, Lithuania shut the door behind him. Belarus sat and listened as his footsteps faded down the halls while he walked out of the house. Staring at the papers, Belarus quietly picked up a nearby pen and began to read through them, which made her think of all the times she dreamed about this day-the day when she could be free of him. However, now that it was here, she wasn't so sure if she wanted to be free of him. She held her pen near the paper, debating what to do next.
Dear Reader,
For the sake of catching your attention and being dramatic, I give you this ending.
And... I leave you with this:
"CLIFF-HANGER, HANGING FROM A CLIFF! And that's why he's called Cliffhanger!"
If you know that quote, tell me please. ;)
The pioneer with a heart for people and a thousand stories to tell ~+~
Remember, no spoilers allowed in reviews!