This was a short story I wrote way back when my writing juices were still flowing. Kind of R rated-ish. :)) Enjoy!

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They both lied beneath a sea of blankets as the dawn came to greet them. Warm rays of sunlight seeped through the curtains and into the dim room, exposing the evidences of the past night— clothes strewn across the carpeted floor, curtains drawn, and a lampshade left on.

She pulled the sheets closer to her naked body. It was getting cold. Trying to make as little movement as possible, she snuggled in closer to feel her lover’s natural warmth as not to wake him but to no avail. He awoke with a start and breathed in deeply before opening his jade-colored eyes to look at the woman next to him.

She smiled at him feebly and traced the contours of his lips with her candlestick fingers. “Good morning.”

He kissed her fingertips as a grin played on his features. “Good morning, beautiful.” His eyes drifted onto the corners of the bedroom. It was still the same old mustard walls and earth-toned furniture. Their memories together have been so numerous to the point that they were nothing but misty images tucked away in this secret place.

She continued to admire the god resting on her side. Flawless and beautiful. His messy sand-colored hair only emphasized his beauty if not perfected it. His broad shoulders and lean body were a golden tan, his skin a smooth and supple feel. How could she not be mesmerized by a dream turned into reality?

Oh, how she loved him. She’d snip his wings off if he were an angel sent from Heaven. He could be somewhere else in someone else’s arms. But he was right there, looking into her eyes as if she herself were the goddess of his dreams.

He lifted his head a bit to glance at the digital clock on the bedside table.

9:15.

“Just on time,” he mused as he sat up and pulled the sheets off his body. It slid off him like silk on water. He languidly bent on the floor, picked up his clothes and headed for the bathroom. After splashing some cold water on his face and combing his hair in the right places, he came out as if he was just fresh from the shower.

“Going already?” She asked. There was no need to ask. She knew where he was going.1

“Yeah, I have to. I’ll be late for my flight,” He replied as snatched his phone and palm pilot off the bedside table. He leaned over to her side of the bed and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “I’ll see you soon.”

She smiled and replied, “Yeah, see you soon.”

He was just about to leave the door when she stopped him.

“ Wait.”

He turned and looked at her in curiosity.15
“Yes?”16

“You forgot it again.”17

“Oh, thank you.” A smile formed on his lips as he made his way to the bedside table again.18

He slipped the platinum ring on the right finger and made his way out the door. A laugh escaped his lips as he turned to face her for one last time.19

“She’d be furious again, wouldn’t she?”20

The door shut closed and the room once filled with laughter was now replaced with a cold silence.

The rough rubbing of the metal file against her nail was the only sound that reverberated through the dark ominous night. Setting down the thin, cold, silver slab of metal on the coffee table, she admired the work that she had done. Each nail was trimmed and filed into deadly perfection, triangular in shape, sharp as a needle at the tip of each. They were too beautiful; she had to try it out. Bringing out her left forearm, she dug the nails of her right hand into it, producing a dark scarlet liquid that trickled down her porcelain skin. A wry smile formed on her lips as she licked the blood off her arm, making no attempt patch up the four cuts she so willingly did herself.

Perfect.

~*~

In the silence of darkness he slept tangled in white sheets, gradually spiraling into deep slumber. He slowly opened his eyes to an unfamiliar place, aware that he was dreaming in some part of his consciousness. A multitude of topless burlesques filled the room, dancing, colliding, enticing. The heat emanating from their bodies increased insatiable lust as skin caressed skin and nails scratched raw flesh. He indulged in this pleasure that devoured his senses and pulled close a striking young naked woman nearby that danced engagingly to him. She willingly let him guide her to a canopy four-poster bed that was in close proximity, its pillows and sheets covered in blood red velvet. He lied down and felt the fabric graze against his bare back as the woman straddled him, their hips locked in place. His hands made its way to her waist as he readied himself to succumb into uncontrollable release and closed his eyes.

Funny, he thought, how realistic it all was. He could actually feel her weight against him. And his hands... it could sense the slimness of her waist as he stroked her sides. Slowly, his eyes opened to see the bare beauty once more but were only met by the darkness of his bedroom. He very well knew that he wasn’t dreaming anymore…for what he saw before him could no longer be just a fabrication weaved by his subconscious mind.

He caught his breath as a sinister figure loomed over him in the shadows, straddling him just the way the stripped erotic burlesque in his dreams did. He could only see the outline of the body that mounted him, for the pale moonlight shone dimly through the newly opened window. It was a woman. His heart beat madly as he saw the intruder bring out her hand, deadly black nails gleaming in the milky moonlight, and placed the tip of each at his neck. A smile formed on the prowler’s lips, her teeth glinting as bright as the mischievous Cheshire cat’s grin. She bent down to whisper ever so softly in his ear.

“Hey, you.”

His fingers traced the smooth shell necklace that trailed around his neck. He occasionally tugged at it as his eyes glazed at the fireplace before him, flames dancing furiously and casting shadows that flickered against the beige walls that surrounded him. He closed his eyes and forced himself to recall the very day he received the hand-made jewelry crafted by his very own beloved. The darkness consumed him, rendering him in a state of nostalgia.

~*~

“I made it during summer camp,” She said jubilantly. Gently taking his open palm, she dropped the pearly white necklace onto it and closed his hand into a fist. “It’s something very precious to me, so I’m giving it to you because I know you’ll take good care of it.”

He replied with a bashful smile, silently accepting the gift given to him. He withdrew his hand from hers and brought the necklace closer to his face to have a better look at it. Each square, flat, shell was polished to perfection, each one gleaming in the warm sunlight. He examined the uneven contours of the whole piece and concluded that it had really been done solely by hand, something that encouraged him to keep it closer to his heart. The necklace, he knew, became a part of her.

She reached out for the necklace and took it from him once more. Taking both ends of the necklace, her slender fingers made their way to his neck where she locked it in place. A smile graced her lips as saw the way it matched him perfectly.

A mad rush of scarlet flooded his cheeks as she tip-toed to kiss his cheek.

“I love you,” she whispered.

~*~

A loud knock on the door was all it took for him to snap back from his silent reverie. He blinked his eyes a few times to ensure that he had in fact returned to reality. The necklace was still in his hand, its sheen still as flawless as the day he had received it.

“Who is it?” he asked apprehensively.

“It’s me, honey,” a feminine voice replied.

A surge of trepidation overwhelmed him. He looked back at the necklace and crumpled it in his hand.

Looking at it just gave him twice—no, thrice the guilt.

Without hesitation, he tucked the necklace under the couch he sat on and made his way to answer the door.

And she stayed under the unkempt couch ever since.

Her heels clicked against the cold pavement.

Running...

Running...

Her heart ceased to beat for a moment.

No...

It was not time yet...

Her knees gave way. She was too weak.

But it was not time yet...

It shouldn’t be...

She rested her weight on the hand that touched the pavement for support. With her free hand, she clutched the gold heart-shaped pendant that clung to the thin chain around her neck.

Crystal tears emitted from the corners of her almond-shaped eyes. As if following an imperceptible course, it streamed with grace, down her oval face and on to the cement floor. Her lips trembled and gradually parted into a slim gap, slowly taking in the crisp air that filled the ambiance.

Her head tilted heavenward, feeling the intangible arms of the sun caress her pale countenance; inspiring fresh life into her weary bones and warming her icy skin.

She smiled in gratitude for the benediction she had received. As her eyes slowly opened, a sweet greeting of cherry blossoms descended upon her, letting itself perch on her shoulders and her lap. She looked around and took in everything that surrounded her.

The cherry blossom tress silently wept, filling the milieu with a soft tint of carnation. The sun hid behind the thick blossoms that adhered to the branches, daring itself to move into the open.

Regaining some of her strength, she progressively positioned herself upright and motioned herself toward her destination.

She needed to hurry...

There was not much time.

She broke into a run. Her hair wipped against her back as she hastened her pace. Somehow, she felt her passage of breathing enclosing. Her mind raced even more...she had to keep running.

A gravestone was materializing as she approached into the horizon. She was near.

A feeling of anticipation surged through her body. This was the only place she wanted to be at that moment...

Beside her beloved.

Her speed diminished as she approached her deceased lover.

Finally...

She knelt in front of the large stone and let her fingers glide through the engraved epitaph. Tears flowed down her cheeks once more. The corners of her lips curved upward. After many scarred years, they were now together...in the face of death.

A warm sensation caressed her back and onto her arms. The warmth materialized into a human form; a most beautiful celestial form.

It was him.

She closed her eyes as she felt herself float away from her lifeless body. Turning around, she met his deep viridian eyes. The eyes that had captivated her heart for so long a time. The eyes that had made her undergo a great sense of belonging.

It was time that hindered her eyes from seeing his viridian ones...

But they were no longer bound by time...

They were bound by oblivion...

He slowly opened his eyes half-mast, watching the bright rectangular lights of the hospital ceiling pass over his head. Incoherent voices surrounded him, distant and alarmed.

“Male approximately 27 years of age… car accident, head trauma, and internal bleeding.”

He came to an abrupt stop and felt himself being carried away from the gurney and onto another bed. His body remained limp as they punctured several needles and tubes into him. He felt the sudden pressure, but the pain did not register.

What happened again? Oh, right. The truck driver didn’t see him pull out of the driveway. Who brought him here, then? He couldn’t recall any sound of sirens, getting inside an ambulance or anything of the sort.

~*~

She desperately tried to keep up with the pace of the moving gurney. Her legs seemed heavier with each step she took, eyes stinging from the tears that continuously flowed down her flushed cheeks and onto the cold linoleum floor.

“How are you related to him, miss?” asked a nurse who was running on the opposite side of the rolling stretcher.

“He’s my husband,” she replied without hesitation.

~*~Flashback~*~

She jammed the key into the ignition and maneuvered the clutch as she readied herself to back out from the garage.

He was coming home late tonight from his business trip. Her stomach churned excitedly as she envisaged herself finally seizing the opportunity to take his face into her small hands and plant soft kisses all over his features.

And what better way to welcome him with a surprise dinner she lovingly prepared all by herself?

The engine silently rumbled as she sped through the dark empty street. All the shops were closed by then; nothing else illuminated the gloom but the street lights that gave off a blunt yellowish light overhead. The 24-hour grocery store materialized from a distance.

To make dinner, you need ingredients, of course, she thought to herself wryly.

A shabby motel in the opposite side of the road stood out in the darkness. But it wasn’t the motel that caught her attention. No, it was far from the motel. It was the sleek black car that was slowly pulling out of the driveway.

“No,” she breathed. Not again. He can’t be doing this again. Her heart pumped madly as her breathing shortened with every second that passed. She shook her head vigorously left and right, forcing herself to reject what she had just seen.

All that happened next became a numbing blur.

Her eyes widened in horror as a truck emerged from the darkness that came speeding dangerously fast. Its monstrous front end loomed over the car frighteningly, crushing against the side of the small black vehicle and sending it off to skid a few meters away before it halted to a complete stop.

The sound of the impact was bloodcurdling.

She sat in her car, frozen.

~*~

His ears strained to hear for a familiar voice amongst the sea of noise and commotion. Relief washed over him as he heard her small sweet voice, overpowering all pain and suffering.

“Mia?”

“I’m here, honey. Everything’s going to be all right,” she replied, her cold and tremulous hand giving his lifeless one a weak squeeze of assurance.

Her eyes darted from his blood-encrusted face to his hand and saw the silver ring that signified their eternal commitment. A feeble smile crossed her lips as she wiped the blood that tarnished the small piece and looked up once more at the very heart of everything she lived for.

“Mia…”

“Yes?” she replied weakly as she reached out to touch his face. The warmth in his eyes seemed to obscure all the noise that surrounded them, leaving her only to listen to the sound of his frail and hoarse voice.

“Tell Claire…I love her.”

They both lied beneath a sea of blankets as the dawn came to greet them. Warm rays of sunlight seeped through the curtains and into the dim room, exposing the evidences of the past night— clothes strewn across the carpeted floor, curtains drawn, and a lampshade left on.1

She pulled the sheets closer to her naked body. It was getting cold. Trying to make as little movement as possible, she snuggled in closer to feel her lover’s natural warmth as not to wake him but to no avail. He awoke with a start and breathed in deeply before opening his jade-colored eyes to look at the woman next to him.2

She smiled at him feebly and traced the contours of his lips with her candlestick fingers. “Good morning.”3

He kissed her fingertips as a grin played on his features. “Good morning, beautiful.” His eyes drifted onto the corners of the bedroom. It was still the same old mustard walls and earth-toned furniture. Their memories together have been so numerous to the point that they were nothing but misty images tucked away in this secret place.4

She continued to admire the god resting on her side. Flawless and beautiful. His messy sand-colored hair only emphasized his beauty if not perfected it. His broad shoulders and lean body were a golden tan, his skin a smooth and supple feel. How could she not be mesmerized by a dream turned into reality?5

Oh, how she loved him. She’d snip his wings off if he were an angel sent from Heaven. He could be somewhere else in someone else’s arms. But he was right there, looking into her eyes as if she herself were the goddess of his dreams.6

He lifted his head a bit to glance at the digital clock on the bedside table.7

9:15.8

“Just on time,” he mused as he sat up and pulled the sheets off his body. It slid off him like silk on water. He languidly bent on the floor, picked up his clothes and headed for the bathroom. After splashing some cold water on his face and combing his hair in the right places, he came out as if he was just fresh from the shower.9

“Going already?” She asked. There was no need to ask. She knew where he was going.10

“Yeah, I have to. I’ll be late for my flight,” He replied as snatched his phone and palm pilot off the bedside table. He leaned over to her side of the bed and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “I’ll see you soon.”11

She smiled and replied, “Yeah, see you soon.”12

He was just about to leave the door when she stopped him.13

“ Wait.”14

He turned and looked at her in curiosity.15

“Yes?”16

“You forgot it again.”17

“Oh, thank you.” A smile formed on his lips as he made his way to the bedside table again.18

He slipped the platinum ring on the right finger and made his way out the door. A laugh escaped his lips as he turned to face her for one last time.19

“She’d be furious again, wouldn’t she?”20

The door shut closed and the room once filled with laughter was now replaced with a cold silence.