I Fell in Love with Hope - Lancali

“We could run away together,” he says. “Just you and me. No one
else. What do you think?”
I swallow hard, the hospital’s walls and all the people inside tugging.
I think of everything I’d be leaving behind, running away. But then, I
think of Sam’s face as we hid in the brush. I think of his laughter in
the mud, of his lips so close to stealing mine.
“Will that make you happy?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says.
“Promise?”
“Promise.” Sam grabs me round the waist, tucking his head in the
crook of my neck, stretching his limbs like a cat on a rooftop. He
kisses my cheek, whispering, “You make me so happy, my sweet
Sam.”
heaven
The outskirts of the city trail the shoreline. The sea mingles with
eroded cliff sides, birds flying in arrowheads, matching the rhythm of
the waves.
Driving the road outlooking an open bay, I gaze out at a world I’ve
never seen with my own eyes.
“That’s the ocean?” I ask, leaning over Sony, hands against the
window.
“Is it as beautiful as you imagined?” Hikari asks.
A half-moon crests her skin above our binding line of promise. On
mine, a half sun mirroring hers.
We left the parlor thanking Carl for his hard work. Carl thanked us for
the story. Then, he, timidly, tapped Sony’s shoulder and asked if
she’d give him a call sometime.