Need

Slender legs had carried her here.
Down to where the waves crashed…and every breath tasted of salt and sea.
She was alone…
Her hair drifted back over her shoulders in sweeping waves of light chocolate…her eyes hazel, slightly tinged with gold as she walked barefoot through the tide that was slowly starting to release the shore from its grasp.
The moon was round and full overhead, illuminating the silver sand with thin white-washed beams of softened light.
It was quiet…
The wind was gentle, humming, caressing…and she bent, her fingers dropping down to slide through the velvet soft sand, rubbing the grains between her thumb and forefinger.
She felt so alone…
Her head lifted, her silken locks framing a pretty face marked by a deep, soul-wrenching sadness as she gazed out into the tossing waves, her heart contracting painfully in her chest from the loneliness.
The water was cold…
It was nearly frigid, spreading up from her toes to slide up her calves, chilling her.
Her tongue slid out to caress her bottom lip as her eyes moved up the beach, watching…waiting.
Wondering…

Her feet carried her, as if of their own accord, forward…the sand soft and giving beneath her as she loped up and away from the ocean.  As soon as she started…she found she couldn’t stop.
Her stride lengthened, the moonlight slipping and sliding in a halo of silver over her hair as she raced through the dark.
She needed to do this…she wanted to do this…
She couldn’t stop herself even if she wanted to…
And she didn’t…

Trees faded by, their shadows crashing against the pavement beneath the faint orange glow of the street lights.
Her pace increased as she sprinted through the streets, skirting the sounds of people and the lights of coming cars.
She slowed suddenly…her heart clenching as nervousness shot through her system like a lightning bolt..
Unsure…and so, so very afraid…
She approached the house cautiously…all her hope and fear bubbled up inside her in one tight spot inside her heart.
She ran her fingers slowly along the handle of the door, hesitating for only a moment before she pulled it open and slipped into the waiting dark.
She fumbled for the key, her eyes adjusting slowly to the dimness.  
Grasping the jingling object, she pressed it into the lock, turning it and opening it as quietly as possible.
It was just as dark inside…
But she didn’t need to see…she knew where she was.

Carefully she moved around the table, her eyes idly flicking over the refrigerator that hummed softly as it stood solemnly next to the door.
She pressed onward, her breath hitching slightly, her teeth scraping her bottom lip worriedly…nervously.
She couldn’t back down now…
Her foot nudged the door aside, and slowly, very slowly…she descended the stairs.
She paused at the bottom…her eyes adjusting to the deeper darkness in this room, the digital clock casting only a very faint glow of light over the couch in the middle of the room.
He was sleeping…
A slow, soft smile pulled across her mouth, and her heart ached.
God, how she had missed him…
So, so much…

The tears she had kept precariously at bay the entire night spilled downward, released from entrapment and allowed to descend the smooth plane of her cheek to the floor.
She barely managed to bite back a sob as she watched him.
It’d been so long…
So long already since she had last seen him…
Unable to stay away any longer, she crossed the remaining distance, slipping in beside him, her fingers reaching out to trail lovingly across his cheek.
God…
Oh god…
He stirred, coming awake quickly as he always seemed he could…staring at her in the dark, as if he couldn’t actually believe she was there, before his arms suddenly wrapped around her and she was crying.  Crying for absolutely everything.  For all the time lost again.  For not understanding.  For pushing him away. For all the pain she herself had caused.
He soothed her, pulling her in closer, his fingers threading through her hair.
It’d been so long…
So, so heart wrenchingly long…

Their mouths were suddenly one, neither quite knowing who had made the first move and neither caring, only desperately needing the heat and closeness of the other, the rich, unique taste they had gone so long without.
God how she loved him…
Her tongue slipped in to tangle with his, her fingers sliding up into his hair in a desperate attempt to pull him closer as he held her tighter, brought her nearer so that the lay together, pressing as close as they could to each other.
Needing this.
Wanting this.
It had been so so long.
His mouth fed from hers, his fingers crushing in her hair.
It seemed to go on forever.
She didn’t want it to stop…she didn’t want any of it to stop.
She loved him.
Needed him.
Wanted him.
God how she had missed him.

“You’re still crying…”
She broke out in a shaky laugh as they broke apart, more tears sliding down her already wet cheeks as she clung to him.
“I’m sorry…”
His dark eyes gazed into hers, his fingers delicately gliding down the slope of her cheek to remove a few drops of tears.  She wasn’t talking about the crying…and he knew it.
“I’m sorry too…”
A wavering smile appeared as she tried to reign in her emotions to keep from sobbing on him.
“Don’t apologize…”
She hesitated, her eyes searching his before looking down, purposely drawing attention to her hand…which she slowly tangled with his.  His fingers locked around hers, squeezing, his other hand coming up to turn her face back to his.
He leaned in close to kiss her, his lips soft, the heat of his mouth inviting, and the haven of his arms giving her more than she could ever ask for.
“I missed you…”
“I missed you too…”
“I…”
His finger gently came up to cut off what she was going to say.
“…love you.  So, so much…”  He finished softly.  “Truly…I love you, honey…”
More tears trickled down her cheeks as he crushed her to him.
She never, ever wanted him to let her go…

Breaking down finally, she sobbed, clinging to him, giving herself over to him as he rocked her against him.
Slowly she wore herself out…and sometime later she drowsed against him, stirring with an effort against exhaustion.
“I love you too…”She whispered in his ear, squeezing their still locked fingers together, needing him to hear the words come from her herself.
His arm wrapped more soundly around her, drawing her onto his chest.
“I know…I’ve always known…”
She sighed softly, her eyelids slowly sliding shut, breathing in his unique scent…feeling the touch and heat of his skin against hers.
“I’ve missed you so, so much, honey…”
His fingers were in her hair, stroking softly…and she took those last heart felt words with her as she sank into sleep beside him, her soul smiling.