As Moonlight Shines
Through The Window
As Moonlight Shines Through The Window
©1999-2000
By Sarah
Short Story
He could only watch her
sleep.
Her back slowly rose and
fell with each breath, her dark hair spread around her like a halo, she
was deep into sleep. There wasn't anything he could do for her, now.
He could only watch her
sleep.
He started to ponder.
Ponder why she loved him, why she was with him, why she didn't leave.
There were plenty of reasons to, he told himself, reasons like that he
was never around. When she needed him most, he couldn't be there.
He hated that he couldn't be there for her, it was something that tore
him apart everyday, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.
He could only watch her
sleep.
She asked him the other
day how it felt to be home. He could only reply that he was ecstatic
before pulling her to him and kissing her with the passion he'd been building
up inside for so long. He tried hard through it all, doing many things
at the same time to keep his mind off of her and everything he left behind
when he left her. It was often very hard to keep his mind off of
her, and he sometimes just broke down, demanding that everyone let him
alone while he looked at her picture, listened to her voice, dreamed about
her. He felt as if she were his life, the line that kept him moored
to the dock, the air he breathed, the food he ate, the water he drank.
She was his everything, he wanted to give her whatever she wanted, whenever
she wanted. How could he, though, when he could barely be there when
she just needed him?
He could only watch her
sleep.
She mumbled something
in her sleep and slowly turned, switching so that she was lying on her
right side of her face instead of the left. He smiled at her face,
an angelic face that brightened his day. He wished for her to be
able to sleep, but sleep with her eyes open, so he could look into the
wonderful pools of green that held him captive the first time he saw her.
She was just standing there, in the store, and he ran right into her.
He looked into her eyes and nearly fell down, he'd never seen such a sight
in his life. Her hazel eyes were so deep, the windows to her soul,
and she was so open with him. He'd ask and she'd tell, she never
lied. He loved that about her. He loved everything about her.
He loved her. He told her before, and she replied much the same.
He wanted to show her that he loved her. Oh, how he loved her more
than anything.
He could only watch her
sleep.
He leaned against the
windowsill and smiled as the moonlight shone on her face and hair, making
it shine. Her hair was very long, more than halfway down her back,
and it felt like silk to his touch. He often spent hours just running
his hands through her hair, marveling about how soft it was and how long
it was. The color was natural, too, and he loved the chocolate brown
color. When the sun was shining on it, blonde highlights showed through.
With the moonlight came the same highlights, only darker, and when the
moon was shining that one night he'd never seen her look so beautiful.
Her long, black, conservative dress hardly did her justice while she walked
around the kitchen, preparing dinner for the two of them. He couldn't
help but sneak up behind her and help the dress seem a little more form
fitting. She fit perfectly with his body, and he seemed to like the
dress even better when it was lying on the floor next to their bed while
she was lying in his arms, asleep. Much like she was at that moment.
But there was nothing he could do, now, to make her see.
He could only watch her
sleep.
She turned again in her
sleep, this time lying on her left side with her back to him, her legs
curling up to her stomach in a fetal position. He knew she was dreaming,
whenever she was dreaming she'd curl into that position and mumble, just
as she was right at that moment. He smiled at the words, his name
being said over and over again. I love you too, baby, he thought,
and I promise to you that I can make you see, somehow. I don't know
how just yet. Well, on second thought, I do. He smiled and
walked silently to his dresser, picking up the thing he'd gotten for her,
the one present he waited to give her. Waited for a long time.
He couldn't give it to her now, though.
He could only watch her
sleep.
She mumbled again, this
time expressing her love for him. He sighed, walking back over to
the bedside and squatting down by her head. He looked at her peaceful
face, screwed up in concentration, yet relaxed as she dreamt of the pleasure
they both experienced when together. He wanted to make her feel that
pleasure again, yet didn't want to wake her. He wanted her to sleep,
seeming as she had said that she never slept well without him near.
She shifted slightly, the satin sheets falling from her shoulder, uncovering
most of her back just above her behind. He grinned as the moon made
her skin seem to shine, the smooth skin he loved to run his hands over
as she pleased him like no other could. The smooth skin he loved
to touch while he pleased her any way she wanted. The smooth skin
that sometimes seemed to be his when they were close together, pleasing
each other in a way that seemed sacred. Their love bound them together
with an invisible thread, tying and connecting them through space and distance
unknown to others. While she never left her home, he was the one
always leaving, the one always breaking her heart. Yet, she loved
him, never left him, always stayed and assured him she'd never leave.
He wanted to make that promise to her. The one promise that would
be so powerful that breaking it would be a fate worse than death, simply
because without her, he felt that he would die. At the moment, though,
there was
nothing he could do.
He could only watch her
sleep.
"Sugar, what are you doing
up? And why do you have that silly grin on your face?"
He chuckled as she rubbed
her eyes and looked up at him, her voice thick with sleep. She yawned
softly and he laid back down next to her, pulling her close to his side
as she draped her arm over his stomach and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I was watching you sleep.
You look so beautiful when you sleep, so at peace," he replied in a whisper,
clutching her present in his left hand while his right hand went over her
shoulder and rested at her waist.
"You need more sleep than
I do, you must be exhausted, you only got back yesterday."
"I had some thinking to
do, some things that I couldn't think about when I was away, only things
I could think about when I'm home with you."
"Like what?"
He knew that then was
the time. Now, he told himself. Suck it up and do it, he demanded.
He lifted his left hand and showed her the present he'd gotten her.
"Like when the right time to give this to you would be."
She was silent, frozen
as she stared at the box. He reached over with his right hand and
pried it open, showing her the diamond as the moonlight from the bay window
made it sparkle.
"I thought so long about
this, but I never knew when the right time would be. I wanted this
for so long, and I understand if you don't, I just want you to think about
it, I want you to think about your answer. I don't want you to answer
the way you think I'd want you to, rather the way you want to. Baby,
I love you with all my heart, and being away from you even for a day makes
me want to break down. What I'm asking you is will you do me the
honor of becoming my wife?" He pulled the ring out of the box and
held it between
his two fingers as he dropped the box on
the floor, hearing a soft plop as it hit the thick carpet. She lifted
her right hand to his and fingered the ring.
"Yes," she said, almost too
quietly for him to her. "Yes, I'll be your wife," she said, looking
up at him.
He smiled and sat up,
waiting until she pulled her left hand out from beneath her. He slipped
the ring on her left ring finger and pulled her slightly icy hands into
his, kissing her knuckles.
"I love you, baby," he
whispered, looking into her eyes.
"I love you too, AJ,"
she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. He leaned forward and kissed
her passionately before lying back down, pulling her with him. He
fell back asleep with her in his arms, but this time, he knew she was his.
This time, he didn't have to watch her sleep. It was different this
time.
They slept together, neither
watching the other. The reassurance that they would always be there
for each other eased the fears of never seeing each other again.
As the moonlight shone
through the window.
Back
Home