“I’ll never let you go is scrawled three inches long down the side of my ribcage. The skin is still an angry red color, puffy and irritated looking. My gaze drifts up to Colin’s in the mirror. I suck in a sharp breath as I’m caught up in a tornado of emotion. He has the same thing on his arm. They are simple, black ink only, but the meaning of the words are anything but.”

“He puts up with a lot from me, and he never gets irritated.""Yeah, cause you can be so darn irritating..." He lowered his face and kissed my eyebrow tenderly, "with those irritating cinnamon-brown eyes..." His kisses moved down to my nose. "And that irritating, tiny nose..." He paused, his mouth a mere breath away from mine, and he kissed me softly. "And those irritating, luscious lips..." The green of his eyes darkened as he gazed down at my mouth. "God, those lips..." he sighed, and his warm breath drifted lightly across my mouth as his arms tightened around me more. He kissed me long and hard.”

“I put both hands on his chest and backed him up a pace. The black sky behind him was filled with color. I said, “Go. Hurry. You can still help. You’re missing it.”He pulled me close again and gazed down at me, tracing one finger so tenderly along my cheekbone. His finger was black, and he might be leaving an attractive blackstreak across my skin. I didn’t mind. The way he was looking at me with those light blue eyes, I had never felt more beautiful.He bent his head close to my ear again so I could hear him whisper, “I’m not missing anything”

“He cups my face in his hands and stares down into my eyes. “Two things…”I take a deep breath and look up at him.“…I’m sorry for everything and… And I’ll always love you. Don’t ever forget that.”

“Open your eyes.”Julia looked up into a pair of blue orbs that were startlingly clear and very emotional, but she could not decipher the emotions. He smiled and pressed his lips to her forehead again before rolling onto his back and gazing up at the stars.“What are you thinking?” She shifted herself so that she was curled up at his side, close to but not touching him with her body.“I was thinking about how I waited for you. I waited and waited, and you never came.” He smiled at her sadly.“I’m sorry, Gabriel.”“You’re here now. Apparuit iam beatitudo vestra.”“I don’t know what that means.” She sounded shy.“It means now your blessedness appears. But really, it should be now my blessedness appears. Now that you’re here.” He pulled her closer, snaking his arm beneath her neck and down to her waist where he splayed his hand, fingers wide, at the small of her back. “For the rest of my life, I’ll dream of hearing your voice breathe my name.”

“He kissed my cheek and then sucked my earlobe into his mouth. When he withdrew, he whispered, “I’ll let you go, but only if you promise to be mine tomorrow.”It was with a voice that I’d never used before that I admitted what I couldn’t deny. “I’m pretty much yours every day.”