It was a dream, as most things with you are. We were walking down the coastline, I don't know what was worse the sand in my shoes or walking barefoot along that very prickly beach, but I was with you so it didn't really matter anyway, I would have walked barefoot if I had to.
"It's too bad you weren't here last week, you wouldn't believe the size of the waves we had here." You said as you pulled my hand and by extension me so I wouldn't fall over the waterlogged broken stump I was about to trip over.
"Where'd that come from?! Thanks. Does look pretty calm out there today." I say looking out over the water and out in the distance.
"Maybe it's a sign." You said before you pointed to a well worn path between two very tall pine trees. "It's this way to the fire tower."
"A sign of what?" I asked as I followed you into the dense pine forest.
"My life is calmer with you in it." You said as you stopped and turned to kiss me quick before you took my hand again.
"Well I never... I never thought I'd heard you mister nonbeliever in anything but facts and numbers seeing signs in the waves of all things!." I said as I pulled your hand to stop us; I wanted time to kiss your face, and I did, I can almost feel your lips again retelling this now.
"You're damn right it is! Took you long enough to admit it." I said as we continued to walk deeper into the forest, the smell of pine so thick you'd swear it was Christmas morning.
It seemed like we'd been walking all morning to get to the fire tower you promised had the best views of your home, but we finally arrived.
"Oh my God, that's massive!" I said as I stood at the base of the fire tower looking up at the never ending staircase leading to a small platform.
"Haha! That's what she said!" You said as you laughed and walked towards the stairs leading up.
"You know that's not what I meant, though not incorrect either." I said as I followed you up the stairs one after another.
"One Hour Later." You said mimicking that voice from the Spongebob tv show.
"I know right, ugh my knees hurt bad!" I said as I grabbed your shoulder as we reached the top platform.
"But, is it worth it?" You asked as you walked toward the wooden railing that overlooked the ocean.
"You weren't kidding! Jesus. This is absolutely breathtaking!" I said as held onto the staircase railing still.
"You should actually see it from here, you're not getting the full view from there." You said as you reached your hand out towards me.
"You're seriously going to make me do this aren't you? Climbing 4,872, okay I'm sure I'm grossly over exaggerating the amount of stairs, but you get my drift, wasn't enough?! Ugh, but you can't let me go, like not even for a second; got it?" I said as I looked at you and the edge with fear.
"Promise. Scouts honor." You said as you hold two fingers up.
"You weren't even a Boy Scout were you? Don't they hold three fingers up?" I asked as I slowly walked towards you.
"Cub scouts hold up two fingers, so technically I wasn't a Boy Scout, but I did promise. You believe me right?" You asked as you grabbed my hand and then waist.
"I stand corrected mister Cub Scout." I said as I wrapped my arms around your waist too. I looked out over the edge of the platform down at the small trees below that seemed so towering before.
"It's amazing isn't it?" You asked as you pulled me tighter to your chest.
"I can definitely see why you love coming here. This is just beautiful, I never really imagined it could be so incredible." I said as I looked out at the ocean off in the distance before you turned us around to walk to the other side of the tower's platform.
"Come here." You said as you took my hand and pulled me with you to the other side. "I want to show you home from up here."
You pointed off into the distance towards a town that looked small from here.
"You see the edge of town, near that water tower?" You asked me as you took my waist again.
"I see the water tower. Yes." I said as I strained to see the water tower you referred to.
"That's where I live, a couple blocks from that water tower. But, that's not my home." He said as he turned me to face him.
"It's not?" I asked puzzled.
"No. You are. It's taken me a very long time to come to this realization, but You are. You are home. I waited too long to figure it all out and I don't want to waste another minute. Having you here these past few days had made me realize something I didn't want to admit, I need you here, you were already incredibly important, I just didn't realize how much until I thought about you leaving. Move here. Move in with me." You said without giving me time to even think before you kissed me.
This wasn't one of those ordinary kisses, hello - goodbye, I haven't seen you in a while... no. This was one of those soul shaking kind - the one that your mind goes to as it's dying because it will never forget how you felt in that moment take your breath away, spin you so dizzy you don't know which was is up kisses.
I felt very faint all of a sudden as if my breath was taken from me in an instant. I reached out and grabbed the rail for support.
"You make it very hard for a girl to say no, I'll give you that! You know I can't just close up my business, the business I've invested so long in building." I said as I looked out towards that fire tower and the possibility of having everything I ever wanted if I gave up all I worked so hard for.
"Then I'll come move there, I don't care. I told you, you are home. I can find new clients, I can reopen my business there. I just can't be without you any longer."
I thought about his business and his clients, how much he's sacrificed of himself the same way I have to build what he has now as I looked at him.
