I love him. I look at him and I feel . . . whole. A sense of belonging I had thought
lost envelops me every time his eyes meet mine.
God, I love him . . .
+++
I love him. I look at him and I feel . . . needed. I've been in the darkness
for so long, I thought I wasn't allowed light anymore. But there it is,
my light. Every time I look at him, I see my love, my family, my everything.
And I won't let my family down again. I'll be here, whenever he needs
me. And when I look in his sky blue eyes, I can see he needs me in every instant,
with every breath. Just as I need him.
God, I love him . . .
+++
I love her. I look at her and I feel . . . wanted. She sees right through me.
No matter what mask I'm forced to (or I am willing to) wear, she sees me
for what I am. She looks at me and she doesn't see a gambler; she sees
a man.
And God, how I love her for this . . .
+++
I love him. I look at him and I feel . . . like a woman. I know that's
what he sees when he looks at me. A woman. Not a kid. I see it in his eyes when
they shine just for me. I feel it in his touch when his hands caress my skin.
I hear it in his voice when he whispers my name . . .
God, how I love him . . .
+++
His arms wrap tightly around me, as gentle as they are strong. I've never had
this before . . . And it doesn't matter how many times he holds me like
this: I still tremble.
But then his lips meet mine, and I know no more. Except that I'm in love
with a gunslinger.
+++
I take him in my arms and do nothing but hold him for . . . I don't know
how long. It doesn't matter, either. I just hold him. I hold him, as if
he was the most precious thing on this earth. Which he is, to me. I hold him,
as if there was no tomorrow. I hold him, as if it was the last time . . . or
maybe the first. I hold him.
He trembles in my arms. That slight, intense tremor that tells me he still
thinks this is a dream. My lips meet his then, and I know no more. Except that
no matter how many times I have to show him this is real . . . we are real . . .
I will do it. Over and over again. As many times as it takes. Because Vin Tanner
tracked down my soul.
+++
I hold her against my chest. My fingers run through her silky hair, and I once
more wonder how she would look with that hair combed and her beautiful body
wrapped in a dress. But then, it's her wildness that I fell for. It's
those chocolate eyes. It's that smile, so bright that it's almost
blinding. It's the joy with which she seems to actually dance through life.
It's Casey Wells that Ezra Standish fell for. And as her lips meet mine,
I know no more.
+++
I bury my face in his chest and breathe in his scent. He smells of cologne
and that unique smell that's his and his alone.
I've never felt as safe as when I'm in his arms. I reach up. My lips
are begging to thank him for this feeling, and I have no intention of disappointing
them.
So when my lips meet his, I know no more. Except that I'm in love with
a gambler.
The End
