Months had turned to years as their children had grown and he remained. He has become her anchor, tethering her to this place even when she had felt light enough to float away. Even when she had lost herself in her own misgivings. It has always been him, bringing her right back to them. Bringing her right back to their family, to this small haven they have created for themselves.
On the days he cannot be with her, she lives in the warmth of shared memories. On the days he can, she lives in the beauty of those perfect moments.
When she hears her name whispering through the trees, a faint smile comes to her lips. She answers as she always does, drifting through the mist until she finds him, familiar and steadfast. Her heart swells inside her chest at the first sight of his handsome visage, just as it has for so long. Over the years, her fears have grown smaller even as her love has grown larger.
Perhaps one day she could forget them entirely.
Or perhaps today, they would rise from where they lurk in the shadows to consume her whole.
“Nashua.” His name is a reverent whisper on her lips as she closes the distance between them. A soft smile pulls at the corners of her mouth as she lifts it to touch the familiar curve of his cheek. She cannot say how long he has been gone this time, but now that he is here, it is all that matters. “I have missed you.”
- noel
@Nashua