Authors: Renee Matteo
“We’re going out for a bit.” Grant shouted into the house before closing the door behind them.
“It’s a tad cold for a stroll down the road, no?”
Grant simply squeezed her hand in his and smiled to her as he continued on. They silently walked down the drive and onto the quiet street listening to the snow crunching under their feet. Gina could see her breath and feel it in her lungs as she took it in and out.
They walked until they could no longer see the house, and then proceeded around the bend and into the woods through the ankle deep snow.
“The bluff?”
“Yeahh, remember how beautiful it is at night?” He
asked referring to the summer nights they spent lying in the grass by the bluff.
“I do. But it’s a bit cold out tonight.”
“I know.” He smiled, leading them deeper through the woods. The gorge quickly approached. It fell two miles deep down to the earth where the now frozen river normally ran through it. The moonlight resonated off the walls of exposed earth that formed the gorge creating a soft light that bounced off the snow. The nature around it illuminated.
“Its beautiful,” Gina whispered.
Gr
ant broke their grip, taking the backpack off his
shoulder. He
unzipped it, pulling out a large sleeping bag, a bottle of wine and two plastic glasses. He laid out the sleeping bag with the cloth side up, allowing the smooth top to repel the snow below it. He took a seat, careful to not get his wet feet on the dry blanket and tapped the spot next to him. “It is. Big difference from the summer, huh?” He asked in a slight daze as he stared off into the distance.
“Yeahh,” she replied, taking the seat next to him. “What’s with the wine?”
“I thought I would get you drunk and take advantage you.”
“Good plan.” she said with a laugh as she handed him
a plastic wine glass.
He took out the corkscrew he packed and popped the cork. First, he poured hers, then his.
“Thank you,” she said, staring off at the beautiful wonder in front of her.
“Ashley adores you,” he said. “She looks up to you Gina. Thanks for being so good to her.” He put his arm around her squeezing her tight.
“I love spending time with her, she is a really good
kid.” She paused, “plus, I always wanted a little sister.”
“You’re going to make a great mom one day.” He swirled the wine in his glass and took in the smell.
“You’re going to make a good dad one day,” she
replied. Gina took a sip of her wine enjoying the flavors as they filled her mouth.
“I hope we have boys.”
“All boys?”
“Yep, I want a whole army.”
“And what if we have girls?”
“Well, then I am in trouble. I am sure they will be just as beautiful as their mother.” He said, taking a swallow of his wine.
She held her glass out to him. It was empty.
“Hey kiddo, slow down, you’ll make this too easy on me!”
“Very funny. So, what should we name them?” She rose up slightly off the blanket, tapped his legs to signal him to move them apart, and settled comfortably in between them, leaning back into his chest.
“The boys?”
“Grant, you can’t just have all boys. It doesn’t work
that way!” She leaned her body into his, slightly pushing him back.
“Sure we can. I have good aim.”
“Haha! I want a girl,” she declared. “I want to name her McKayla.”
“Ok, McKayla it is,” he assured. Gina went to speak, but Grant muffled her words as he softly placed his hand over her mouth. “Shh, you hear that?”
Gina listened intently in the distance. “No, what?”
She asked, still straining her ears into the night.
Grant began to sway their bodies slowly from left to right to the music as the lyrics spilled from his lips. “I’m crazy for feeling so lonely,” he sang. “You don’t hear that?” He paused, “Patsy Cline.”
Gina focused again into the distance. She could faintly make out the melody coming from a house through the woods.
“I hear it.” She whispered, trying not to break his lock on the music.
“I love this song.”
“You know what song I love?” She asked, pulling his arms tighter around her.
“I know, I know. “Break Your Heart.”” He replied as he took a deep breath and let out a humored laugh.
“Do you know why I love it?”
“Because I sang it to you the night we met.” He
replied like a bored child in school.
She tapped her hand against his in a light slap and then smiled to herself thinking of the first night he sang to her.
“Sing to me,” she whispered.
“Sing what?”
“What do you think!”
Grant took a deep breath before slowly and quietly
crooning part of the lyrics into her ear.
She could feel his breath tickle her cheek as each word left his lips. They began to sway in unison to the melody of the song.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“I just don’t get it, Gina.”
“Get what?” She held onto his arms wrapped around her trying her best to ward off the cool air.
“That song is about a break up. About not wanting to be with the person you’re with.”
She looked up at him coyly.
“I just don’t see how you think that’s, like, romantic.”
“It makes me think of you, of us. It takes me back to that night we met.”
“Okay then,” he laughed, taking note of her playful innocence.
She warmly and wide-eyed peered up at him.
In that moment, Grant lost a piece of something in his stomach as he felt her eyes burned on his. His mind traveled to thoughts of them and their future and reminded himself of how lucky he was to have her, to hold her and to be with her. He realized early on in their relationship that she, and what they had, was irreplaceable. “I love you, Gina. I don’t want to live a day without you.” He gently rested his chin on the top of her head.
“I love you too, Grant. I don’t want to live or die without you,” she replied back in sweet sincerity.
“What?” He shrieked. “Gina, if you trying to be romantic you totally missed the mark.”
“Hey,” she said, pushing her body back into him. “My
biggest fear is death. I have always been afraid of it. Ever since I was a kid. But when I am with you, I feel safe. I’m not afraid anymore. I don’t care if I die, as long as I am with you.”
He looked down at her with a perplexed expression across his face. “That’s disturbing.”
“It is not! Okay, maybe it came out wrong, but I just feel whole and safe with you.”
He pulled her back into him lowering his head to the side of hers, slowly brushing his cold cheek against hers. “You’re cute, you know that?”
“What do you think happens after you die?”
“I don’t know, babe.” He pushed his cheek harder against hers. “Why don’t we jump off the bluff and find out?” He let out a low, boyish giggle and squeezed her tight.
“Grant!” She turned her body around pushing hard
into him, pinning him to the ground.
“What! You’d be with me, you’d be safe,” he mocked,
continuing his juvenile laugh.
“You’re mean,” she pouted, staring down at him.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it, it was too easy,” he said still laughing at the moment. He wrapped his arms around her body holding her as she lay on top of him. They held each other silently for a few minutes, both surrendering to the still moment. “Honestly, though,” he said breaking the silence, “I would die without you Gina. I hope we are together forever.” He leaned up kissing her soft and slowly. “Come on, let’s head back, its colder out here than I thought.”
He lifted her up off him and helped her to her feet as he gained his balance. They rolled up the sleeping bag and packed it away, placing the empty wine bottle and glasses on top. Gina held the backpack tight against her body trying her best to gain some warmth.
Minutes later, they stumbled into the house, giggling at each other as they walked through the door. Gina could feel the buzz of the wine swimming through her body. The house was dark and quiet with not a sound to be heard except for the dull hum of the furnace. They tiptoed through the house into the family room, feeling the furniture around them for guidance.
Gina’s legs kept moving as her mind tried to alert her of something in her path. Not making any sense in her buzzed mind of what it was or considering the idea that she should stop, Gina continued on trying to pass through it. She flew quickly over the top of the footrest that sat in her path, tossing her body to the floor with a thud.
“Gina,” he paused laughing uncontrollably, “are you okay?” Grant tried his best to get out the words through his short breaths. Holding his stomach from laughter, he bent down and stared over her sprawled out on the floor.
“Oh my God, I am such an idiot,” she mumbled, covering her eyes with her hands. Grant laid himself down next to her as his laughter faded away.
Gina turned her head to her left, looking to Grant lying next to her, watching as he stared up at the ceiling. “What’s on your mind?” She asked, moving in close to him so their bodies were meshed together. She looked up at the ceiling as if she may see what he was thinking about.
“You.”
“Mmm. I like when you think about me.” She paused,
“I love you,” she breathed the words quietly into his ear.
“I love you too, babe,” he leaned in, softly placing a
kiss on her cheek. “Take this off.” He grabbed the bottom of her sweater and pulled it up.
“What? Grant, no!”
He lifted the sweater over her head and tossed it to the side.
“What are you doing, we are in the middle of your parents’ family room!” She scolded him in a whisper.
“I know,” he smirked as he worked off the hooks of her bra.
“Grant, seriously!”
He slowly pulled her bra off her body tossing it into the dark room.
“I can just picture your parents walking downstairs and flicking on the lights. And here I will lie, topless on their family room floor.” She giggled at the thought realizing she was a little too buzzed to really care.
“Yeah. Maybe I should get naked too. So you don’t feel so stupid when they walk in.”
“What?”
Grant rolled to the side, moving Gina onto the floor before standing up. He quickly removed his sweater and the t-shirt he wore under it tossing it on the couch behind them. He looked down, smiling at her, continuing to undress. Naked now, he laid back down next to her.
“You’re crazy.”
“Crazy for you babe.” He slid his hand between them reaching down and unbuttoning her pants, pulling them off.
“You’re not going to stop, are you?”