Ok so I'm writing quite a lot today but i just can't seem to help myself!!
Well here it is...
“I’m joining the army.”
The sentence hangs in the air between us and suddenly I can’t breathe. My world is crumbling before my eyes. He wants to leave. He wants to leave me. It feels like there’s a rubber band around my chest just getting tighter and tighter. I stay staring at the fire hoping he won’t see the tears in my eyes. Despite the warmth from the fire I feel cold inside. The darkness is coming closer threatening to overwhelm us.
I take a deep breath, all too aware that he is looking at me, expecting a reaction. I turn to face him but I can’t speak. What would I say? “What if you die.”? He’d laugh and deny his mortality. I know better, dread is creeping up my spine. I open my mouth to say something, anything. No words come out. My breath catches in my throat as I look into his eyes. He’s so young. I’d never seen it before; it was hiding behind the attitude and the confidence. He’s not much more than a boy. He’s my boy and please, God I don’t want him to die.
My lower lip trembles as I look at him and I wonder how many more times I will be able to look at him. His hair’s a mess, as usual. It curls round his ears and falls into his eyes which are a mixture of green and brown with such long delicate lashes. His skin is perfect except for the scar just beneath his right eye. It looks darker in the firelight. He smiles comfortingly at me showing where half his front tooth is missing. Maybe he knows what I’m thinking. Even if he does come home he’ll have changed. He won’t be my boy anymore. I don’t want him to change.
I wish with all my heart and soul that we could stay here forever. Always sitting in the darkness protected by the fire, our hands entwined. But life isn’t kind to young lovers. And he’s sitting there waiting for me to speak. All I can do is lean over and wrap my arms around him and hold him like I’ll never let go.
By the way Adam if you read this I did use a bit of artistic interpretation ;)