This is the third and final short story in my "forever" series/novella, now you won't have a clue whats going on unless you read the first two.
I want you to pay particular attention to the end and tell me if i made it emotional enough okay? Thank you and enjoy.
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Jack vaulted over the back of the chair and against the wall, putting as much distance between him and Eve’s dad as possible.
“Dad!” Eve screamed, “Dad stop it!”
She stepped in front of him as if trying to shield him from her fathers rage. His first instinct was to grab her and switch their positions. But he held himself still, knowing that Eve was in no danger from her dad.
“Jack!” her dad shouted past her, “get out of my house now!”
“Dad,” Eve said calmly, “if he goes, I go, and you will never see me again.”
Jack noted how her dad visibly deflated and took that as a signal to relax a little bit. Maybe he would survive to actually marry her.
“Now,” Eve said staring more at her dad than at Jack. She knew Jack was going to be adult about this, and just had to worry about her dad. She knew that if she hadn’t been standing between them Bill would have ripped Jack’s throat out already, “lets all be adults about this. So lets just calm down, drink some tea, and discuss this.”
Eve would have normally suggested coffee, but everybody liked their coffee black, but they all liked their tea with something in it. Something to do with their hands so they wouldn’t fidget.
She guided her dad to a chair and sat him down, he was so easy to persuade when she used that hurt puppy dog look. Then she sat Jack down more than an arms length away with some table between them, but still too close for Jack’s comfort.
She could feel him watching her as she putzed around the kitchen making tea and grabbing the chips, tea and chips…an odd combination but something to fill mouths long enough to remain calm.
Reluctantly she sat down between them.
“You two are not getting married,” her dad said bluntly.
“Yes we are dad, and I was hoping that you’d walk me down the isle.”
He huffed at them and she could sense Jack trying not to snicker.
“You’re too young,” he said.
“Legal age for consent to marry is seventeen dad, I’m eighteen.”
“You’re still not getting married. Look at what happened to me and your mother.”
“Dad don’t you dare compare either of us to that woman!” Eve early shouted. Jack put his hands on her shoulder and calmed her down. Then she looked at him, “dad, please. I love him, more than life itself.”
Her father looked down and away from them, “how can you know that?”
“Think of how long we’ve known each other dad, since pre-school.”
It took them more than three hours to get her dad to give up. But finally at long last he did. He still wasn’t happy about it, but he finally accepted the fact that he couldn’t stop them. Eve walked Jack to the door and gave him a good-night kiss.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow before school okay?”
“Okay.”
She waited by the door until he got on his motorcycle and drove away. Then she closed the door and skipped up the stairs to their living room.
“Eve,” her dad said stopping her and wiping the grin from her face.
She pivoted on her heel to face him, “yeah dad.”
“You’re not going to marry him, you’re never going to see him again.”
“Dad!” Eve shouted, “don’t you dare try to tell me that! If you tell me that I’m never going to see him again you’ll be the one to never see me again, you’re just as bad as mom was.”
With that she turned away and stomped up to her room, slamming the door and locking it tight behind her. She threw herself onto her mattress and pulled out her cell phone, Jack always kept his off when he was riding his motorcycle, but she decided to leave him a message anyways.
When he picked her up tomorrow he would also be picking up some of her things, temporary necessities, clothes, school supplies, and CDs. She’d come back after school with him to get the rest of her stuff. Her dad probably doubted how serious she was about never seeing her again.
After the message was sent she shut her phone and started packing her things. Then she collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep, waiting for the phone to ring and signal that Jack was here to pick her up for school.
She felt a buzzing in her pocket sometime later and she flipped open the phone, “hey,” she said drowsily. “What time is it?”
“About two minutes earlier than yesterday. Ready to go?”
“Yeah, just about, just need to run a brush through my hair. Hey, I’m going to drop my duffle-bag out the window, could you catch it for me?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks love, be out in a sec.”
She hung up the phone and opened the window, without granting fair warning she shoved the oversized camouflaged duffle-bag out the window. Then she turned to her mirror and ran a brush through her ratted hair quickly before grabbing her bag and running outside to the car before her dad could wake up from the noise she was making.
By the time she got down there Jack had already loaded the duffle-bag in the back seat and was waiting on the hood of his mothers Sudan for her.
“Hey babe,” he greeted, “miss me last night?”
She kissed him as she passed by towards the passenger door. “More than you will ever know.” The ride towards the school was silent, Eve couldn’t stand it. But she couldn’t think of anything to say.
“You know love,” Jack said, “I could talk to you forever, I haven’t grown tired of your company just yet.”
She giggled, “I know, I just keep thinking about what my dad said. Why is he so upset about this?”
“He’s a dad?” Jack glanced over to see her face, it looked pained like she were in pain and about to cry. He couldn’t look away.
“Jack look out!” She screamed and he instantly jerked his head forward just in time to see a small furry little animal run across the road. He stomped on the ancient brakes and turn the wheel franticly to not hit it. They spun out of control and hit a tree, but still they spun on. Their screams seemed to echo across the world as they gripped the sides and tried to re-gain control of the car. They went beyond the tree to a ditch. The car flipped over, shattering the glass and practically crushing them both, making them unable to scream anymore.
“Eve,” Jack said reaching for her face, her eyes blinked open but fluttered. “Eve are you alright?” She looked so pale and still, but her face was etched in anguish. Jack knew she was dying, Jack knew he was dying.
“I don’t think so,” she managed to say, “but what about you?”
“I don’t think I’m okay either,” he grunted as the breathing caused him pain.
“Jack,” she groaned, “how long will you love me? As long as I love you?”
“How long will you love me?”
“Forever and always.”
“Forever seems to be coming all too soon.”
They felt heat rising from the engine, but they couldn't excape the smell of gasoline. Breath rising and falling in tandem, breathed their last breath together, hands entwined, hearts bound, to meet forever together.
