Herophine - Short Stories

Flashing Lights (Part 3)

'Babe, wake up' I gentle nuzzle my head into her neck to wake her as I pepper soft kisses along her jaw. As she wakes with a smile I wrap the blanket around us as we lay together at our spot.

'I'm awake. Thank you for today Hero. It has been such a beautiful day celebrating our Anniversary' she smiles and I mimic her.

'Jo, I need to ask you something' I state, the following conversation running though my head and how she will react. She nods in approval and I pull the box from my pocket still holding her on my lap securely. She shakes her head, she knows what this is from the various encounters I have proposed before. It is no secret that I want to make her my wife, no secret that I won't give up.

'Hero stop. Don't do this today, please' she says giving me a pouty frown. I can resist and kiss her lips with a passionate lunge. Even now her lips on mine make me a quivering wreck.

'Jo, I won't ever stop. I told you this atleast five times this year already so maybe you should just put this fool out of his misery and agree' I smirk, opening the box and showing her the jewel which sparkles in the late evening sun. I notice her facial expression change as if thinking over something, I watch intently as she mentally processes her thoughts.

'Hero, I will agree to marry you on one condition. Before I state it you have to promise me you will not fight me on this, you will listen and absorb my words. You wont flip out or yell. If you love me the way I know that you do, you will accept and respect my request' she says waiting for me to reply but all I can do is scatter over her words trying to figure out what the hell she means, only for the fact I want to smoother her with kisses at the idea of her accepting, I reluctantly agree to do as she asks.

'I will marry you but only if you agree to take me to Switzerland' I instantly nod in agreement and she smiles.

'Why Switzerland?' the idea seems very odd to me considering Jo has never mentioned this before.

'I will marry you in 1 month, a small ceremony. Family and close friends only. No media, no announcements just us and the close few we love. In return you will take me to Switzerland and respect my wishes to end my life, you won't argue or disagree. You will support my decision no matter how selfish you feel I am being. Hero, I have always rejected your proposal knowing I can't and won't live this way. You know I would have preferred to die in that crash than live in a body that doesn't move. It is torture, having a mind that works but limbs that fail. I have tried, I have really fucking tried to do it the only thing that has made this bearable is you and the love I have for you but I can't do it anymore baby' she is sobbing and I feel my own eyes dripping with each word from her mouth. My heart has been ripped inside of me at her distress and my selfish need to have her always, this is the worst conversation of my life, I can only feel pain for her. I can only imagine how she feels and what she goes through daily.

'Jo, I can't lose you. I don't want a life without you in it and yes I'm a selfish prick for saying it but what do I have here without you' she indicates for me to kiss her and I do, so softly, so gentle and full of longing.

'Please Hero, I don't want to hurt you, I never want to make you feel like this but I can't go on pretending that I am living when I am merely existing. I need you to promise me that you will live your life to the fullest, you will conquer every role and every challenge you meet. You will love again, meet someone who can give you comfort in my absence, someone who will adore you as I do now and have done since the day we met. I will never not love you, you are my world and you made life worth while but I can't give you that in return, not like this. So please, if you insist on marrying me I will do so but in return I ask this of you to let me go, let me feel my legs again when I pass. Let me wait for you until you experience and live your life. I will always be with you, no matter where I am, just like I will always wait for you to join me but when the time is right. Not early, not before you take over the world' her words are ringing through my head, I can't comprehend this. What and how the hell did my proposal turn into an agreement of death. I don't know if I can cope with this let alone register her request.