A Promise of Forever

Rome couldn’t see himself leaving Ella’s room--ever. As dangerous as it was for him to stay there with her, the idea of going back out the window seemed crippling, especially when she was in his arms the way she was right now.
Whenever she’d touched him, at first, she’d seemed so unsure of herself, as if she wasn’t quite sure where to put her hands. He didn’t mind her inexperience, though. The longer they were together, the more at ease she seemed.
She was so beautiful, her sweet aroma of vanilla and roses intoxicating. As much as he wanted to lay her down and claim every inch of her body as his own, he wouldn’t press her. It was too soon, and she wasn’t ready. Instead, he had taken her hand and led her over to her tiny bed, laying down with her in his arms. Rome took his time, exploring her lips with his, kissing her neck, her earlobes, her cheeks, caressing her arms, occasionally letting his fingers glide beneath her shirt, feeling the smooth skin of her abdomen, but never straying further than her navel. Her skin was soft and creamy, her fragrance filling his lungs as she snuggled against his chest. He could see the two of them together like this, intertwined in each other’s arms, for years to come.
With her head on his chest, she whispered, “What are your dreams, Rome? Do you want to make a lot of movies? Win awards? What do you want?”
“To be happy,” he murmured against her ear. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
She looked up. Her dark eyes, warm and inviting, pulling him in. “What makes you happy?”
“You.” He kissed her nose, and she smiled. “If I could lay with you in my arms forever, I’d be happy until the day I die.”
She took a deep breath and shifted, pressing a hand against his chest as she scooted over to look at him. The bed was small, and there wasn’t much room for both them, but she was petite and fit perfectly against his chest. “What if you couldn’t make movies anymore for some reason? Would you find another way to make money?”
He shrugged. “I guess so. I have a trust fund and a savings account, Ella. Money’s not a problem, at least not at the moment. I work because I love acting. I’ve always loved it, ever since I was a little boy, and my father would take me to the sets of the movies being filmed by his production company. If I couldn’t do act, I’m sure I’d find something else I was passionate about.” He tried to think of another interest, but nothing readily came to mind. All he’d ever wanted to do was make movies. Meeting her eyes again, he asked, “What about you? If you couldn’t do marketing anymore, what would you want to do?”
Ella rolled over so that her shoulder was on his bicep, tilting her head away from him, like she wasn’t quite sure whether or not she should say. But then, in a whisper, she said, “I’ve always liked to draw.” Her eyes met his. “I don’t think I’m very good at it, though.”
“Why do you think that?” He couldn’t help but smile at her. She was so cute.
Ella shrugged. “I don’t know. My mom used to say that I had talent, but I never had the courage to let anyone see my sketches. So… I don’t know. I think I’d love to make art--but I’m not sure I’ll ever have the courage to do it.”
“I want to see your drawings,” he said, running his fingers through her hair. It was just as soft and silky as it looked, the long dark strands sliding through his fingers.
“Not now,” she said quickly. “Someone might hear me digging my sketches out of the hiding place.”
“Okay. Soon?”
Turning back to look at him, she half-shrugged, half-nodded, her nose rubbing against his. Having her mouth so close to his made him incapable of reason anymore until he kissed her. The taste of her sweet lips lit him on fire, his fingers tracing down her arm to rest on her side. He wanted her so badly, in ways he’d never experienced before. Never before had he longed to be with a woman from a place so deep. The ache began far within his soul and spread like wildfire to every fiber of his being.
Knowing he needed to put some distance between them before he could no longer contain himself, Rome whispered, “I should go.”
“I don’t want you to go.” Her voice was soft and emphatic, but not pleading.
He kissed her on the forehead. “I know. I don’t want to either. Come with me.”
“I can’t.”
“Move in with me. Live in my apartment. Be with me forever.”
A smile cracked across her face. “Rome, are you asking me to be your wife?” She started laughing softly at the completion of the thought, as if it were ridiculous.
“Why not? I’ll absolutely marry you, Ella, right now. This very second.”
She sat up slightly, resting her head on her fist and swatted him playfully. “Rome, stop saying things like that. You know you’re being ridiculous.”
He sat up a bit, too. “Am I? Ella, I’m completely serious. I love you so much. I can’t imagine a second of my life without you in it. If you were ever to decide you didn’t want to be with me, I wouldn’t be able to live. It would be like trying to live without air in my lungs or without my heart beating in my chest.”
Her face morphed into a partial smile, her eyebrows raised. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“As serious as I’ve ever been about anything in my life. I won’t ask you to promise me that you’ll marry me right now because I know that’s a lot to spring on you, but--”
“Yes.”
Rome’s mouth dropped open as he stared at her, not quite sure he was comprehending. “Yes, what?”
“I’ll marry you, Rome. I feel the same way. I love you so much, my heart aches whenever I’m away from you. I don’t know how I’ll survive once you leave tonight. I’ll marry you. Say when, say where, and I’ll do it.”
The laugh that flew from his lips was so loud, he thought he might wake the dead, let alone the people sleeping downstairs. “You will?”
“Yes. If you’ll have me.”
“I just said I wanted to marry you, silly girl. Of course, I’ll have you.”
“All right then. I’ll find a way to get out, likely with Tim’s help, and then I’ll let you know so we can get married. Then, our fathers will have to get along.”
“God, I hope so.” Rome leaned in and kissed her and then pulled her back to the bed, wrapping his arm around her. The kisses deepened, and Rome lost himself for a few moments as her fingertips trailed down his abdomen dangerously close to the zipper of his jeans.
He took a deep breath, finding he strength to put some space between them. She understood and settled next to him, her head on his arm as she moved her hand to his arm, still moving her fingers lightly across his skin but in a less volatile location.
He may have dozed off. Either that or time had flown faster than he realized. Before long, her soft voice caught his ear. “Rome… you should go. The sun will start to come up soon,”
Opening his eyes, he ran his face against the top of her head, breathing in her silky hair. “How can I go?”
“You have to.” He knew she was right, even though he didn’t want to accept it. “But we’ll be together again. Soon.”
“We have to be,” he replied, leaning down to kiss her once more. Her mouth was warm and sensual. Pulling away was next to impossible, but she was right. He needed to go before the sun started to come up, or else he might be spotted climbing the fence.
With a deep sigh, he pulled himself off of her and headed to the window. Ella followed, her face mirroring the emotions welling up inside of him. Climbing down with her bag in his arms would be nearly impossible, so he tossed it out into the yard where he could pick it up on his way out. Reluctantly, Rome swung one leg out the window and then turned to face her.
Ella wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly before she gently pressed her lips against his. She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. “I love you, Rome.”
“I love you, too. I’ll speak to you soon.”
She nodded, and he bent and twisted, managing to fit himself back out the window. He had to be careful with his footing as he picked his way down the trellis to the second story roof, followed by a second trellis, and then down to the ground.
Rome picked up the bag and then looked back up at her. Ella was glancing down at him waving. He lifted a hand then hurried to the wall, tossing her bag over before he climbed up. At the top, he swung one leg over and then waved at her one last time. With a deep breath, he pulled his eyes away and began his descent, careful not to let go with his hands until his feet were as close to the ground as possible.
Without her in his sights, he felt empty and alone. At least he could call her now that she had a phone of her own. Picking up her bag, Rome headed down the street to where he’d parked, praying Ella would be able to work her way free from Teresa soon so they could be together forever.
Safely in his car, Rome took some deep breaths. Ella had said she’d marry him. He couldn’t believe it. He ran a hand through his hair and started the car, already contemplating calling her. He’d completely charged her phone before he gave it to her, so technically, he could make the call, but he decided to let her get some sleep. Once she was free, he would spend every waking moment with her, if she’d let him.
The bag next to him on the seat smelled like her. He couldn’t help but unzip it. The intoxicating scent from her dress filled the small area. It reminded him of that first kiss they’d shared in the flower garden at her aunt’s ball. It seemed like ages ago, even though it had only been a bit more than a day. Already, he felt that he needed to see her again.
How had he survived this long without Ella in his life? Every breath he inhaled smelled like her. He needed her back in his arms. The thought of ever being without her was like poison to his system or a knife through his heart. He had to do everything he could to ensure Ella made it out of that house safely--as soon as possible.