“Marry me Deb” his eyes had flashes of anger; his words didn’t sound like a proposal but like a test. What did he hope to achieve?
“I didn’t hear you.”
“I said, marry me”. It was what he had said before, but this time, his tone was softer.
“marry you?” eyeball sticking out, threatening to take leave of their sockets. She looked so shocked as if he had asked her to stab him; he might have as well have asked him to.
“yes, marry me. As in you and I living together in one house, legally as husband and wife. Debbie, I am asking you to be my companion, my sunshine, my heartbeat, my_
“I get it, I get it, i… get..it”. she lifted both of her hands to stop him. His words felt like rough rocks that inflicted pain where they hit and this time they were hitting her heart.
“so what do you say?” he closed the small space between them and reached out to pull her close to his body. “I lost you once and I never forgave myself for granting you the permission to leave my life”.
Debbie bolted; if he as much as touched her, she would loose all the resolve she had.
“Denzel_” his pleading eyes made her heart snap. He shouldn’t be so fraught for what he already had.
“Debbie, I don’t want a tomorrow without you in it” his eyes as they bore deep into hers told her heart that he would do anything to have her by his sisde for life. but her brain, which was clearly putting the right words in order couldn’t wait to him; what risk he would be putting himself to if she said yes to his proposal.
“I cant” she whispered. She didn’t meet his eyes as she finally disengaging her face from his burning gaze and kept it glued to her feet.
“why?” he asked her simply. Folding his arms across his chest, he studied her. The plea had left his eyes, aptly replaced by curiosity. Debbie moved two steps back to accommodate his arms.
Because I am a sick girl, a death-bound sick girl.
“Because”. She pulled the s so long, it drowned the e after it as she willed her lips to read out the sentence long excuse in her head.
There was a knock at the door which startled both of them. Eyes fixed on the door both Debbie and her father waited for the visitor to come in through the half open door.
In a second Debbie was in his arms. She had missed him so much and even if he didn’t want to see her anymore, they could still remain friends.
“Oh Denzel… I’m glad it’s you” she breathed out.
'Listen Deb, I am aware of the fact that I should not be with you, but I cannot be without you'. Denzel began when he had managed to disentangle her arms from his neck. He needed her to look at him while he said what he had to say.
‘Denzel….' Deb started to interrupt.
He raised a hand that meant to silence her; she folded her hands and turned to face him. This time her stance showed she was ready to listen, then he continued.
'My day’s maybe cut short if you say yes, but I don’t have days those days at all if you say no'. He paused for air.
'If I could, I would rather not be here, but I cannot be anywhere else'.
'I can’t live without my heart Deb, I can’t help that I love you'.
Tears were pouring down his cheeks as he talked, she couldn’t see his eyes because they were closed. He didn’t see her close the distance between them; neither did he see her as she unfolded her arms when she stood in front of him.
As Denzel felt the small arms that wrapped round his trunk, he held on to it for dear life.
'I love you too, Denzel'. Debbie opened her mouth to say a but, and then thought wisely.
Finally, he opened his eyes wide enough to make out her face in the dark. Placing his fingers on her chin, he lifted her face up and got her lips closer. The instant his lips touched hers, he was lost. He felt like a man who had just returned home from a long sojourn through the desert. There was so much joy and peace in his heart, he wanted to shout but couldn’t drag his mouth away; not even if there was a gun pointed at his head at that time.
Debbie managed to pull away slightly. She looked up to him and found him smiling down at her. She allowed herself sometime to gather her thoughts. Someone had to be reasonable for both of them.
‘You could die'. She sounded like she was addressing Jamie; asking, no pleading with him to see reason why chocolate was not good for him
'If I don't love you enough to die for you, then I don’t deserve you'. Denzel replied.
Debbie felt her knees grow weak. No one, all her life had ever said those words to her, or anything remotely close to them for that matter.
She finally let go of her objections to Denzel's showers of love. Smiling at him, she pulled his head down to hers for another kiss;
“Can you bring you lips within close reach?” their height difference (especially when she was not on her usual high wedges) was making it difficult for her to kiss him at will when she needed to.
“I'll see what I can do about that'. He laughed and closed on another deep kiss. His hands curled round her tightly as if he was afraid to let go.
When she was calm, the excitement down a little, she raised her head up from Denzel’s chest, her eyes searched his face,
‘What? Denzel asked, his heart was beating fast, he hoped she had not suddenly changed her mind.
“Why do you still want me?” Debbie asked in a small voice. Daniel leaned closer to them; he wanted to know why a young, healthy and handsome man would risk his life for a mere woman.
Denzel exhaled audibly, held Debbie’s arms with his hands and told her;
“Because, I would be forever in love with you”.