Sweet Revenge

“You know I love you, don’t you?”

The words slipped off Michael’s tongue with an ease that made them all the more sincere. To Sarah’s ears, at least. They were in her bedroom, snuggling after a round of love making. Sarah should have been studying and preparing for her finals that were fast approaching.

“I know,” she smiled back, forcing her lips to relax.

“I’m gonna marry you one day,” he pronounced, his thin mouth curving into a sweet smile that made him look more charming and boyish.

Her heart fluttered in her chest, her stomach doing somersaults that made her want to throw up, but in a good way.

“How do you know I’ll marry you?” she teased, shifting to roll onto her side so she could face him.

His face darkened for a second, but it was gone so quickly that Sarah thought she imagined it. He glared at her mockingly, his face a little more serious.

“I’ll drag you down the aisle, if I have to.”

His tone was serious, and it was the playful glint in his eye that made her laugh. She pressed her hand to his bare chest, pushing him without any real strength behind the gesture. He let out a little laugh, the one that always made Sarah grin when she heard it, like the lovesick idiot she was.

“We’ll see about that.”

She was suddenly on her back, Michael hovering over her and her hands pinned above her head with lightening speed that made her head dizzy. His face was blank, void of any discernible expression. Sarah hated that expression – she never knew what he thought when that look took hold, making his features stoic and his eyes darker than normal. It put her on edge, her skin tingling with something akin to fear and a desire to run. She had seen it that night Michael had hit her, and once after that when they were at the movies and some guy had been staring at her ‘slutty’ dress, according to Michael. Her dress had long sleeves and came to her knees, and Sarah had assumed that it was one that Michael would approve of. She had thrown the dress out that night, deciding that keeping it was more trouble than it was worth. She had stopped wearing dresses or skirts, full stop, noticing that Michael seemed to have a particular problem with her showing off her legs, or anything else, for that matter.

“Nothing can keep you away from me.”

A sad expression flickered on Sarah’s face, knowing that it wasn’t quite true. She was finishing college in a matter of weeks, separating the two of them for the summer. She could visit every couple of weeks, if she managed to convince her parents to buy her a car, but that was a long shot.

“What are you thinking?” He asked, concerned by the sudden change in Sarah’s demeanour.

“I have to go home for the summer,” she whispered, tears beginning to well up in her eyes, though she stopped them from falling. She knew he hated when she cried.

Michael fell silent, his gaze appraising.

“No, you don’t.”

“My parents wouldn’t let me stay. They're pissed at me for missing spring break with them already.”

Michael sat up, pulling Sarah into a sitting position so they were face to face.

“I got a bit of good news this morning. I was going to wait until the weekend to tell you, but I suppose now is as good a time as any. I got a phone call from an investment company in Minnesota… They offered me a job. A really good job, actually. They want me to start in June.”

Sarah was flabbergasted, completely stunned by the unexpected news.

“Wow! Michael, that’s…great! I’m happy for you!”

Her tone made it obvious that she was lying. It was one of those ‘I’m so happy for you, but you just told me something that’s shredded my heart into a million and one pieces, so I’m not really happy’ kind of tones that was used in TV shows, when a character was pretending to be happy when the person they love starts dating someone else. She was completely devastated, and a little betrayed, that only a minute ago he was telling her he wanted to marry her, and now he was moving away, and leaving her behind. Sure, she was going to be moving back home, but that was only temporary… This was different. This was a permanent move, one that would leave them separated for more than a couple of months. It would be at least a year before they would be reunited, more than likely it would be more, depending on where Sarah did her postgraduate degree. She felt like she had been punched in the stomach, the earlier good kind of nausea turning into a different kind of sick feeling altogether.

“I want you to come with me.”

It wasn’t a request. It sounded like a demand, like there was no choice in the matter. He made it sound simple, as though Sarah wouldn’t have to leave college, or have to tell her parents she was moving across country with a boyfriend they knew nothing about. The request sounded logical, a no brainer with no consequences.

“I can’t. You know I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I have college, Michael. There’s no way my parents will pay for me to go to another college, even if I managed to transfer on time.”

“You don’t need college, Sarah. I’ll be earning enough money for the two of us. We could get married, get a house. Raise a family together, eventually. Don’t you want that?”

Her head was swimming, panic and uncertainty toppling her with the suddenness of the conversation that was taking place. Things had been going slowly between the two of them, and it was only a month ago that they had consummated their relationship. It hadn’t been a pleasant experience for Sarah; she had been unprepared for it, and it had been far from comfortable. It had gotten better since then; far better, in fact. She enjoyed their intimate times together, and the unpleasantness of her first time was all but forgotten, though the pastime was still pretty new to her, and their relationship. Now that they had reached a new point of intimacy, it seemed like things were moving quickly. Too quickly for Sarah’s comfort. It was one thing for Michael to joke about getting married, it was another to ask her to move across the country and build a new life with him, away from everything and everyone she knew. He wanted her to give up college, something that she had worked so hard at, and had planned on continuing for the next few years.

“Of course I want that, Michael, but don’t you think it’s all…a bit sudden? My parents have paid for me to get a good education; it’d be a slap in the face to suddenly quit.”

“So you’d rather leave me then? Is a piece of paper from university more important than me?”

“No,” she murmured, her green eyes focusing on her bed, instead of Michael’s disappointed face, which stared at her with hurt.

“Then come with me! I don’t want to do it without you, Sarah. I love you, and I want us to have a future together. You’re the most important person in my life, and I thought you felt the same way about me.”

“I do.”

“Then say 'yes',” he whispered, clasping one of her small hands in his own, using his other hand to cup her chin and hold her gaze with determination.

“Nothing else matters but us, Sarah. I want to give you everything, if you let me. Will you let me?”

He was smiling, that sweet smile that made her heart spasm. She couldn’t say no, not when he was looking at her with such affection and love. What was an education if she had no one to share her life with? Her parents would be mad, but surely they’d understand. It wasn’t like he was just a random guy – he was the love of her life, and he wanted to marry her. He wanted to build a life with her, and they would see that.

“I’ll go with you.”

He pulled her lips to his, happiness radiating off him in waves, infecting Sarah and evaporating her doubts.

“I’ll take care of you, baby. From now on, it’s just me and you, forever and always.”

“Forever and always,” she grinned, pushing her fears to the back of her mind.

Michael was her future, what her heart desired more than anything else. Nothing else mattered once they were together, and now their future was sealed with a kiss.

Notes

Hope you guys enjoyed. Feedback is always welcomed!

Lyra