Standing at the edge of forever

 Yerres, Parc Caillebotte

Emerynn stood in the center of the bridge, tossing pebbles into the water and gazing intently at the ripples she created.  She knew she should instead be looking at Nicolas, studying his face and his movements so his image would be forever branded into her memory.  But she felt if she watched him she would cry, knowing she only had one more day left in Paris before she flew back home to America.  She could see him out of the corner of her eye, though, the cuffs of his jeans rolled up as he stepped off the bank to get to the flowers growing just out of reach.  Emerynn smiled to herself, she knew he’d get in trouble if caught, possibly even fined, but he knew yellow was her favorite color.  With a sigh, she tossed another pebble into the stream and watched as the ripples moved slowly away from her and disappeared, one by one.  ‘Just like my moments left here’ she thought sadly to herself.  As her finger lightly rolled along the last few pebbles in her hand, she felt as though she were sifting through the sands of time, and she didn’t want to let go of another piece.

A small splash and a muttered “merde!” caught her attention, and Emerynn now gazed fully upon the man who had stolen her heart.

“Heh, the water’s a little deeper than I thought,” he called out sheepishly.

“You are such a dork,” she laughed back at him.

“Dork?  What does that mean? Is it bad?” he asked.

Emerynn shook her head and smiled. “Not really, it’s meant in an affectionate manner.”

Nicolas cast a dubious look at Emerynn.  “Hmmmm…somehow I am not so sure.”  Then, with a triumphant grin, he managed to snap off an iris at its base and turned toward Emerynn with his hand held behind his back.  As if she didn’t know what he was doing. 

“Do you remember the first day we met, here on this very bridge?” he asked as he made his way back up the bank.

“Of course, it was three weeks ago yesterday,” recalled Emerynn.  “Remember when I thought you called me a raisin?”

Nicolas laughed.  “You had trouble with my accent.  I believe my exact words were ‘tu es ma raison d'être.’  And I stand by those words.  You are my reason for being.”  He paused for a moment before continuing.  “Then you remember our first kiss, non?” he asked, as his eyes sought and locked with Emerynn’s.  Neither looked away as he closed the short distance between them, and Emerynn could only nod in reply. 

Nicolas stood close enough to kiss her, but he whispered instead.  “I stole that first kiss, it caught you by surprise.  Then the emotions, they caught us both by surprise.  I will never forget what you said to me.”  Nicolas bent his head down to Emerynn’s and his lips brushed against her neck as his voice took on an almost imploring tone.  “Say it again,” he whispered urgently.

Emerynn didn’t trust herself to speak, and she swallowed hard against the wave of butterflies she always felt when he was near.  She took in the scent of his cologne, the warmth of his breath dancing across her neck, and every nerve in her body tingled against the edge of their breaking point.  It was exquisite and overwhelming, and she couldn’t bear it a moment longer.

“Kiss me,” she whispered.  She pulled her head back slightly to look up into Nicolas’ eyes.  “Kiss me as if it were the last time.”

The yellow iris dropped to the ground, forgotten, as Nicolas brought both hands around to gently cup Emerynn’s face.  “There will never be a last time,” he promised as his lips met hers.  Emerynn wrapped her arms around his neck, and time no longer mattered.

 © 2015 Dahlia Ramone

This was written for Blogophilia Week 15.8 

Topic:  Sifting Through the Sands of Time

Bonus Points:

(Hard, 2 pts)  Use a line from the movie "Casablanca"

(“Kiss me.  Kiss me as if it were the last time.”)

(Easy, 1 pt) Incorporate the phrase "raison d'être"