He waited for her. Even though she had insisted not to, he came. He had vowed to her so long ago that he would wait for her until the sun died out and every last breath had been taken upon earth. She had thought his words romantic, worthy of all her devotion, but now he doubted they had the same effect. She had shouted, forbidden him from being within her proximity. How much had changed since he first met her...

He had been on the verge of being eighteen and thrown in jail. He was your typical delinquent: he dropped out of high school, smoked pot, drank, stole cars, stole from stores, stole from unsuspecting people, fought with brass knuckles and blades, and lived by night and slept through the day. He was just another hopeless name on the long list of society defects. That was exactly how people saw him, and Jack had no particular interest in changing the opinion about him. It made it a lot easier to navigate through life if no one expected much from his part.

Of course, he never counted on meeting her.

She had been on the verge of being eighteen and moving to a prestigious university. She was your typical, cocooned girl: she gave her academics top attention, she played the piano, spoke French, volunteered at the pet shelter, attended church every sunday, read for fun, had a good relationship with her parents, and awoke with the sun every morning for a run. She was another name on the short list of society role models. That was exactly how people saw her, and Anne had every intention of living up to the reputation. It made it a lot more difficult to navigate through life from the pressure, but she knew a lot of people counted on her.

Of course, she never counted on meeting him.       

Fate had little fault in the encounter of Jack and Anne. If someone had to be blamed for the collision that would take the two hostage, it was Padfoot.

It had been another typical Thursday volunteer day at the animal shelter for Anne when a pack of stray dogs were brought in. She was not permitted to oversee their putting into cages because of the unknown characteristics of the dogs, but was asked to feed them. She marched in with a giant box of their stored dog food and proceeded to distribute it. She was saddened by their little faces showing their dislike of being caged up. Somehow she understood them—she understood the anxiety that came with being locked up. They did not have enough room to move, to stretch themselves to their own comfort. They were confined to be in the compact space forced on them. She sighed the negativity away. With those that allowed, she scratched behind their ears or their bellies for whatever affection she could give. The shelter had been ten minutes from closing when someone marched in, repeatedly ringing the service bell at the front quite annoyingly.

She came out of the back room and saw Mr. Lane, the manager, attending someone drenched from the rain outside. This stranger’s brown hair stuck to his face and neck, releasing tiny droplets along his pale skin. He took out a pack of cigarettes out of the pocket of his leather jacket, but one clearing of Mr. Lane’s throat had him putting them away again. His hands trembled due to the cold, so he shoved them into the pockets of his jeans.

“You’re lucky my guy picked him up, but one of these days another pound will get him and it won’t be as easy to get him back. Anne—”

“Here.”

She approached the counter with trembling hands. She was hardly cold, but her heart now felt nervous. She caught sight of the stranger’s hazel eyes and it sent her body on overdrive. She thought she recognized him from another time, another place, but knew well enough she had never encountered him before. Still, every particle in her being acted as if he was someone from her past that she had been longing to see again.

It took him a moment, he had to admit, to notice her. Once he had, he could not look away. Her eyes flashed to him and he found himself bewitched by the tenderness in them. Everything about her facial features sung sweet and innocent melodies. Even the way she bit her bottom lip, swelling it, added to it. She was a rather simple girl, that much he could tell, but it had been so long since he encountered someone unattached to elaborateness. She was real.

“Bring our guest from B35, please, Anne.”

When she returned with a black elkhound, she hardly had the strength to restrain it from leaping over the counter. The leash escaped her fingers and she watched with a smile threatening to take over her lips as the dog wagged his tail with such speed and strength she would not be surprised if it fell off. The stranger squat in front of it, petting with such devotion.

“Get a collar for Padfoot, Jack. I mean it,” warned Mr. Lane.

“Padfoot?” she repeated, her eyes wide. “Your dog’s name is Padfoot?”

“You know what it means?” asked Mr. Lane to his volunteer.

She nodded. “It’s from the Harry Potter series.”

Mr. Lane turned to Jack with knitted brows. “You read?”

He rolled his eyes. “Thanks for not putting my dog down, Rick,” he said as he grabbed Padfoot’s leash and went for the door. He did not look back.

The cards regarding them had been dealt already, though. Despite him thinking no more of the pull he had felt, he went his way. She with her mind recounting the sight of him, how ruggedly handsome he was, closed the shelter with Mr. Lane and climbed into her car forty minutes later. She was stopped at a red light, rain pouring down and unforgivingly for the month of December, when in the rearview mirror she saw him and his dog running in her direction. A cop followed. Unbeknownst to her, she opened the passenger seat and shouted for Padfoot. The stranger stopped, caught her eye, and she commanded that they get in.

The cracking of thunder and his heavy breathing twined with the silence in her car. She kept driving straight, not knowing where she was meant to be heading. She thought back to the cop and speeding away, uncaring of the red lights she ran. It was the first time she had ever broken a rule—a law, no less! She was torn between laughing hysterically or sobbing at her reckless behavior.

Eventually he asked her to make a left. They pulled up to a street definitely far less wealthy to what she was used to. He could tell by the breath she held in and the way she scanned the streets. He did not live in a residential area, that he was well aware of, but he did not come from the ghetto, either. His neighborhood was a mixture of gang violence and quiet, familial  streets.

“Thanks,” he said to her, breaking their silence. She turned to him with a look that suggested she had forgotten he was there. He laughed.

“My name’s Anne,” she called out as he got off and opened the door for his dog.

He looked in through the window she had rolled down. “I know.” She bit her lip again, uncertain on what to do. That was really all it took. “You work at the shelter?”

“Volunteer,” she murmured back. “Every Thursday and Friday.”

“I owe you for tonight. Don’t make plans tomorrow. I’ll see you at the shelter,” he said confidently. She nodded back without an inclination of breaking that alluring grin he wore as he walked away with the pouring rain.

She was certain she had been stood up. The shelter had closed at its usual time and he had not shown. She sighed sadly. She could hardly expected anything less. One look in the mirror was enough explanation as to why he would not show. It was fine, she told herself. He was just a mishap of the week. That was it. She was set to believe that, but him leaning on the hood of her car interfered with that. He smiled at her, a twinge of nervousness at the corners of his mouth.

They went for coffee and drove to the nearest beach. They sat on the sand (she on his jacket) and talked about unimportant things discussed when first meeting someone. The waves started large afar to diminish in ripples at the front. Every time she expect a tsunami, he could see, and he held his laughter at her terrified eyes. The night sky fell on them sooner than expected, bringing strong, freezing winds and brilliant stars with it. He helped her up, twirling her so the sand released their hold on her clothes. She laughed so beautifully he thought her an escaped siren, using her voice and tone to drag him to wherever she so wished. They walked along the boardwalk, stopping occasionally at the stands to inspect the trinkets. She shivered once and he offered his leather jacket for her again. She shivered twice and held her hand, hoping their combined warmth would seep into her skin. She shivered thrice and he embraced her, pressing her close to his chest, for his own sake. She fit perfectly beneath his chin. Time slowed down around them. She could hardly understand the rhythm of her heart, for she had never once fallen for anyone with such intensity she thought her bones capable of breaking by the fluttering in her chest. He had been attracted to other girls all his life, had his fair share of terrible relationships to put him off romance and courtesies, but this was different.

The night ended back at the shelter. He was preparing to go, encouraging himself to cross the small distance between them so he could kiss her, but he could not find himself moving in. Instead, he pulled out a smooth stone from the pocket of his jeans. It was heart-shaped and incredibly corny, but her thumb had run over its surface before walking away from the stand. She had been stuck at his side throughout the entire time to know that he never had an opportunity to purchase it. He had definitely stolen it. Somehow, that did not unease her. She went to reach it, but instead closed her hand over his. Filled with a soaring confidence, she used her free hand to cup his chin and directed him closer to her. Their first kiss left them both breathless.

It did not take another date for them to decide there was no one else they rather spend their time with. Although she had a car of her own, he borrowed his uncle’s (so he claimed and she never questioned) and picked her up at the corner of her refined street. She got in, they went for coffee and doughnuts, and he drove her to school. They sat talking before the late bell rang and she had to run off—not before kissing him so ardently she almost always second-guessed her choice of attending class at all. He handled business that was required of him during the time she was stuffing more facts into her head. At two in the afternoon he would be waiting for her by the school’s gate; she would rush into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, and he would cling on with all his might. She had other responsibilities that demanded her attention, and he knew he could not interfere with those. He dropped her back off at the corner of her street, talking about everything and anything, before she nostalgically pressed a kiss to his cheek and she went her way.

He knew he was insane for falling so quickly for someone entirely his opposite. But for so long he had known that the heart could not be controlled. Love hit hard just as easily as it went away. It was one of the reasons why he could not begrudge his mother leaving them. She had been intoxicated by his father, but soon learned her addiction was slowly killing her. She chose to sober up ten years after her first intake. She did so by leaving and never returning. Despite what he had lived through, what he had seen, he did not think all love was poison. If it was, then he hardly could regret letting Anne under his skin.

She knew she was insane for falling so quickly for someone entirely her opposite. But for so long she had known that the heart could not be controlled. Love moved mountains. She read plenty of novels that portrayed so, and she was never one to disbelieve the words scattered on her treasured pages. Her parents had differences of their own, but they worked perfectly well together. And she wanted that. She wanted someone that could challenge her in every way possible without breaking her. She could not assure that he would not shatter her heart into a thousand pieces, but, if it came to that, she hardly could regret letting Jack be her first heartbreak.

Five months passed in an absolute bliss. She was sure she had been dreaming it all, dreaming him up, but every time he kissed her she knew he was very real. They had grown to know each other far better than either had hoped. She knew there was still a lot he kept hidden, but she did not press for what he was not ready to say. Regardless, she had gathered enough to know he lived with a hole in his chest she hoped to one day fully heal. He refrained from exposing his demons, but learned all about her selfless deeds and incredible accomplishments. She was truly kind, so he hardly was surprised her calling in life was to be a doctor. She wanted to save lives, and he was sure she could. She was his angel. She was destined for great things that he could ever fathom. It was the reason why he had to let her go.

“I don’t want to go,” she cried, angrily standing from his bed when he suggested otherwise. “I don’t want to leave you.”

He was a selfish person, he always had been. He never once thought that would change. He had grown up knowing that he had to take care of himself first before anyone else. It was survival of the fittest in his side of the world. But then she came along and he knew he would give her anything she wanted, every piece of him if she so demanded. If he told her to stay, to forgo the university of her dreams for a cheaper alternative nearby, she would stay. They would continue to live off one another and never go hungry again. For fuck sakes, every part of him told him to make it so, to keep her beside him, but he could not do that to her. He was her boyfriend by day and a petty thief by night. She deserved more.

“It’ll just be for a few years.”

“A few years?” she bellowed. “A lot can happen in a few years—in a few months, Jack! I don’t care about the school. I’ll go to one here. It’s the same thing.”

“No it’s not, Anne. A school here would be you settling. I don’t want you to settle. I don’t want you to give up your dreams.”

“I’m not giving them up! I’ve worked long and hard for this. I’m not stupid! I just don’t care for ivy leagues. I want you.”

He stood and took her hands. She frowned at him, but she did not resist when he led her back to his bed. Silence rang for a few moments longer as he collected his thoughts and resolve. He knew he had to let her go. It was the right choice.

“I love you,” he said, and she had never been one to doubt it, “and I know this is hard. The last months have been fucking great, but you still have your own life aside from me. You wouldn’t be who you are if you gave that up. I don’t want to see you leave, but I’ll wait for you.”

Tears rushed down her pink cheeks. “We’ll have a long distance relationship. How can I expect you to wait for me? It’ll be years.”

“I’ll wait a thousand years for you. I’ll wait until the sun dies out if you want me to.”

“Do you promise?”

“I do.”

They spent every minute they could spare with each other her last weeks in the city. When the day of her departure arrived, he cheated security and stood beside her until he was not allowed past for lack of ticket. It hurt like a bitch, but he had a lot to do by the time she returned. She was someone he wanted to better himself for. He could no longer steal wallets for a living. He had to gather his wits and make something of himself.

By the time their third anniversary came around, he had acquired his GED and pushed himself through community college to be a veterinarian. He thought it was the best career path for him seeing as Padfoot was the closest thing he got to family. Animals were loyal creatures, and he had had enough broken trusts with people to last him a lifetime. If he could learn how to ensure them a lengthy life, then he would do so. When Anne returned she was proud of all that he had managed to accomplish back home. She brought with her brochures of universities around her that specialized in his specific field. They talked about him relocating there, renting an apartment together, and seeing what else life had in store for them. It was a blissful week in her company. He found that every short trip he made to her or she to him was becoming harder on both. Saying goodbye hurt more than the last when you left the person you loved.  

There had not been another scheduled trip for a few months, but she returned in three weeks after her last visit. He had barely crossed the door of his dingy apartment from a double-shift when he spotted her on his bed. He would have allowed his happiness to overwhelm him had it not been for her stream of tears. Carefully, he approached and knelt down beside her.

“I’ve thought long and hard about this,” she began, her hands trembling along with her every quiet word, “and I can’t...I can’t be with you anymore.”

That had definitely blindsided him. “What?”

“I don’t want to be with you,” she cried, pulling her fingers away from his.

She moved to stand, but he halted her. He grabbed her elbow and made her face him. “Why?” He was not angry. He did not speak with a tone demanding explanation. He was confused. How could he not be? They had just been discussing their united futures for her to now suggest a separation.

“I just don’t. There’s nothing for me here with you. There’s nothing for you with me. And, honestly, I...I just don’t love you anymore. I thought I did, but this last visit proved to me that I was holding on to a teenage memory. I’m not a teenager anymore, Jack. Neither are you. We deserve better things.”

“Bullshit.” She inhaled deeply, but the act only made a sob in her throat escape. She put her palm over her mouth to muffle it, but he caught it. “You love me, Anne. I know you do.”

“I don’t—”

“Leave, then!” He marched to his door and swung it open. “Leave. If you don’t love me, if you never want to see me again, then leave.”

She froze. There was a lot about him that she knew, that she admired, and one of those characteristics was his vows. He did not break what he promised. If she left his apartment, she would never see him again. He would never go looking for her, no matter how much his heart ached and begged to be put out of its misery. She was not sure who would have the most difficulty surviving that, her or him.

She buried her face in her palms and sobbed. She could not imagine her life without him. She had spent that last three years of her life in love with him. Her heart was carved with his name. Everything about her was owned by him. She gave it to him with a vow that no one else would posses it. She was seventeen when she promised that, but even at the present she knew she would keep it forever. When she thought of the future she saw him, his sleek leather jacket, and his captivating grin. But just as he had been supportive of her departure to follow her dreams, she had to be so with his. He had finally found a path that did not require him to run from the police. He never voice it aloud, but she knew he was proud of himself for the respectable choices he made. Who was she to ruin what he had worked so hard for?

“I’m pregnant,” she confessed.

His anger diminished instantly. He seemed to have been hit beside the head with a bat, making him sway in his stance. It took him a while to process what she had said before he looked at her. Fear flashed in his hazel eyes for a long minute before it settled. And that was what she had been afraid of.

“No. No!” she shouted, stepping away from the arms wanting to embrace her. “I don’t want this baby!”

“Anne—”

“You want to marry me, don’t you? You want to come back with me, to leave everything you have worked here for, to be with me and this baby, but I can’t let you! I won’t let you! This was my mistake, Jack. Mine. But I won’t let it ruin your life or my own.”

“What are you saying?”

He knew exactly what she was saying. The outraged glint in his gaze was enough confirmation. Of course he wanted to do the honorable thing. He was not scarred by his childhood to ever cast off any child he might have. He had wanted to be a good father, to give his children everything he had been deprived of. She thought it tragically beautiful. But this was her choice. It was her body. Just as she did not want to throw his life off balance after working to align it, she could not impede her own. She had worked hard for her current position and internship. A baby would require her to reduce her dedication.

“Don’t go,” he whispered, trying for her hand again. “Please.”

“Don’t look for me,” she returned, now reaching for the door. Every step out was a knife in her chest, but she knew she had to do it for him. For both of them....

He sat tapping his foot impatiently on the tiled floor. He did not know how long he had been waiting for; he had seen different faces enter and leave, every one of them with a different emotion etched on their face. Everything was white, neutral, but it only hid the truth. Thousands of stories ended here.

“She’s ready for you now, sir.”

He stood with numb legs and followed the man leading the way. He kept his eyes strictly forward, afraid to diverge and see something that might break his heart. He was shown to a door and left alone. His hand wrapped around the handle, but he did not immediately twist. He doubted his reason for being there would hardly matter now. Maybe it was too late to fix what had been shattered. Maybe he had to let go of his teenage memories and start new ones. Life was all about that, was it not? Change. Now it was his time to move on.

The handle was twisted and he let himself in. Maybe he should have turned around and left the same way he came, but he had always been a selfish person. He had no desire to change that in the present moment.

As soon as she spotted him she lost her restraint. She wanted to leap off the bed and into his arms, to where she belonged, but the pain in her abdomen kept her in her place. She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and allowed the burning to eat her alive. The following days of suffering were her price to pay. She accepted that without a fight.

He thought seeing her would change what he felt in his chest. He thought a sort of hatred and resentment would grow for what she had done, but it did not come. He felt a sadness, of course, but he also felt every overwhelming emotion that drowned his body every time he was near her. His heart was set on her. There was no changing who he loved.

He scooped her into his arms and her wretched cries echoed off the walls around them. For the first time since he could remember, he cried, too. There was a hurt beyond the physical in her that needed to heal. He did not know if it ever would, but he knew he wanted to be there with her, holding her hand as he had done so many times before.