voice was tender.
"There's never been another, Noah. You weren't just the first. You're the only manI've ever been with. I don't expect you to say the same thing, but I wanted you toknow."
Noah was silent as he turned away. She felt warmer as she watched the fire. Her handran over the muscles beneath his shirt, hard and firm as they leaned against eachother. She remembered when they'd held each other like this for what they'dthought would be the last time. They were sitting on a sea wall designed to hold backthe waters of the Neuse River. She was crying because they might never see eachother again, and she wondered how she could ever be happy again. Instead ofanswering, he pressed a note into her hand, which she read on the way home. Shehad saved it, occasionally reading all of it or sometimes just a part. One part she'dread at least a hundred times, and for some reason it ran through her head now. Itsaid:
The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected. Maybethey always have been and will be. Maybe we've lived a thousand lives before this oneand in each of them we've found each other. And maybe each time, we've beenforced apart for the same reasons. That means that this good‐bye is both a goodbyefor the past ten thousand years and a prelude to what will come.
When I look at you, I see your beauty and grace and know they have grown strongerwith every life you have lived. And I know I have spent every life before this onesearching for you. Not someone like you, but you, for your soul and mine must alwayscome together. And then, for a reason neither of us understands, we've been forcedto say good‐bye.
I would love to tell you that everything will work out for us, and I promise to do allI can to make sure it does. But if we never meet again and this is truly good‐bye, Iknow we will see each other again in another life. We will find each other again,and maybe the stars will have changed, and we will not only love each other inthat time, but for all the times we've had before.
Could it be? she wondered. Could he be right? She had never completely discountedit, wanting to hold on to its promise in case it was true. The idea had helped herthrough many hard times. But sitting here now seemed to test the theory that theywere destined to always be apart. Unless the stars had changed since they were lasttogether.
And maybe they had, but she didn't want to look. Instead she leaned into him andfelt the heat between them, felt his body, felt his arm tight around her. And herbody began to tremble with the same anticipation she had felt the first time theywere together.
It felt so right to be here. Everything felt right. The fire, the drinks, the storm‐‐itcouldn't have been more perfect. Like magic, it seemed, their years apart didn'tmatter anymore.
Lightning cut the sky outside. Fire danced on white‐hot wood, spreading the heat.
October rain sheeted itself against the windows, drowning out all other sounds. Theygave in then to everything they had fought the last fourteen years. Allie lifted herhead off his shoulder, looked at him with hazy eyes, and Noah kissed her softly on thelips. She brought her hand to his face and touched his cheek, brushing it softly withher fingers. He leaned in slowly and kissed her again,still soft and tender, and shekissed back, feeling the years of separation dissolve into passion.
She closed her eyes and parted her lips as he ran his fingers up and down her arms,slowly, lightly. He kissed her neck, her cheek, her eyelids, and she felt the moisture ofhis mouth linger wherever his lips had touched. She took his hand and led it to herbreasts, and a whimper rose in her throat as he gently touched them through the thinfabric of the shirt.
The world seemed dreamlike as she pulled back from him, the firelight setting herface aglow. Without speaking, she started to undo the buttons on his shirt. Hewatched her as she did it and listened to her soft breaths as she made her waydownward. With each button he could feel her fingers brushing against his skin, andshe smiled softly at him when she finally finished. He felt her slide her hands inside,touching him as lightly as possible, letting her hands explore his body. He was hot and
she ran her hand over his slightly wet chest, feeling his hair between her fingers.
Leaning in, she kissed his neck gently as she pulled the shirt over his shoulders, lockinghis arms behind his back. She lifted her head and allowed him to kiss her as he rolledhis shoulders, freeing himself from the sleeves.
With that, he slowly reached for her. He lifted her shirt and ran his finger slowlyacross her belly before raising her arms and slipping it off. She felt short of breath ashe lowered his head and kissed between her breasts and slowly ran his tongue up toher neck. His hands gently caressed her back, her arms, her shoulders, and she felttheir heated bodies press together, skin to skin. He kissed her neck and nibbled gentlyas she lifted her hips and allowed him to pull off her bottoms. She reached for thesnap on his jeans, undid it, and watched as he slipped them off as well. It was almostslow motion as their naked bodies finally came together, both of them tremblingwith the memory of what they had once shared together.
He ran his tongue along her neck while his hands moved over the smooth hot skin ofher breasts, down her belly, past her navel, and up again. He was struck by herbeauty. Her shimmering hair trapped the light and made it sparkle. Her skin was softand beautiful, almost glowing in the firelight. He felt her hands on his back,beckoning him.
They lay back, close to the fire, and the heat made the air seem thick. Her backwas slightly arched as he rolled atop her in one fluid motion. He was on all foursabove her, his knees astride her hips. She lifted her head and kissed his chin andneck, breathing hard, licking his shoulders, and tasting the sweat that lingeredon his body. She ran her hands through his hair as he held himself above her, hisarm muscles hard from the exertion.
With a little tempting frown, she pulled him closer, but he resisted. Instead helowered himself and lightly rubbed his chest against her, and she felt her bodyrespond with anticipation. He did this slowly, over and over, kissing every part of herbody, listening as she made soft, whimpering sounds while he moved above her. Hedid this until she couldn't take it anymore, and when they finally joined as one, shecried aloud and pressed her fingers hard into his back. She buried her face in his neckand felt him deep inside her, felt his strength and gentleness, felt his muscle and his
soul. She moved rhythmically against him, allowing him to take her wherever hewanted, to the place she was meant to be.
She opened her eyes and watched him in the firelight, marveling at his beauty as hemoved above her. She saw his body glisten with crystal sweat and watched as beadsrolled down his chest and fell onto her like the rain outside. And with every drop, withevery breath, she felt herself, every responsibility, every facet of her life, slippingaway.
Their bodies reflected everything given, everything taken, and she was rewardedwith a sensation she never knew existed. It went on and on, tingling throughout herbody and warming her before finally subsiding, and she struggled to catch her breathwhile she trembled beneath him. But the moment it was over, another one startedto build again, and she started to feel them in long sequences, one right after thenext. By the time the rain had stopped and the sun had set, her body was exhaustedbut unwilling to stop the pleasure between them.
They spent the day in each other's arms, alternately making love by the fire and thenholding each other as they watched the flames curl around the wood. Sometimes herecited one of his favorite poems as she lay beside him, and she would listen with hereyes closed and almost feel the words. Then, when they were ready, they would joinagain and he murmured words of love between kisses as they wrapped their armsaround one another.
They went on throughout the evening, making up for their years apart, and slept ineach other's arms that night. Occasionally he would wake up and look at her, herbody spent and radiant, and feel as if everything were suddenly right in this world.
Once, when he was looking at her in the moments before daybreak, her eyes flutteredopen and she smiled and reached up to touch his face. He put his fingers to her lips,gently, to keep her from speaking, and for a long time they just looked at oneanother. When the lump in his throat subsided, he whispered to her, "You are theanswer to every prayer I've offered. You are a song, a dream, a whisper, and I don'tknow how I could have lived without you for as long as I have.
“I love you, Allie, more than you can ever imagine. I always have, and I always will."
"Oh, Noah," she said, pulling him to her. She wanted him, needed him now more thanever, like nothing she'd ever known.
Our room*
Later that morning, three men‐‐two lawyers and the judge‐‐sat in chambers whileLon finished speaking. It was a moment before the judge answered.
"It's an unusual request," he said, pondering the situation. "It seems to me thetrial could very well end today. Are you saying this urgent matter can't wait untillater this evening or tomorrow ?
"No, Your Honor, it can't," Lon answered almost too quickly. Stay relaxed, he toldhimself. Take a deep breath.
"And it has nothing to do with this case?" "No, Your Honor. It's of a personal nature.
I know it's out of the ordinary, but I really need to take care of it." Good, better.
The judge leaned back in his chair, evaluating him for a moment.
"Mr. Bates, how do you feel about this?"
He cleared his throat. "Mr. Hammond called me this morning and I've alreadyspoken to my clients. They're willing to postpone until Monday."
"I see," the judge said. "And do you believe it is in your clients' best interests todo this?"
"I believe so," he said. "Mr. Hammond has agreed to reopen discussion on a certainmatter not covered by this proceeding."
The judge looked hard at both of them and thought about it.
"I don't like it," he finally said, "not at all. But Mr. Hammond has never made asimilar request before, and I assume the matter is very important to him." Hepaused for effect, then looked to some papers on his desk. "I'll agree to adjournuntil Monday. Nine o'clock sharp." "Thank you, Your Honor," Lon said.
