Cedar for Moonbeam
Thalia’s breath hitched. “Don’t,” she whispered, her throat tight. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“I don’t make promises I can’t keep,” Cedar said, his eyes holding hers, clear and certain. “I told them no, Thalia. Before I even hung up the phone. Because the only place I want to be is wherever you are.” He pulled her into his arms, his chin resting on top of her head. “You’re my home, Thalia. You’re my anchor in the storm.”
Thalia stood stiff in his embrace for a long moment, waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the moment when this proved too good to be true. But Cedar just held her, his arms warm and steady around her, his heartbeat a slow, reassuring rhythm against her cheek. Slowly, tentatively, she relaxed into his hold, her arms creeping around his waist to clutch the back of his shirt.
They stood like that for a long time, until the rain slowed to a gentle patter and the first fingers of dawn painted the sky in streaks of rose and gold. Finally, Cedar pulled back just far enough to tip her face up to his. “Dance with me,” he murmured, his voice rough.
Thalia blinked at him. “Now? Here?”
“Right here,” Cedar confirmed, his mouth forming a tender smile. “Right now.” He pulled out his phone, tapping at the screen until the opening notes of a soft, sweet song filled the shack. He drew her close again, one hand cradling hers against his chest, the other resting low on her hip. They swayed together in the quiet dawn, their bodies moving in perfect, unhurried sync. Thalia rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart, the soft rush of the waves outside. For the first time in a long time, the frantic drumbeat of her own pulse slowed, eased by the unwavering certainty of his presence.
At 3:17 a.m., they were still dancing, Cedar’s chin resting on top of her head, their sock-clad feet shuffling across the kitchen tile. Moonlight streamed through the window, casting long rectangles of light across the floor – just like in the community garden where they first met. Thalia closed her eyes, inhaling the familiar blend of salt and cedar and home.