Only tell me that you still want me here
When you wander off out there
To those hills of dust and hard winds that blow
In that dry white ocean alone
This was the final stop. Joey had racked his mind for hours and this was the last place on his list. What if she�s not here? He willed the question away as he ran up the path towards the chapel. Panic started to overwhelm him, as he saw no one was sitting in the numerous benches around the little building.
There was no where else to go, but his heart refused to believe this was the end. If only he could see her one more time, everything would turn out okay. It didn�t matter what the rest of the world said, she was the only one for him. He closed his eyes and allowed the early morning chill to penetrate him hoping for any insight. Slowly his control was deteriorating and a sob escaped him.
�Joe?�
Lost out in the desert
You are lost out in the desert
But to stand with you in a ring of fire
I'll forget the days gone by
Unbelieving, Joey opened his eyes and focused on the figure standing less than twenty feet from him. Mentally he chided himself. The last time he�d been here, it had been winter. The roses had been dead, covered in a thick blanket of snow, but now they were bursting forth with the coming of spring. They had obstructed his view of her bench, the one she always sat at when she needed to escape the insanity of life.
�Joe, what are you doing here?� she asked her voice breaking half way through the question.
I'll protect your body and guard your soul
From mirages in your sight
Lost out in the desert
You are lost out in the desert
One second stretched into eternity. His heart simply wanted to hold onto the moment forever. His rational mind said this would be the last time he�d be here, with her, like this. Then the moment disappeared. For just a little bit he had looked into her eyes and seen the depths of the despair and misery she had warned him about. The pain he could never understand, the pain she didn�t want him to understand. But then the wall he had hoped to tear down, the curtain that kept all her deepest emotions hidden from him and the rest of the world had come down again.
He swallowed then quickly closed the distance between them before sweeping her into his arms. Every muscle in her body tensed up, but he wasn�t going to give up this fight so easily. How could he explain that he wasn�t afraid anymore? That he�d put aside his frustrations with the hope that someday she�d allow him into her sanctuary?
If your hopes scatter like the dust across your track
I'll be the moon that shines on your path
The sun may blind our eyes, I'll pray the skies above
For snow to fall on the sahara
�You should go,� she said quietly never meeting his eyes. A hole was forming in Joey�s chest. He could feel his heart breaking into millions of pieces, hear the glass as it shattered. Trying to control the shaking of his hands, Joey turned her face forcing her to make eye contact with him. The brown orbs were pure liquid, not the mirror he expected. Just push a little more, a tiny voice said in his mind.
�Tell me again,� he whispered in a barely audible. He knew what would happen next and part of him hated himself. The rest of him just desperately was reaching at for any straws to keep her with him.
Just a wish and I will cover your shoulders
With veils of silk and gold
When the shadows come and darken your heart
Leaving you with regrets so cold
�You should...� she started before completely breaking down in his arms. Gently he carried her to the nearest bench and sat dawn. She clung to him as a child who has just had a nightmare does a parent burying her face in the crook of his neck. Her chest rose and fell quickly with each silent sob and Joey was afraid he would breakdown too.
He had to be her strength from now on. No matter how much work it required, the inevitable heartache and pain he would suffer, he would sacrifice anything to make her happy. And he knew most likely he�d have to do so to help her win this fight one day at a time.
Lost out in the desert
you are lost out in the desert
If your hopes scatter like the dust across your track
I'll be the moon that shines on your path
Somewhere over Lake Michigan the sun had finally risen and its warming rays finally reached the little plaza where Joey sat holding the sleeping form of his soul mate. Their future was uncertain, and the uphill battle had just begun.
But wasn�t love supposed to be strong enough to overcome all? Sure, Joey couldn�t guarantee that everyday was going to be good, much less perfect. She had said letting him in would help no one, drag him down. However, he was certain that he endure all tests just to be by her side. The entire world could collapse around him, but it wouldn�t matter so long as they had each other to depend on, she had him to lean on.
�Thaddea, I�m not leaving your side no matter how much you push me away,� he whispered. �I love you. And I know you love me. I�ll wait forever if that�s what you need.�
The sun may blind our eyes, I'll pray the skies above
For snow to fall on the sahara
If that's the only place where you can leave your doubts
I'll hold you up and be your way out
And if we burn away, I'll pray the skies above
For snow to fall on the sahara