You say
Love is a temple
Love a higher law
Love is a temple
Love the higher law
You ask me to enter …
-U2, “One”
Taryn got ready for bed first, and lit candles in
the bedroom as she waited for Isaac.
When he emerged from the bathroom, he slid into bed beside her and held her for a long while.
“I miss you when I have to sleep alone,” he confessed. “I didn’t know that part of it would be so hard to be without.”
Taryn smiled and stroked Isaac’s hair. “It’s hard when you get used to having someone there,” she said. “But I’m here now.”
Isaac kissed Taryn gently. She looked up into his eyes, and she knew what she saw there was his love for her. She knew that there were people who would find her relationship with Isaac strange, but somehow it didn’t matter to her. She knew what she felt, and she knew that Isaac felt it too.
They lay together in silence for a while, but eventually the inevitable happened. Taryn was adamant about using birth control, and had even gone so far as to bring some of her own in case Isaac had forgotten his. She had promised herself that no matter how frenzied things got, she was never going to let what happened in Chicago occur again.
Afterward, they snuggled together and talked.
“You know, we’ve never talked much about this part of our relationship,” Taryn said. “I know that I’m your first and all that … are you okay with what’s going on?”
Isaac brushed a wisp of hair from Taryn’s eyes.
“I don’t regret anything that we’ve done,” he said. “It’s not like I never had the opportunity to do it before, I just was never ready. I know myself. I wanted it. I don’t do anything I don’t want to do. I told you that the first time I met you, remember?”
Taryn grinned. “Oh yeah, when you were accusing me of calling your parents slave drivers.”
Isaac laughed. “Something like that.”
“I just want to make sure that you know you can always be honest with me,” Taryn said. “We can talk about anything. Okay?”
Isaac gave Taryn a long look.
“I am never going to lie to you or hurt you on purpose,” Isaac said quietly. “I’m not him, Taryn. I would never treat you badly. Not if I could help it. I love you, and I am always going to take care of your feelings.”
Taryn propped herself up on her elbow and looked at Isaac.
“Do you have any idea how chance this was? I mean, I didn’t even want to take the job at Idol Talk. I didn’t think it was legitimate enough. But Cam talked me into it.”
Isaac smiled. “I guess we owe Cam a big one.”
“I’m wearing a lavender dress in his wedding,” Taryn reminded Isaac. “I’d say that makes us even.”
Isaac pulled Taryn to him and kissed her again. As the waves crashed on the beach below, they spent the rest of the night together, each blissfully letting the other know how very much they were loved.
