Point of Retreat

Everyone else in the room fades into the distance as we kiss…but only for a second.
     
    “Eh-hem.” I look up and the officiant is standing in front of us with an unamused look on his face. “We haven’t quite gotten to the kissing of the bride yet,” he says.
     
    I laugh and take Lake’s hand as we position ourselves in front of him. When he begins reading his wedding sermon, Lake touches her hand to my cheek and pulls my gaze toward hers, away from the officiant. I turn toward her and take her hands in mine and pull them up between us. I’m pretty sure the officiant is still talking, and that I should probably be paying attention, but I can’t think of anything else right now I'd rather be paying attention to. She smiles at me, and I can see she isn’t paying attention to anything around us, either. It’s just me and her right now. I know it isn’t time yet, but I go ahead and kiss her anyway. I don’t hear a single word of the wedding sermon as we continue to kiss. In less than a minute, this woman is about to become my wife. My life.
     
    Lake laughs and says, “I do” without pulling away from my mouth. I didn’t even realize we had gotten to that part yet. She closes her eyes again and gets right back into rhythm with me. I know weddings are pretty important to some people, but I have to fight back the urge to pick her up and carry her out of here before it’s even over. After a few more seconds, she starts giggling again and says, “He does.”
     
    When I realize she just said my line, my lips separate from hers and I look over at the officiant. “She’s right, I do.” I turn back to her and resume where we left off.
     
    “Well, then, congratulations. I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may continue kissing your bride.”
     
    And so I do.
     
     
     
     
     
    ***
     
     
     
     
     
    “After you, Mrs. Cooper,” I say as we exit the elevator.
     
    She smiles. “I like that. It has a nice ring to it.”
     
    “I’m glad you think so because it’s a little late to change your mind now.”
     
    When the elevator doors close behind us, I pull the room key out of my pocket and check the room number again. “It’s this way,” I say, pointing to the right. I take her hand in mine and begin walking down the hallway. I’m forced to an abrupt stop, however, when her hand jerks me back.
     
    “Wait,” she says. “You’re supposed to carry me over the threshold. That’s what husbands do.”
     
    Before I can bend down and take her in my arms the traditional way, she puts her arms on my shoulders and jumps up, wrapping her legs around my waist. I have to grab hold of her thighs before she slips. Her lips are right in proximity to mine now, so they briefly get kissed. She grins and runs her hands through the back of my hair, forcing my mouth onto hers again. I try to grip her legs with one hand and her waist with the other, but it feels like she’s slipping so I take two quick steps until she’s propped up against a hotel room door. It’s not our door, but it does the job. As soon as her back hits the door, she moans. I remember the bruises from a few weeks ago and think I may have just hurt her. I break apart from her with a concerned look on my face.
     
    “Are you okay? Did I just hurt your back?”
     
    She grins. “No. That was a good sound.”
     
    The intensity in her eyes is magnetic. I’m unable to break our stare as I stand there, holding her up against the door. I grab the underneath of her thighs with my hands and hoist her up even higher, pressing my body against hers for more leverage. “Five more minutes,” I say.
     
    I grin and lean in to kiss her again, but she’s suddenly further away. As soon as I realize the hotel room door we’re leaning against is opening up behind her, I do my best to catch her. Instead, I fall to the ground with her and we both end up in a heap on the floor of someone's hotel room. She still has her arms around my neck and she’s laughing until she looks up and sees a man and two children staring down at us. He doesn’t look very pleased.
     
    “Run,” I whisper. We both crawl out of the hotel room and pull ourselves up. I take her hand in mine and we run down the hallway until we find our room. I slide the key into the reader but before I open the door, she slips in front of me and faces me.
     
    “Three more minutes,” she says. She reaches behind her and pulls down on the handle, swinging the door open. “Now carry