True Love

“The books are about the celebration of falling in love and emotion and commitment, and all of those things we really want.” - Nora Roberts

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The night is a warm summer night, with clear skies and plenty of stars. The thin, crescent moon casts a dull glow on the world, though the many trees bordering the country roads block this light and cast strangely shaped shadows. Because it is such a cloudless night and away from the city’s light pollution, the galaxy’s billions upon billions of stars are visible. Gentle mixes of blues, yellows and whites swirl together with the stars in an intricate dance, bringing even more beauty to the picturesque scene. From the sheer volume of these gas giants, one could assume that light and dark are in equal amounts this night, though it is not the case. There is more darkness in this night than the casual observer could ever know.

Two lovers, Jane and Tom, walk hand in hand through this magnificent scene. Their companions are drunk and rowdy, but they don’t care as they only have eyes and ears for each other. For a brief moment, Jane stops walking and glances away from Tom, towards the sky, the stars, and the moon, and inhales sharply.

Overwhelmed, Jane whispers quietly, “It’s so beautiful.”

Tom, who has stopped walking to accommodate her, follows her gaze, then looks at Jane’s awed face. “Just like you.”

Jane’s eyes drop to regard Tom once more and they kiss passionately. Tom stops the embrace, takes Jane’s hand and tells her to follow him. She does.

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Meanwhile, the couple’s companions have stumbled far ahead of the two. One of them asks where Jane and Tom have gone.

“Don’t worry,” another replied, “Tom’s probably getting laid.”

The group snickers and continues on their way.

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Jane and Tom are lying on a patio bench, wrapped in warm blankets and comfortable pillows, swinging back and forth. They are watching the stars together.

“I just love the stars,” Jane says, breathless.

Tom’s gaze falls from the sky to his lover and, sensing his eyes, Jane’s falls as well. “I love you,” replies Tom, looking deep into her eyes.

Jane smiles and says, “I love you too.”

The couple kisses passionately once more and makes love for the first time. It is one of the best nights of Jane’s life.

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It is three or four months later, and Jane is more in love than she had ever dreamed possible. Smiling and thinking about Tom, she logs onto her computer and to her delight, sees that he is online. She IMs him with the simple message, “I love you!”

Tom’s response takes a long time. “I have something to tell you. It’s important.”

Concerned, Jane quickly replies. “What is it?”

“I don’t actually love you. I don’t know if I even have feelings for you. I’m so sorry.”

A small message at the bottom of the screen tells Jane that Tom is writing more, but Jane doesn’t want to see it. In hysterics, she runs into the bathroom. She feels like her heart and her soul are being ripped apart. She throws open the medicine cabinet, and swallows every single pill from every single bottle. She collapses on the ground and cries as hard as she can, but it isn’t making the pain go away.

“I love you, Tom,” were the last words that she ever said.

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“You’ll have to face it, the endings are the same however you slice it. Don’t be deluded by any other endings, they’re all fake, either deliberately fake, with malicious intent to deceive, or just motivated by excessive optimism if not by downright sentimentality.

The only authentic ending is the one provided here:

John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die.” - Margaret Atwood in Happy Endings