In Love and War

Pale August moonlight filtered through the window of a dark room, casting a blue, almost unearthly glow across a hardwood floor. Creeping through the open window, like fog across a lake, a cool breeze stirred the curtains a bit, and bringing with it, the sounds of the city streets below.

In a dark corner of the room, under cool white sheets laid Liliana and Rafe. Listening to the rhythmic beating of Rafe’s heart, Liliana laid with her head against his warm chest, staring up at the ceiling. Her body felt calmed by Rafe, who had been running his fingers through her silky hair, the cool, night air caressing them.

Liliana’s mind, however, hadn’t been calmed. She couldn’t help but think about all that had been going on in the world. World War II, or at least that’s what the newspapers were calling it, was raging overseas. The entire night, all Liliana could think about was whether Rafe had been drafted or not. He was, after all, eighteen years old as of two days ago. She shifted her body a bit, trying to make her tension subside, attempting to quell her fears, but it was to no avail. The draft flooded her every thought, her mind a whirlwind of worry.

“Rafe?” she called to him quietly, lying very still, making sure not to look at him. She didn’t want him to know how worried she was, and if she looked at him, he would see it in her eyes. He could see everything in her eyes. “Go back to being seventeen okay?”

“Okay,” he answered plainly. Moving the hand he had placed behind his head, he lifted her head to look at him. Rafe looked into her eyes, the two pools of green he could get lost in for hours, and saw the worry in them. He kissed her forehead, softly, something he did often, to quench her fears. Usually it would work, and she would kiss him back, smiling and feeling like anything was possible. On this night however, her worry only grew. Rafe moved his hand back behind his head, and staring out the window, wondering how he could end Liliana’s worrying. He hated to see her look so scared, her eyes ablaze with worry. Closing her eyes and placing her head back onto Rafe’s chest, Liliana took his strong hand in hers, lacing her fingers through his, her eyebrows furrowed in thought.

“Don’t think about it,” he commented a moment later, looking down at her hair, shining like silk in the moonlight that streamed into the room.

Weaving her fingers through his and kissing his fingertips gently, she lied. “Think about what?”

“You know.”

Liliana rose out of the bed, sighing deeply, as she pulled the sheet that covered the two of them with her. As she walked toward the open window, she wrapped the sheet around her body loosely, holding it closed with one hand. Like a silhouette, her body was outlined in blue by the pale moonlight. After a long moment of looking out at the traffic below, she said knowingly, “You got the papers, didn’t you?”

Staring at her slender figure, her pale skin glowing in the moonlight, Rafe tried to calculate what he would say to her. He wanted, with all of his heart to just be able to say “No.” But he could not. Rafe could not, and would not lie to her like that; it just wouldn’t be fair to put her through that kind of pain. A pained look crossed Rafe’s face and he turned away quickly, staring at the wall, choosing instead to say nothing.

Liliana hadn’t needed Rafe to tell her he had received the papers. She could tell by the grave expression on his face. Even still, the shock of the news struck her. Looking at over at Rafe lying in the bed, wearing only his under shorts, his athletic frame out, she could see a sadness flickering across his eyes. She quickly looked back out the windows, and fighting back tears she asked, “When do you leave?”

Reluctantly, he answered her. “Day after next.”

She couldn’t look at Rafe. If she did, she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop the tears that threatening to fall from her eyes. As she continued to look out the window, Liliana could feel Rafe staring at her, wondering what she was thinking. From behind her, she heard Rafe say brokenly, “I love you.”

Liliana turned to look at him. He had stood up, but hadn’t moved over to her, remaining alongside the bed. Moonlight was glinting off of the tears that rolled down his face, allowing Liliana to see the sadness and fear in Rafe’s eyes. Her lips trembling slightly, she whispered back, “I love you too.” Once again, she turned her back to him in an attempt to keep from crying, the window her only solace.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Rafe walked over to Liliana, resting his hands on her shoulders. He tried to turn her toward him, but she resisted. She didn’t want to look into his eyes, knowing that if she did, the tears she was holding back would begin to fall and wouldn’t be able to stop. Her voice wavering, she managed to say, “I can’t lose you, Rafe.”

“I won’t let that happen,” replied Rafe, his voice steady now. He took hold of Liliana’s arm, turning her so that she would be facing him. This time, she didn’t resist, and she spun into his arms, trembling with fear and anguish.

“How can you know that?” She asked, the tears that had been building up behind her eyes finally bursting forth, rolling down her face, like rain on a glass window pane.

“I don’t know,” said Rafe quietly, lifting her head to stare into her eyes and wiping the tears from her cheeks. “But I can feel it. I can feel it in my heart.”

“I’m scared, Rafe,” she replied. Her voice choked sounding from the tears she was failing to suppress.

Rafe wrapped his arms around her, tightly so Liliana could hear his heart beating. “Me too.”

“I don’t know what I would do without you…” Liliana trailed, her eyes staring directly into his.

“Don’t worry about that,” Rafe replied, his voice faltering a bit, showing the fear within him. “Everything will be alright.”

Looking into her eyes, those startling green eyes that seem to captivate him, Rafe brought his hand up to her face. He brushed a lock of hair from her eyes, smiling a bit in the hopes that he could make her feel safe; that he could make her feel complete, even if it were only for one night. Bringing her lips to his, he kissed her softly, gradually deepening the kiss, exploring her mouth with his tongue, all the while the kiss becoming more and more passionate with every passing moment.

Liliana broke the kiss and, panting a bit, looked at Rafe wantonly, letting go of the white sheet that she had wrapped around her. Her pale skin glowed in the bright moonlight, causing Rafe to gasp slightly as he took in her beauty. ‘God, she’s beautiful,’ he thought as he traced his fingers lightly across her soft, pale, naked flesh, continuing to stare at her, noting the hungered look in her eyes as her body trembled slightly, craving more.

Rafe pulled her close again, feeling her bare skin, white hot against his, and kissed her again, almost feverishly. Planting kisses along Liliana’s neck and collarbone, his hands wandered across her bare skin, feeling her desire, her need for more, the passion between them increasing with every caress.

The two figures staggered over to the bed, their tongues exploring each other, their souls becoming one. Their hands skimmed over bare skin in heated passion, memorizing every contour of each others' bodies. The lovers lost all sense of time, completely lost in the feel of each others' bodies and their love for each other, as they leaned back onto the bed.