Mr J L Harding

I’d rather love you from miles apart, than not be able to love you at all.

Or even better, receiving one they’ve sent you! <3

Distance sucks.

“When We’re Apart”.

Be it a single second or several months,
Be it tantalisingly close or painfully far,
I hope you know that when you’re not by me,
I truly wish you are.

When the nights are cold and I feel alone,
When I wake at dawn and long for your touch,
I hope you know that when you’re not with me,
I truly miss you so much.

And when I speak of you to others, I shall be proud,
I shall regale them with tales of our love and our story together,
I’ll help them to know that I truly love you,
And I shall do forever.

- By J L Harding. 09/07/2012. ©.

So it’s an early start tomorrow morning, moving from my little town in South Wales up to Warminster in England. It’s only about 95 miles away, but still.

5 weeks living and working somewhere new, should be… interesting.

Main thing is I’m going to miss my fiancee and dog like Hell. If they were there, I honestly wouldn’t care. It’s only 5 weeks though I suppose, nothing really, even if it’ll feel much longer. I won’t complain too much, I know other couples go months without seeing each other. Hell, Tara and I have been apart for longer than 5 weeks before and coped.
But still, I’ll miss them. Whether it’s 5 weeks or 5 minutes, couples miss each other, it’s natural.

I’ve at least convinced her to stay tonight, so we’ll have one last night cuddling up together.

Wrote a small romantic piece to pass some time, hope you enjoy :)

I took her down to the coast the day before I left. It had been a warm day, but the breeze was cooling and pleasant as we’d sat on the grass staring out into the sea, the horizon a glowing amber as the sun began to set.

“I’ll miss you” She muttered, her eyes fixed on the waves slowly making their way up the beach.

I’d always adored those eyes. I took her hand in mine, gently but with a reassuring pressure in an effort to comfort her, and she looked up. Her blue eyes were as beautiful as the sea before us.
I opened my mouth to say something, but found myself unable to. What could I possibly say when she knew just how high the chances were that I’d perhaps never have the opportunity to look into those eyes ever again? “I’ll miss you too” seemed so meek, so insignificantly pointless.
A moment passed in which we simply sat there looking at one another, the evening breeze playing softly against our skin and the calming hum of the waves the only sound.

“Come with me” I said suddenly, an idea blossoming in my mind.

I’d expected her to resist slightly, to question me, but she simply leapt up to her feet beside me, still clutching tightly to my hand. Another smile, then I set off with her down the beach. It was slow progress across the sand, but it did not matter, we had all the time in the world tonight. She said nothing as we walked, I noted, and I couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking. Did she ever consider what she would do if the worst happened?

We reached the tip of the water, the waves small but steadily proceeding forward. She hesistated as I kept walking, the water lapping over my shoes and soaking the ends of my trousers. She kept silent still, but gave me a curious glance, an inquisitive, silent “Are you sure?”. I smiled once again, advancing further into the waves until the water reached our knees, just nipping at the laced bottom of her dress. Then I turned to her, taking each of her hands and looking at her as an artist admires a masterpiece. Still after all these years her beauty took my breath away.

“I just want you to know one thing,” I began, and noticed the tears already glazing over her eyes, enhancing their shine, “I don’t have to tell you about the possibilities of what might happen when I’m over there, and I hope I don’t need to make promises of returning when there’s a possibility I won’t”.

A tear rolled delicately down her face.

“But I don’t want you to think that there is no hope. I don’t want you to even consider that distance can break us, can break what we have. We’re stronger than that”.

I left go of her hand, knelt, and carefully scooped a handful of the water into the palm of my hands.

“This water is all that will separate us. Whether it’s this handful here or an entire ocean, it’s just water. A single substance. It’s weak, it’s light, it’s nothing compared to us. No matter how far away I am, it’s just distance”.

The last of the water trickled free from my grasp and I embraced her tightly, her long brown hair blowing lightly against my neck as I held her. We stood there, united against the waves caressing against us, gradually getting higher up our legs as minutes passed. It was a wonderful moment, and I knew even then that it would be moments like this that gave me meaning, gave my life purpose and hope, and it was moments like this that could, inevitably, be the last memory to ever comfort my mind.

- J L Harding. ©. 26th May 2012.