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“A forever kiss with my Rune … in our blossom grove … when he finally came home.”
She smiled.
I smiled.
Then she added, “… and my heart almost burst.”

Kiss 1000
——————
With Poppymin.
When she returned home.
My heart completely burst.

Poppy swallowed and whispered hoarsely,
“Kiss number…” Her brow furrowed as confusion played on her face.
“Nine hundred and three,” I finished for her. Poppy nodded.
“When I came back to Rune,” she added, holding my gaze and weakly squeezing my hand, “just like I promised I would.”

I saw Poppy try turn her head in his direction, but her eyes couldn’t focus. I felt a tug somewhere inside me when her hand reached out. She was searching for me. Even in a confused state, she was searching for my hand.

“Is Poppymin sick?” Clearing my throat, I nodded. His bottom lip wobbled. “But you love her,” he whispered, cracking my heart in the process. I nodded again, and he laid his head against my chest. “I don’t want Poppymin to go anywhere. She made you speak to me. She made you be best friends with me,” he sniffed.
“I don’t want you to be angry again.”

Mrs. Litchfield ran behind, but when she saw Poppy’s hand clutching mine so tightly, she said,
“You go with Poppy, Rune. I’ll follow straight behind with the girls.”

“But more than anything, I want to return home with your kiss on my lips. I want to pass on to the next life still feeling your warm lips on mine.”
Settling back down onto Rune’s chest, I closed my eyes and whispered, “That’s what I pray for most. To last long enough to achieve these things.”

Leaning forward, I kissed her soft cheek and whispered, “I love you, Poppymin. Forever always.”

Smoothing the crease on his forehead, I said,
“This life’s final adventure. Because I know, with
unwavering faith, that we’ll be together again. Even when this adventure is over, a greater one awaits us on the other side. And Rune, there would be no heaven if you weren’t back in my arms someday.”

“Why does it take a life ending to learn how to cherish each day? Why must we wait until
we run out of time to start to accomplish all that we dreamed, when once we had all the time in the
world? Why don’t we look at the person we love the most like it’s the last time we will ever see
them? Because if we did, life would be so vibrant. Life would be so truly and completely lived.”

She faced me and said, “When I used to look out of that window, when I was missing you so much that it hurt worse than the chemo, I would stare at that breaking dawn and I would think of you. I would think of you watching the sunrise in Norway and it would bring me peace.”

“I can’t lose you, Poppymin. I can’t. I can’t let you go. I can’t live without you. You’re my forever
always. You’re meant to walk beside me through this life. You need me and I need you. That’s all
there is to it.” I felt her shaking in my arms.
“I won’t be able to let you go. Because wherever you go, I have to go too. I’ve tried living without you, it doesn’t work.”

Poppy’s eyes fluttered to a close as I did so,
but they opened again to watch me.
“I kept my promise,” I admitted and watched the shock cross her face. She shook her head.
“But I saw … you kissed—”
“I kept my promise,” I interrupted.

“No!” I fought, but she pulled me to her, and I lost all that fight. I collapsed into her arms and I
cried. I screamed and I cried into the arms of the woman I’d barely spoken to in two years. But right
now, I needed her. I needed someone who understood.
Understood what losing Poppy would be like.

“Poppy!”
“NO!”
“EXPLAIN!”
“I’M DYING!” I screamed into the silent grove, unable to take it anymore.
“I’m dying,” I added breathlessly.
“I’m … dying…”

Then one day, Poppy didn’t return my calls, emails or texts.
Or the next day, or the next.
She dropped out of my life.
Poppy simply vanished. No word, no trace.
She left school. She left town.
Her family all upped and left without notice.

I held out my hand and Poppy took hold of it. As
I gazed into her face one last time, she said,
“I’ll see you in your dreams.”
“I’ll see you in my dreams,” I whispered back and reluctantly let go of her hand as my pappa drove
the car away.

They were taking me from my girl, my soul. And I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

I didn’t mind sitting with our friends, but I preferred to be alone with her. It was her company I craved; the only place I ever wanted to be was with her.

“We heading out to the field?” Poppy asked as I began leading her away across the parking lot,
holding her just that little bit closer as we passed the group of freshman girls.
“I’d prefer to be alone with you,” I said.

She only ever recorded the extra-special kisses. Only the ones that made her feel her heart
was full. Every time we kissed, I waited for those words.
When they came, she almost blew me away with her smile.

People didn’t understand that after all this time she was still mine. W e were only fifteen, but since the day I kissed her in the blossom grove, aged eight, there had never been anyone else. I had blinkers on to any other girl. I only saw Poppy. In my world, only she existed.

And Rune kissed me.
He kissed me and kissed me and kissed me.
By the end of the day I had four more boy-kisses in my jar.

Kiss 1
———
With my Rune.
In the blossom grove.
My heart almost burst.