Counting Heartbeats

Nick and I have spent countless days and nights together. That means we have a limitless supply of shared memories. There's a few bad moments past scattered throughout, but in general, they're all pretty great. Even the simple ones. They really are. We're a very fun couple. We act like little kids together, and it doesn't take much to make us happy. Give us a large pizza and some Mortal Kombat, and we'll be the happiest you've ever seen.
Among the endless supply of memories littered through my brain is one very special night that I always keep near and dear to my heart. Every time I look back on it, I smile. I'm smiling now just writing about it.
The night itself wasn't anything special. It was the same as all others. I had showed up at his door, like I always did, like a lost puppy waiting to fall into the arms of someone who loved me. Someone who would light me a cigarette and sit outside watching the cold depth of the night turn itself into early morning. We talked for awhile, and had some sex. We were in bed drifting to sleep, the lights were out, all was relatively quiet. That's when I heard it. 
It was Nick. He was mumbling something so gently, and quietly. The words were barely audible as they crept out of his thin, boyish lips. His head was on my chest. We rarely slept like this, but I loved when we did. It made me feel like I was the one protecting him for once. With his head turned away from me, the soft words sounded almost foreign because of how unclear they were to make out. "Nick, what are you doing?" I whispered as I ran my fingers through his soft, brown hair.
"Oh, I'm counting your heartbeats," he said, as if that was obvious. That was the cutest thing I had ever heard a guy say to me. Ever. Sure, everyone can give compliments, and tell you how much they care for you. Blah, blah, blah. No, this sweet boy one-upped every nice thing anyone else had ever said. He was falling asleep listening to my heart. The rhythmic drum of my heartbeat inside my chest was lulling him to sleep. That night, I laid down feeling like I had been the one playing protector, but it turns out he was still on guard. 
He was protecting my heart. He still is to this day. And if the two of us have any say over it, he will be the one to protect it for the rest of our lives.



This will be last daily blog post, I'm going to start writing one to two days a week. Keep yourself up to date by following my page.
Bri