My Favorite Place To Be

Cole leaned back into his master’s chair and took a long swig from the bottle of liqueur.  The liquid seared his throat and heat spread through his chest.  He growled the sensation away.  Reaching for the family’s Candle Vignette, he passed a finger over the cleft in the top.  A visual flame flickered to life and he wrapped his hand around the thick cylinder.  Mianna’s picture appeared in the flame. 

He smiled and tilted the bottle again, allowing the bitter drink to coat his mouth before he swallowed it with a gulp.  He clenched his jaw tight and grimaced from the liqueur’s effects.  Leaning back into the leather chair, he propped his feet on the desk and cradled the magical picture album in his lap.  Cole gazed at the cherubic face of his love. 

“If only you could be here with me right now.  Charlene wants me to talk to the blog readers about my favorite place to be.  And the only place I can honestly say would be in your arms.”

Staring into Mianna’s blue eyes, he recalled the love that shown in them when she’d look back.  A heavy sigh warmed his lips.  “Remember when we met?  It was James’s idea to go on holiday to the Northern Territory.  An Arylin colony wasn’t my idea of the best time.  But what better place to meet my soul’s mate than in a community dedicated to the Goddess of Love?”

A chuckle rumbled his chest and he shook his head.  “And to meet the High Priest’s daughter.  I knew the moment you looked into my eyes that you would be the one my soul followed through eternity.” 

Cole ran his thumb across the encryptions on the Candle Vignette’s base.  “Every memory I have of you is stored in here.  You fashioning the topiary, the night of your first high social, our vows.”  He looked back into her eyes.  “The truth?  Anywhere you are is my favorite place to be.”

The plush carpet hushed Charlene’s steps as she entered the study.  Her hand rested on his shoulder and he looked up to see her soft smile.  He cleared his throat and took another long swig from the bottle.  Setting it on the desk with a ‘thunk’, he looked back at the image of his last wife.

“Probably not the post you were looking for.”

Charlene knelt at his side and looked at his memory of Mianna.  “It was perfect Cole.  Thank you.”

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